A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Fenway Park

There's not much going on in the Sox news department, except for ongoing talks with the Twins about their soon-to-be-traded Johan Santana.....talks that include the New York Yankees. That's one destination we do NOT want to see him call home for the baseball seasons to come. So I wanted to tell you a quick story, a tale I will always remember. The names have been changed to protect the innocent (just kidding!).

Flash back six or seven years ago. I and a couple friends were on our way to Fenway Park, motoring up Route 84 east near the Massachusetts line, where Route 90, the Mass Pike, intersects and takes you straight east (or west) into the heart of Boston, and that fabled little ballpark called Fenway Park. We were listening to WTIC-AM1080, a radio station fabled for it's unwavering Sox coverage for more than 50 years, and during the top of the hour newscast (the 11AM hour, I remember that), we heard a report, an "Amber alert" before there were "Amber alerts," that said a child had been taken while playing in her frontyard, and it described the car they were looking for, which was said to have hopped on Route 84 east fairly near where we were at the time. Now picture this....three guys, happy and excited to see our Sox play the Rangers on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in late August, hearing this report but only half-listening, when, and I STILL can't believe it happened, that Chevy tan car with the last four letters of the plate saying SBTS passed us by in the left lane. You know me, Mr. Conservative (kidding!!) while on the highway, zooming along at 78 MPH in the middle lane, and this guy passed me like I was standing still. And one of my friends mentioned that the speeding car AND it's plate matched the radio report. Holy sh*t!!!! At least that's what I said, outloud, while reaching for the car phone. There were no cell phones back in the very early 90s, at least ones you'd want to own. I called 911, gave them the reason for the call and our exact location, mile marker included. They said to stay on the line, and within 3 miles or so (we were near a State Police sub-station), the good guys were not only zooming past us in pursuit but were waiting for that car to reach them, parked with engines running on Route 84 east just before the Mass. Pike intersection. And they got their man! Two of the Statie's actually waved as we went by, and the phone operator thanked us for being "good citizens."

We were beaming with pride and happiness as we walked towards Fenway Park. It was a sunny day, two (not 1!) kids were rescued from an enraged, estranged father, and all was right with the world. The Red Sox ended up getting smashed, losing to Texas by a score of 12-3, or something like that. But nothing could ruin that inner glow....we had done a GOOD thing. There's no better feeling in all of the world.

OK, back to the reality that is 2007. The Red Sox are WORLD champions yet again, and if you had told me THAT while on our way to Fenway on that fate-filled day in the early 90s, I wouldn't have believed you. But then again, I wouldn't have believed what happened on that unforgettable trip to the Emerald City, which is better known as Fenway Park. And remember that special glow I told you about earlier? Sometimes it STILL shines, warm and soothing, deep within my heart.

Thanks for reading Peter's Red Sox Forever, as always. There's no link to click on for an accompanying news story. The news is slim and none. But that trip down memory lane? As the ad campaign goes....PRICELESS!