Posts Tagged: RedSox


29
May 10

Red Sox v Royals

A long time ago we bought Red Sox tickets. We felt lucky to have gotten in to the infamous “online waiting room” and to have been able to purchase tickets at face value. Little did we know that this game would fall during a week that was slightly crazed for us, what with the Celtics doing so well in the Playoffs and our Greg Laswell‘s tour coming through town the same week. I don’t know if it’s lucky or not that nothing fell on the same night. It might have been better had we been forced to make a decision and pare down the event list for the week.

Needless to say, we walked over to Fenway Saturday night and enjoyed a low key baseball game on a windy, but nice and temperate, evening.  Red Sox won (1-0).  Our tickets were SRO – we were worried that might be a bit a much after standing all night at the Celtics game the night before, but it worked out just fine.  We really don’t mind SRO at Fenway.  It’s enjoyable.

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2
May 10

Walk For Hunger – Miles 120 to 140

The Walk For Hunger Runs on Dunkin:

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Registered and Raring to go:

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Cheers icon passed in first mile:

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Mile 1 – This was the last correct mile marker:

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Citgo icon on the route:

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The Walk skirts around Fenway:

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Coolidge Corner Style 1:

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Coolidge Corner Style 2:

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These signs were everywhere all weekend due to the water emergency:

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Mile 5 – Someone actually edited this sign:

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Chestnut Hill Reservoir:

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Mile 9:

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Mile 10 – halfway point!!! This was sooo weird.  First time in 7 years we saw the markers screwed up:

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Party House right before Lunch Stop where they offered us beer last year! Haha!

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Lunch at Daly Field with bands and a short rest:

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A fancy new boathouse at Daly Field:

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Mile 11 – MORE than 1/2 way there:

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Mile 13:

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Look at the birdie! He sang too!

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Josh in the tunnel:

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Mile 14 – walking home along the Charles:

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Our little platoon walking along the Muddy:

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A Mem Drive icon, in reverse:

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Doing the whole walk in full gear!

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Citgo sign again, from across the river – we’re almost home!

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See that Mile 19 sign?  Across the road?  I think the marker is right – it is not on the walk route though…

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The Swan Boats in the Public Garden!

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Almost there!

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And we made it!!!

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We did it!  20 more miles.  And you did it! Together, the Fiala friends & family raised $1300 to fight hunger.  Thank you so much for rallying together with us in our efforts.  And our team raised over $6750!

“The opposite of hungry isn’t full; the opposite of hungry is healthy.”  -Ellen Parker

Because of your kindness we made our goal raising $1000 to fight hunger.

As most of you are aware, fighting the hunger problem in America is an effort we have chosen to support every year and one we believe is an important way we can actively participate in bettering our community.

As the state’s leading antihunger organization, Project Bread is dedicated to alleviating, preventing, and ultimately ending hunger in Massachusetts. In addition to organizing the annual Walk for Hunger and supporting emergency food programs statewide, Project Bread also advocates systematic solutions that prevent hunger in children and that provide food to families in everyday settings.

Your donation went a long way!

  • $20 provides 40 people at a soup kitchen with a bowl of hot soup and a sandwich.
  • $100 provides a week’s supply of groceries for five families.
  • $500 allows a community health center to provide immediate food assistance to 25 hungry families. (We each raised $500)
  • $1000 permits a food pantry to give a week’s supply of groceries to 50 families in need. (The Fiala total goal)

Project Bread fights hunger and advocates change in the community in which we live. It is an organization we believe in and choose to support year after year. We thank you for your support and solidarity in fighting hunger.

To everyone who supports the fight against hunger,

Thank you,
Jeannette and Josh


21
Apr 10

Snoop D.O. Double G

We went to see Snoop tonight at the House of Blues.  It was actually a fairly disappointing experience.  Jeannette got there in time to hear the openers: Kidz in the Hall and 88-Keys (who brought out Izza Kizza).  While 88-Keys and Izza Kizza were fun, there was a LONG time between sets, especially for a week night show – in Boston (where venues are kept to strict shut down times).  Then after 88 Keys finished, they turned on the house lights and people milled around.

Josh made it to the show after the opening acts were done.  Then we waited.  And waited.

And then we waited some more.  After about an hour people started getting upset.  Those with floor tickets started throwing their drinks on the stage and the House of Blues people had to go and keep retrieving the cups and wiping down the stage floor.  I think people were aiming for the DJ’s equipment that was already set up for Snoop’s crew.  Anyways, it was pushing an hour and half between the last opener and the headliner before the lights went down.

