This baseball season, I’ll be wearing my away jersey.
As I gear up for my first full Red Sox season away from New England, I’m kind of in panic mode (it became an even harsher reality when I realized the Red Sox don’t come to Chicago for a series until the last weekend in September). I’m a little envious of Chicagoans as they buzz about the starts to the Cubs and White Sox seasons, hopeful that maybe this year will be the year (that idea will die pretty quickly… hey, good to know I can still trash talk like a Boston fan!)
This time of year is a magical one for baseball fans: the slate is wiped clean, the series are even, and the fresh-cut grass smell is still, well, fresh. In Boston, life begins again and people start emerging from their winter shells, ready for spring and ready for the Red Sox. Yawkey Way is hopping and even the normally most impatient, crass Masshole can’t help but crack a smile.
But I can’t help feeling like I am on the outside looking in this year. I can read all 12 of the daily Boston Globe articles online, but I can’t fully soak in the anticipation of the season. The opening of Fenway Park evokes such a tremendous feeling, one that somehow engages all six senses (the sixth being ESP, because we all insist we KNOW this is the year for our boys. Screw you, New York).
The closest I have come to being giddy about the new Red Sox season was last night when I saw a commercial for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. The network is airing the Red Sox home opener –against the Yankees nonetheless—on Sunday night! JACKPOT! Happy Easter to me!
I am now allowing myself to officially get excited about the season. I woke up this morning and checked Boston.com for the latest scoop on my team and crossed a day off on my calendar, bringing me one box closer to euphoria.
Now that I am no longer wicked depressed about missing the Red Sox, I am able to reflect on baseball in my new town.
A Tale of Two Teams
As I sit here thinking about my home team 1,000 miles away, I can only wonder how cool it would be to come from a city that has two baseball teams. Would I love one and hate the other like people in Chicago do? Would it be cool to hop from the Southside up north to Wrigley when the Sox were out of town and vice versa (I would always have a home team in town!)? Or would it annoy me to see a cross-town team’s logo cross my path as much as it annoys me to see a Yankee hat in Boston?
I’m going to go with when you love one team, you hate the other. Could I stand the Boston Braves if they were still around? I guess I’ll never know. But hopefully I can enjoy my options of two teams here.
Choosing Sides
While I have two baseball teams to choose from in the Windy City, it just isn’t the same as rooting for my home team. I feel like I am cheating on the Red Sox if I know more than what’s above the surface when it comes to the White Sox or Cubs (unless the stats or tidbits of information involve Boston somehow).
And just an FYI, two is not always better than one. After some hard thinking, I have decided not to profess any allegiances to either baseball team here (mostly out of concern for my own personal safety). Whenever anyone asks the question, “Are you a White Sox or Cubs fan?” and glares at me as they await the answer, I have learned to say: “I’m a Red Sox fan.” They mutter an “Oh” and don’t really know what else to say. In Chicago, there are pros and cons for picking either team to root for, but I feel like I’d get hotdogs thrown at me if I picked the wrong one. And if I’m going to be assaulted, I’d rather suffer while wearing my Red Sox hat.
For Love of the Game
Although I’m not a fanatic of either Chicago team, I am a fan of baseball. I love going to games, enjoying over-priced beer and over-steamed hot dogs while hanging out with friends. This baseball season I will catch my share of Cubs and White Sox games (I have a hat for each team just to be safe), and enjoy one of the best parts about this city: dueling ball clubs.
The lesson learned here: you can take the girl out of Boston but never the Red Sox out of the girl. Is it Sunday yet?
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