Jon Crispin's Notebook

I will often go to Fenway without a ticket in the hope that something will pop up (no pun intended).  When I got to the park I was amazed to see the line for the “day of game” tickets was quite short so I queued up and snagged a cheap (for the Sox) ticket out in the right field  grandstand.

It is always special to walk into Fenway, especially on opening day.

The NESN sideline reporter was ready for the cold, but it warmed up nicely.  By the 4th inning I took off my jacket, down vest, and wool sweater.

I am including this shot for Peter Carroll.  Look closely and you will notice that the “camera” on the tripod for this guy’s live feed is an iPhone!  Amazing.

The Sox were playing the Pirates, and I am including this shot for my son Peter.  We joke a lot about the 1970s Pirates hats, and this gentleman was totally decked out, including his Willie Stargell jersey.  He wasn’t so happy at the end of the day, as the Sox won 5-3.

I ended up sitting in the second row of right field box 88, and had a really enjoyable time with the usher in that section, Bobby the Brick.  It was a blast to watch him work the game; keeping people moving, and bantering with the crowd.  He would randomly ask folks what the score was, how many runners were on base, etc, just to make sure we were all paying attention.  He is a totally great guy who grew up in the North End and loves his job.

I always like to look around between innings.  My seat was just under the retired numbers of famous Red Sox players.  Love that blue sky.

This was the first time I had taken the Commuter Rail to the park.  There is a new stop just steps from Fenway and it was great.  I love trains.