Lou Gorman, General Manger of the Boston Red Sox from 1984 to 1993, was asked what he was going to do after negotiations with a player had just broken down. He replied, “The sun will rise, the sun will set and I’ll have lunch.’’ Somehow, I can hear him saying the same line this week, after one of the worst opening weeks in Red Sox history. Lou passed away last week, on the morning of the Sox season opener. What a difference a week makes. It was just one week ago Red Sox Nation was talking about 100 victories and the best team ever to take the field. And today, just seven days later, we are looking at a team with a record well below the Mendoza line.
This, after so much optimism during the off-season. As we watched with delight and glee, the Red Sox acquired Adrian Gonzalez, a name so often talked about in these parts, it seems he’s been part of the team for years . And just when the celebration was winding down about Gonzalez, a late night deal put Carl Crawford in a Red Sox uniform. Adding to the euphoria was Cliff Lee, sure to sign with the Yankees, until he chose to head to Philadelphia. Get the duck boats ready!! Everyone was excited and could not wait for April to arrive.
Just a week ago, all this optimism about the Olde Towne Team was enough to bring a smile to even the most pessimistic fan. And somehow, now six games later, people are worried and scarred. What if they don’t start hitting? Maybe the pitching isn’t as good as we thought? Could the word “Overrated” replace the famous “1918” chant that was finally put to rest seven years ago?
These questions will all be answered in the season to come. Bases will be stolen, games will be won and lost, and if all is well in September, a slow start to the season will be laughed at as the playoffs begin. Somehow, none of that matters today.
Amid the difficulties of the past week and the appearance of celebrities and VIP’s at Fenway today, there will be magic in the air. The snows of a long Winter will be replaced by the sounds of hotdog venders and the crack of the bat. No matter where you are today, you walk with an extra bounce in your step. Team records do not matter. A starting pitcher’s E.R.A does not matter. For one day, and maybe only for one day, there is a feeling that you could conquer the world, and the Olde Towne Team, WILL have a banner year!! For today is the home opener at Fenway Park.
Opening Day brings back the magic, the majesty and the dignity that only the game of baseball seems to conjure up. Is it, as Bart Giamatti wrote, because baseball is the only major sport that begins with the start of Spring, or because it is one of the oldest leagues in the country? As flowers bloom, so do the attitudes and hopes of a nation revived.
Today, somewhere in the ballpark, a child will arrive and see the Green Monster for the first time; it will look much the same as it has for the past 99 years. Wide eyed, the child will watch as Jacoby Ellsbury runs the bases, as Dustin Pedroia makes a double play look child’s play, and as Carl Crawford makes stealing a base look easy. Forget about new menu items like veggie burgers or sushi; only popcorn, hot dogs and peanuts will make the experience complete and every person at the ballpark will look at that child and remember their own first visit to Fenway. No matter where you are, the ghosts of those who taught us our love for the game will be standing next to us, watching that first pitch. And for that briefest of moments, dreams are made, wishes are fulfilled and poets swoon. Not such a bad way to spend an afternoon.
People continue to look for hope during a time when, for so many, it is hard to find. W.P. Kinsella knew baseball and hope are forever linked when he wrote: “The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again.” The starting record of the hometown team cannot change that, cannot remove that magic, so real, you can almost reach out and touch it. Magic, it’s what the home opener at Fenway Park is all about.
- Greg Cunningham
Keywords: Boston Red Sox, Opening Day
