Game 2, day 2, March 16, 2011 -- Red Sox vs. Braves @ Disney
Just a few things.
Red Sox did bring most of their regulars (I recognized most of their starting lineup, so that's how I quantify it) for the long road trip. Braves won coming from behind after giving up runs in a tie game in the middle innings (6th maybe).
First time I left Disney after a day game without any sunburn. I got lucky with some clouds and my seats were upstairs where the sun was to my back and the building was blocking it. I've joked that there are 2 suns in the sky at the ESPN/Disney Sports Complex.
No autographs. I had missed the Braves taking BP and there were just so many Red Sox fans on their side that it wasn't worth fighting my way down there.
There were so many Red Sox fans. I'd bet that today's attendance was one of the top 5 games at that ballpark since it opened (late March, 1997). Other guesses being the World Baseball Classic games in 2006 (of which, I saw two, and including a packed house, and don't remember that much of a crowd), the Rays regular season series there a few years ago (yes, it's the Rays, but it was regular season), and probably an appearance by the Yankees or Red Sox in the past.
So many damn Red Sox fans there. Red Sox nation travels. Someone should do a documentary on their fan base through Spring Training and some of the east coast road games (I've seen them invade Baltimore for a weekend). But they aren't the type of fans that you'd want to get away from (like some other teams). And during the 7th inning stretch, they sing "root root root for the Red Sox". Mets fans, we need to do that and sing "root root root for the Metsies". C'mon.
And the Sox fans went nuts seeing fan favorite-turned-broadcaster Nomar Garciaparra. He works for ESPN now and was calling the game with ex-Met broadcaster Dave O'Brien. They taped the game's opening segment from the packed left field berm area surrounded by Red Sox fans in a segment (which I could barely see over the crowd) that reminded me of the scene in Fever Pitch in which Jimmy Fallon's character was being interviewed on ESPN from Spring Training.
Anyway, no Mets for me today, and not much to tell other than seeing Red Sox Traveling Nation in person is impressive. I'm not saying they're more passionate than Mets fans as a whole, but they have to be right up there.
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