Fenway Fan Appreciation Day

It was a cold, windy day at Fenway Park last Sunday when the Red Sox played their final yet memorable game of the 2010 season. As usual, the park was completely packed with roaring fans showing their dedication to a team that may have suffered from injuries this season, but will always remain dear to its fans. And yes, I proudly admit to be one of those fans. Although the Red Sox were out of the running, this final Yankees-Red Sox match-up of the season was one that I absolutely could not miss. Little did I know what other opportunities were in store for me that day.

With an 8-4 win alone against the Yankees that afternoon, the weather was well worth enduring. After all, the win was to be expected. (Of course the Red Sox would win. It had to happen). What wasn’t expected was the announcement that came in the 8th inning after the final singing of Sweet Caroline:

“Stay after the game for a chance to run on the field,” came a voice over the intercom.

I blinked for a second, trying to process what I had just heard. Were they really letting all of these people on to the field after the game? I had never heard of the Red Sox doing this in the past. The image that came to my mind was one of the fans jumping over the walls and on to the field after the game, storming the mound. I laughed to myself at that picture and decided the Red Sox would never let us do that; they probably meant that they will let one or two fans on to the field.

Well, I was right about one thing—the fans did not storm the mound after the game, even after a no-score inning for Papelbon in the 9^th to close the game. However, all of the fans were allowed to walk around the field after the game in a more orderly fashion, as well as run around the bases and sign their names on Pesky’s Pole, the foul pole in right field.

I found out later that this was part of Fenway’s Fan Appreciation Day. According to a  September 30^th press release on redsox.com, “The Boston Red Sox announced a number of events and promotions for the final homestand of the 2010 regular season when the Red Sox will take on the New York Yankees,” including celebrating Johnny Pesky’s 91st birthday, honoring Mike Lowell in a pre-game ceremony, and, finally, allowing fans to run the bases of Fenway Park. After honoring its players on Friday and Saturday, the Red Sox devoted Sunday to honoring its dedicated fans.

Adam Korn, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he appreciated the opportunity.

“Having been a life long fan,” Korn said, “It was a dream come true to be able to run the bases at Fenway Park.”

I have never won any of the Fenway giveaways—some of us just aren’t that lucky—so I thought it was really great that the Red Sox offered this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to everyone at the game. It wasn’t something you had to win; it was something everyone had a chance to do. I think that is really what made the experience great—walking out on to the field with the crowd of excited fans, rubbing our feet against the Fenway dirt (which didn’t really look like normal dirt…), touching the Green Monster, and finally reaching home plate. It doesn’t take much to make a bunch of fans happy, and the Red Sox really understood that.

Thank you, Red Sox!