Last night, it was like I was 9 years old again. All I could think about all day was the game, it felt like a second coming of opening day. I settled in right at 5:30pm for NESN's pregame (perhaps the first time I thought a 90 minute pregame show was necessary)....
And the Red Sox and Jason Bay didn't disappoint. Great pitching (both starting and relief (save for one Oki pitch)...weird), good defense, solid base running and timely hitting.... but the story of the night was our new Canadian best friend. Bay flashed some leather on a play where Manny might have rolled around and took a nap on the baseball. His intelligent baserunning helped score both runs in an exciting 2-1 victory. I screamed like a girl when I thought he had hit the storybook walk off homer in the 12th, but was almost just as happy to see rookie Jed Lowrie come through in the clutch later that inning. The victory goes a long way in helping Jason Bay's immediate transition into Red Sox Nation. He himself looked like a kid again, with a big smile and a wave to a Fenway standing ovation when stepping into the batters box, he must have had butterflies....I did. Jason, you're not in Pittsburgh anymore, welcome to baseball that means something to everyone here, everyone.
In the end, something about this game seemed calming to me (peace of mind maybe?), perhaps it was the low score? or maybe it was the fact that Fenway was alive with emotion as the Sox have opened a new chapter in the 2008 season?...whatever it was, both the 25 year old and 9 year old in me liked it.
(video courtesy of NECN.com)
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