Red Sox Traveling Nation

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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The game that got me started

Well, 23 years ago today was the day that started it all for me. I'm talking about one of the biggest comebacks in baseball history. Game 6 of the '86 'Series. I have no recollection of any games from 1986 or before, except for the one I attended as a clueless kid in mid-September, before this game. I really don't remember anything from the first 9 1/2+ innings of the game either, aside from the video tape and DVD in much much later years. That bottom of the 10th is engrained in my memory though.

As an 8 1/2 year old with a future closer to the sciences than the arts, I remember that night as being the night we changed the clocks back to end Daylight Savings Time, and that I was even allowed to stay up well past midnight as my parents had friends over to watch the game. In fact, the nights of Game 6 of the World Series and ending DST coincided up until a couple years ago when both were pushed back. I thought I might get to be up to see 1am twice. I almost saw it once that night. Instead (and staying up that late at that time in my life was a pipe dream), I saw something much bigger and much more memorable.

I saw the greatest comeback in baseball history and it made me a fan forver. It made me a Mets fan forever. The bottom of the 10th is my flagship baseball moment. I have the audio of the bottom of the 10th from WHN (Mets) radio with Bob Murphy and Gary Thorne. Bob Murphy, forever the voice of the Mets, captured the hope and joy perfectly on radio. I'm listening now, with the DVD cued up for later today. An abbreviated transcript from Bob Murphy (in blue) and Gary Thorne (in orange):

Veteran relief right-hander Bob Stanley being brought on now by John McNamara. Stanley has pitched effectively in this World Series. He'll be pitching to Mookie Wilson. The Mets were down to their final strike. Ray Knight kept it going with a base hit.
...
Boston 5, New York 4. The first two batters up in the home 10th inning were retired. Three hits in a row. Gary Carter, a single to left. Kevin Mitchell, a single to left. Ray Knight with a two strike count, a single into Centerfield, scoring Gary Carter. Now, one more hit and the Mets, for the third time tonight, would have come from behind and tied this ballgame.
...
Bottom half of the 10th inning. Red Sox, one out away from a World's Championship. Stanley in the set position, the pitch. Foul ball, skidding off the bat handle, and again, the Mets are down to their last strike.
...
Stanley really anxious to get it overwith. He's getting the ball back and almost quick pitching. So Mookie will step out on him to slow him down a little bit. 2 balls and 2 strikes. Mets have only one strike left.
Stanley is ready. The pitch. Gets away! Gets away! Here comes Mitchell! Here comes Mitchell! Tie game! Tie game!
Unbelieveable, a wild pitch!
The game is tied 5 to 5. Mitchell comes in to score. Knight, the winning run is on second.
...
Mookie Wilson, still hoping to win it for New York. 3 and 2 the count. And the pitch by Stanley, and a ground ball trickling, it is a fair ball. Gets by Buckner. Rounding 3rd, Knight. The Mets will win the ballgame. The Mets win! They win!
Unbelieveable, the Red Sox in stunned disbelief!
A slow ground ball went right through the legs of Buckner, down the rightfield line. The Mets have won the ballgame. 3 runs in the bottom half of the 10th inning. 3 runs in the 10th inning. They were down to their final strike twice, in the bottom half of the 10th inning. They win the ballgame!

I won't go into the "why's", which are really from Boston's side. Or the "what if's". I just enjoy it. Bob Murphy's call of the 10th which I probably recorded one Christmas Day from WFAN when they would play the tape rather than have someone on air. I didn't know and probably couldn't have understood at the time that he was the guy hired to call Mets games 25 years earlier to work with the Hall of Fame player and Network-caliber broadcaster, getting his first chance in the World Series. Vin Scully's priceless work on NBC. I didn't know and probably couldn't have understood at the time that he used to call games in New York for a team that left nearly 30 years before. Or that he was a Hall of Famer who would still be going strong on a reduced schedule 23 years later. Or that Boston hadn't won in 67 years (at the time), and in numeric synergy, would win 18 years later breaking their drought of 86 years. It was just a magic moment that would make me a fan.

The story continues in 2 days (remember that the Mets only won Game 6 to tie the series, winning the right to play one more game, and that game would be rained out the next night).

Never Forget '69 has the transcript of the entire bottom of the 10th inning.


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