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Cubs Tue May 24 2011
Fenway Park Trip Lives Up to the Hype
BOSTON -- It took 93 years for the Cubs to return to Fenway Park. Unfortunately for those of us Cubs fans who made the pilgrimage to Boston, the results this weekend were similar to the 1918 World Series.
Even worse for me, I missed Saturday's win and attended the two games the Cubs lost. My track record for watching them in American League venues is now 1-9, with the lone victory coming eight years ago on the South Side.
But results aside, it was a great trip.
Like Wrigley, Fenway is one of the most iconic ballparks in baseball. Having never been to Fenway prior to this trip, the excitement had been building before Friday night's game. When I arrived on Lansdowne Street I was overtaken by the atmosphere, the tradition and the history that entrench the park.
Upon entering the park, the ticket taker jokingly said, "Welcome to Wrigley." I sat in the right field bleachers for Friday night's contest. When I emerged from the concourse and took in Fenway Park for the first time it was as if I were a child on Christmas morning. My eyes opened real wide. Goosebumps covered my arms. Unless you were behind a pole -- of which Fenway has many -- there isn't a bad seat in the house.
Aside from the two losses, the overall experience at Fenway was awesome, other than a few drunken idiots who heckled me with chants of "1918." (Shouldn't it have been "1908," since that was the last time the Cubs won a World Series?) This baffled me because up until 2004, the Red Sox and their fans were in the exact same boat.
Otherwise, there was no real animosity between the two fan bases. I found Red Sox fans to be very friendly and welcoming. Salt of the earth, if you will. As I told the fans I spoke with during this weekend, if I weren't a Cubs fan I'd be a Red Sox fan. Banter between fans was friendly and rarely were there any heated arguments.
I, like many others, dream of a Cubs-Red Sox World Series. The weather this weekend felt like October and while the outcome wasn't what Cubs Nation had hoped for, the experience is something I won't soon forget.
