One last game

Every year since around 1999 I have tried to make a point of going to the last game of the regular season at Fenway Park.  Since that time there have been two or three times that I haven’t made it but, for the most part, when the Red Sox say goodbye to the fans for the regular season, I’m there.

I bought the ticket for tonight’s game way back in December thinking the same things I do every year:  If the Red Sox are in division lead it would just be fun to be at the park (and say goodbye to Fenway) and if the team is completely out of it I’d want to be there to support the team (and say goodbye to Fenway).  I don’t usually take into consideration the situation that the team is currently in.

Let’s recap:

The team is in the lead for the Wild Card.  They are two games up on Tampa Bay and six games out of first place behind the Yankees.  They are, technically, still completely in this.  Unfortunately, their play hasn’t been that of a playoff competitor and instead of offering up support to help give the team that extra push it seems that many fans physically showing up at Fenway would rather bring the negative.  This makes it so that the team isn’t what makes me kind of dread going to tonight’s game but the fans are.

I guess that positive outlook from the fans I mentioned yesterday only exists if the team is winning.

So I will be there tonight and I’ll be there with someone who shares my belief in supporting the team no matter what.  (She also is one of less than a handful of people who can keep me from getting into a fight at Fenway.  That could come in handy tonight.)

Regardless of what October brings for the Red Sox, tonight is more than likely the last time I’ll see Fenway in person this year and I plan to make the very best of it.