Oh my God!! You guys, I have officially mastered the Fenway Park experience!! Last night was indeed a momentous evening at America’s most beloved ballpark. After two years of going to the same Miller Lite stand and seeing the same Miller Lite guy, I finally was offered the hook up!!
Here’s the back story: The Bleachers are pretty much the only area of the ballpark where everyday schmos like myself can get tickets. They’re the cheapest, but it just so happens that they are the most fun seats in the stadium as well. Drunks everywhere you turn, sharing knowledge about the game, and basically having a grand old time.
Needless to say, there is a wide variety of beers from which to choose. For the last two years, I’ve been drinking only Miller Lite. At this stand, I always saw the same people: Tall, dark-haired man on the right; short, blonde woman in the middle; tall, brunette woman on the left. One day last year, I finally struck up a conversation with the guy (who I now know is Phil). I mentioned how great it was to see the same faces every year. Kind of a creature comfort. Phil got my name and we’d been friendly ever since.
Now, usually when I go to Sox games, I get loaded beforehand at the Cask (because let’s face it, the beer’s a heck of a lot cheaper there, especially when you know the entire bar staff). Once inside the park, I’d go to Phil, say my hello’s, get my two beers and never go back.
I saw Phil on Opening Day (for my two-beer standard) and told him I’d be at three games the next week. Tuesday night, I made my first stop and he had a line, prompting the blonde to call me over to her. Phil joked about how I was his regular and how she was stealing me…Yada, yada. Anyway, I only got one beer at a time on this night because I was going to be pretty busy at work Wednesday. I went down for another halfway through the game and this time, got it from Phil. He gave me crap for not drinking much and I assured him it would be a different story when I came back Wednesday night.
Flash forward to last night. I approach the Miller Lite stand and get a wonderful greeting from both Phil and the blonde (still didn’t get her name), who both welcome me by name and say it’s nice to see me. Phil pours me two beers this time, I drop my typical $2 tip and he says, "Why don’t you bring those cups back when you’re finished." OH MY GOD!! This was it!! I was officially getting hooked up. I had heard from people that if you brought your cups back (because the vendors count them), beer guys would hook you up, but I didn’t want to assume anything with Phil. I figured, if he wanted to hook me up, he would give me the sign. And he finally did last night!!
So, after almost peeing myself with excitement, I go up to my seats in the Bleachers and share the news with my Mom, who promptly calls me a "biotch." I explained to her that the hook up is two years in the making and totally deserved.
Around the fourth inning (because yes, I drink draft beer that slowly), I go back down to Phil, slide my empty cups across the bar and he pours me two more beers. He hands them over and says "you do what you want to do," of course in reference to a tip. Now, I generally leave $2 on the $13 beers. I threw down a $5, he thanked me and I was on my way. I had just got my first free beers at Fenway!!
Then, freaking panic set in. Was $5 enough? Was he expecting $10? I know he said thank you, but was it a sarcastic thank you or was he actually grateful? I decided to throw down another $5 before I left, whether I got a beer or not. I did, around the sixth, get one more beer and toss another $5. He seemed very appreciative, but I couldn’t help but feel paranoid.
We’ll see when I go back tonight for Game 3 of the week. As a bartender myself, I hate when people ask me if their tip was good enough. What am I really going to say if it isn’t? No, your tip is horrible?? I’ve asked around and my friends all seem to think the $5 is enough. If he knows I’m going to leave $5 every time I get a beer, I think I’ll be okay. What do you guys think?
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Oh yeah. Game was good too!! Schilling recorded win No. 4 and the Sox have won four-straight to improve to a MLB best 11-4. Wakefield is on the mound tonight. Let’s hope we can keep the streak going!! Go Sox.
And, I didn't wear the same outfit as the night before becasue it ended up being a lot warmer than anticipated. It's going to be another beauty tonight so I think I'm rocking my Nixon jersey.
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