God, I Love This Ballpark

I spent a very enjoyable day at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon. Every time I have ever been there has always been a great experience. I took an early morning bus, the Chinatown express from the Fung Wah company. It was a nice trip up, and it took just over 3 1/2 hours. And the best part was that it only cost $15 one way. I would definitely recommend them as a less-expensive alternative to get to Boston.

It was simply a gorgeous day in Boston, with the temperature at 62 degrees and bright sunshine. I met up with two of my friends and we took our seats in section 4 down the right field line. From the picture above, we were just to the right of the Pesky Pole, and we were in the very last row. It was still a good seat, but the only disadvantage was that we couldn't see the big scoreboard in right, but we had a perfect view of the scoreboard along the Green Monster. And from my vantage point, I could not see an empty seat ANYWHERE in my view.

Fenway continues to be the most beautiful ballpark in America. I liked the new changes, putting seats behind home plate that replaced the 406 Club. I also like the new roof seats along both the left and right field lines. Hopefully one day before I die, I can sit in those sections, as well in the Green Monster section.

I was dreading a Lenny DiNardo start, as I figured the Red Sox would have to score a LOT of runs. He got the first two hitters to begin the game, but then walked the next four hitters in a row, giving the Orioles a cheap run. Then Kevin Millar came up. He got a nice reception from the crowd (no standing ovations, but generally polite applause), and then DiNardo struck him out on three pitches.

The Red Sox hit Kris Benson hard in the first. The first two outs were deep fly balls to center, and then with the bases loaded, Jason Varitek tagged one that sailed into the Orioles bullpen, a grand slam giving the Sox a 4-1 lead. DiNardo settled down, and allowed just one more run in his remaining four innings.

The Red Sox put the game out of sight in the fifth when they knocked Mr. Anna Benson out with a five-run rally, capped by yet another Mike Lowell double that drove in two runs. Lowell is proving that he is tailor-made for Fenway Park, and he now has 17 doubles, leading the American League.

The Red Sox coasted into a 10-3 win to sweep the series from the struggling Orioles. Millar struck out for the second time in his last at-bat in the eighth, and I wished him good luck for the rest of the season as he headed to the dugout.

The Red Sox are now 11-5 all-time at Fenway Park when I've been there, and the Red Sox are now 22-12 in the 34 games I have seen them live in since 1980. I will see them for the 35th time on May 21st in Philadelphia.