Nothing can eclipse Opening Day
Fans — young and old — flock to Fenway for Sox home opener
After a rain-soaked nor’easter and reverberations from a 4.8 magnitude earthquake to start the month, Bostonians were due for a break. And on Tuesday, they got one — just in time for Opening Day at Fenway.
Red Sox fans revelled under clear, blue skies; temperatures reached the mid-60s for the second day in a row; and the sun shone in full force — not blocked by the moon.
Fans’ hopes for the season ahead, it seemed, couldn’t be eclipsed by slowing ticket sales or doubts around the front office’s management after last season’s lackluster finish. On Opening Day, with the expanse of a season ahead and the ushering in of spring, anything is possible.
“It’s an opportunity for a fresh start,” said Katie Procopio, 38. The atmosphere of the home opener reminded her of childhood memories in the stands of “hundreds of Red Sox games” during the franchise’s winningest seasons.
“Boston’s gotta bring back that reign. The Celtics and the Bruins are off to a good start, so the Red Sox can just keep it going ... You have to believe,” Procopio said. “It’s just as big and wonderful as it always has been.”
Before the game, the streets surrounding Fenway were abuzz with the spirit and pride characteristic of Boston sports, the smell of Italian sausages laden with peppers and onions wafting in the air.
“Weather-wise, great. Team, eh,” said Ryan Belval, 24, as he waited in line outside Loretta’s Last Call on Lansdowne Street before the game. They’ve gotten off to a “hot start,” he added, but “they played three terrible teams.”
And the Baltimore Orioles, fresh off a playoff run last season, proved too much, beating the Sox 7-1.
For sure, Opening Day at Fenway is about more than the score.
Chris Cordeiro, 67, and Ken
Backaler, 74, chowed down on Italian sausages before heading into the ballpark. What they were most looking forward to about Tuesday’s game?
“Right here,” Cordeiro joked, pointing to his food.
It’s their tradition, Backaler added, to enjoy an Italian sausage outside Fenway before the game. The lifelong fans were also keen on the baseball.
They were there for “a little of each,” Backaler said.
And they weren’t the only ones focused on ballpark fare.
“I want a hot dog so badly, it’s unreal,” said Sabrina Abselet, 21, a junior at Boston University.
Snacks aside, Abselet, who is from Los Angeles, was also excited to watch her first Opening Day game.
“The city has such pride in this team,” Abselet said. “You want to join in. Just getting here, even, the streets are packed ... It’s exciting.”
While it was some fans’ first time attending Opening Day, others are veterans.
Ted Lamson leaned back against the railing outside the Cask ’N Flagon bar, surveying the crowds swarming the corner of Brookline Avenue and Lansdowne Street. He was soon joined by John and Judy Bierly, whose custom Red Sox jerseys read “Papa” and “Gram” in red lettering on the back, above the number 80 — they were both celebrating their 80th birthdays. Lamson met the pair when they were studying at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, and even took John Bierly to his first Red Sox game. They’ve been to plenty of opening days since then.
Lamson said he wanted to see a Red Sox win. But there was more to the day, he said. “We’re with our friends, so that’s what makes the difference,” he said.
“I’ve got my family here,” John Bierly added, pointing to the 15 family members — children and grandchildren — who also came for the game. “Even if they lose, it’s gonna be good.”
Opening Day was also a familial celebration for other fans.
“It’s nostalgic, coming back here,” said Kayley Erickson, 23, who drove from Norwich, Conn. to attend the game with her sister, Sarah. “We love sports in general, but Boston has a place in our heart.”
For 9-year-old Jaxon Boget, Opening Day was “a great opportunity” to skip school to head to Fenway with his grandfather, Brian Donahe, and his cousin, Brian Bartholomew.
“I’m super excited,” added Bartholomew, 11. “We get to see the ceremony with all the old players, and we get to skip school with our grandparents.”
Donahe, 71, said he used to play hooky from school on Opening Day too.
“I had to show them how to do the tradition,” Donahe said. “We’re excited to be here ... and see an improved baseball team.”