Somewhere on the long list of things I haven't done since having children is "Go to a Red Sox game." Whenever Andy's parents give us some of their season's tickets, Andy takes Steph or Pete. Sometimes my in-laws trade tickets with their seat-mates and the whole gang of them go. But I always stay home with Julie and whichever other kid didn't get to go.
Well, not tonight! Andy and I took Steph, and Jen babysat Pete and Julie. It was a perfect evening weather-wise (mild and breezy) and a perfect game: We won 2-1, and it was a relatively quick game, so very exciting right up until the end. My only disappointment was that Tim Wakefield pitched, which means that I didn't get to see my neighbor Jason Varitek catching.
Steph has a mad crush on David Ortiz, so she had on her #34 shirt (along with half the other fans, granted). But we were chanting "Big Papi! Big Papi!" perhaps louder than anyone.
Oh, and in July, Andy and I are going to take Pete by ourselves, so I'll get to go yet again!
Meanwhile, I became obsessed with the various circles of hell that constitute selling concessions in the stands at Fenway. What is the hierarchy? Is it worse to lug around that huge metal case of hot dogs, which is both heavy and hot, or to balance a case of icy-cold Coke bottles on your head all night? Do those guys get paid more than the guy with the giant puff of cotton candy? And how is that the peanut guy gets to charge $4.25/bag, pretty much guaranteeing him a $0.75 tip on nearly every bag, but the popcorn guy has to charge an even $4/bag? How fair is that? I assume that guys who've been there longer can exert their seniority and choose what they want to sell, and I'd love to know what's considered the best/worst thing to schlep all night vs. how much you can make. (Sorry, but I've warned you that it's scary here inside my brain!)
I was at the game, too! Great game, perfect night.
Posted by: nancy | June 12, 2007 at 11:26 PM
Honing in on the one thing that really wasn't the intent of your blog...tipping. Last night I went to see Camelot at the theater in Ft. Lauderdale. Had dinner with a friend at a lovely restaurant, left my (new!) car with the valet there and walked to the show. Upon returning, there were three guys with three cars in front of us. As they gave their tickets, one gave $10 for the $6 charge and pocketed the change, one handed over six singles and the other took his change from a $20. I admired the restraint shown by the valet...and gave him a $10 and told him to keep the change. Not tipping is really, really low. And I would give the popcorn guy the buck as a tip, so he would actually come out ahead of the peanut guy. I remembered from my waitressing days that even priced drinks were the bane of my existence!!!
Posted by: Di | June 13, 2007 at 08:34 AM
You do realize that by attending last night's game, you've given your approval of Interleague Play. ;)
Very cool that Varitek is a neighbor! My neck of the woods is famous for the Giambi brothers. I cringed while typing that.
Posted by: Loren | June 13, 2007 at 10:21 AM
I was thinking as I was watching on NESN last night that it was a perfect night to be at a game. Good for you! I do agree with Loren, though, on interleague play. It goes against the order of things, and Crash Davis would surely frown on it.
Posted by: Susan | June 13, 2007 at 12:11 PM
I actually enjoy the interleague play. I get a kick out of watching our Mariners pitchers trying to hit the ball (and sometimes doing a pretty good job at it). Plus, we get to watch them play teams we normally wouldn't ever be able to.
Posted by: Tonya | June 13, 2007 at 06:33 PM
GO RED SOX! Yeah! A fellow fan!! Love your blog... I found it on Blogher.org!! We're going to be taking our boys to some games this summer - very excited. My parents have season tickets and we are vying (along with my brothers and sister) for the Yankee tickets!
- Audrey
Pinks & Blues
www.pinksandblues.com
Posted by: Audrey - Pinks & Blues Girls | June 13, 2007 at 10:54 PM