Snoop finally came out around 11:30pm.  He did his thing, said goodbye and the lights were up and people were being herded out by 12:08am.  Such a bummer!! Jeannette had been there since 7:50pm to hear ~30 minutes of Snoop.

Apparently he had a problem getting down Lansdowne Street because the Red Sox won at the same time and he couldn’t get through.  He apologized.  At the end he said he would come back to Boston anytime we all wanted.

Snoop’s people might have thought the timing would work out, but the Sox went to 12 innings tonight and won on a Youk walk-off double.  I think maybe artists should come at the same time as the openers on Sox game days when playing at the House of Blues.

Regardless, Snoop has quite the stage presence.  As soon as he walked out and started his gig – everyone was instantly smitten and happy again.  Jeannette got teared up immediately and felt like she was seeing Elvis (her equivalent, not the ghost).  But still… then it was over as soon as it began and the feelings of disappointment set in.  So sad.

These signs were NOT up a few weeks ago at the Dropkick Murphys concert we went to. Only for Snoop. So funny. They were literally posted every 5 feet, on every wall, railing and other surface. And they did not work. Cops were pulling the most blatant offenders out of the crowd.


16
Apr 10

Red Sox v Rays

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We made it to our first Red Sox game of the season. We love our Boston Sports.

Our Right Field Box seats were so good! (so good, so good! Ha!)

It had been drizzling all game long, and pretty cold, but we were prepared.  We dressed like we were headed to a Pats game – double pants, plastic ponchos, snow boots…

So there we are sitting in the drizzle all game, then all of sudden, 1/2 inning to go, they call rain delay!  WHAT?  We realized the game was tied, but really?  You can’t at least wait one more 1/2 inning of drizzle to see if we can end this in regulation?  Good grief.  Still a fun night was had!

Plus, we love being able to walk to and from Fenway from our place.  Also, we generally walk back from the Garden after C’s games too!  We’ve been getting our exercise in!  I guess while I’m mentioning it, we walked to/from the Wang (Atoms For Peace concert) and the House of Blues (Dropkick Murphys concert).  I’m like a Boston salesman!

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So update, they didn’t honor tickets for people who were at the rain suspended game – instead they played it playground-style, finishing it the next night, before starting game 2 of the series.  Turns out the Sox lost (1-3) – kinda nice we saw a tie!


6
Jan 10

Dear Mr. Unit

Dear Mr. Unit,

You have been my favorite sports player of all sports since I went to my first baseball game. A little ballerina who played no “real sports”, my love of all things football, basketball, baseball and sometimes soccer began, and still begin, with you. I still own a scrapbook that I made of all the best newspaper articles written about you during my Jr. High & High School years. I hung a poster of you (your scary mug staring out over your mitt) in my room next to pictures of ballerinas in arabesque and my point shoes. You were my sports hero for your fastball and your size and your heart. I loved your genuine apologies while you rushed to the batter’s box when you would hit a guy – arms reaching out to him in apology after you hit him with a crazy, wild, Randy Johnson fastball that you couldn’t yet control.

I fell out of touch with baseball after I moved to San Diego for college (no Dave Niehaus on the radio there!), only going to the inter-league game to watch you hit (amazingly awkward!) when you were still a Mariner. Yet, I was heartbroken when you left the Mariners for the Astros, but I decided that I must now follow the Astros’ stats (though I had never heard of them prior, really), and then the Diamondbacks. By then I was heading to start grad school in Boston, living just across the Charles river  from Fenway. I could hear Sweet Caroline from my window. My first week in Boston, I went to a Red Sox game (against the Mariners!) and once again my love of baseball was ignited.

You broke my heart again when you shot down any talk of playing for Boston, saying the only way you would ever play in Fenway was wearing pinstripes! By now I hated the Yankees with the best of them. So much so that for the 2001 Diamondbacks/Yankees World Series I drove down to Manhattan to watch Game 7 in the NYC bars just to root against the Yankees and root for you! My friend and I had to change to a new bar every inning so we didn’t make too many enemies. It was amazing! My sports hero fighting my most despised team! I just knew you would come in to close like you did for the Mariners winning the ALDS final game in 1995 against the Yankees! It was magical for this little girl. Even when you did end up in pinstripes for awhile there, I logically plotted a way to root for you – as long as you weren’t playing the Sox. Thank you, Big Unit, for opening my eyes to the wondrous world of sports. I have loved following you and your accomplishments as my sports awareness has expanded from my little girl world. My most treasured, childhood sports memories will always be of the Kingdome – you pitching to Dan Wilson, with Edgar, Buhner, Junior there and Lou having a conniption. Thank you for everything, Randy.

Always your fan,

Jeannette