Red Sox Opening Day. Simply the best day of the year.

Oh glorious Red Sox Opening Day!! I’ll tell you, I could think of no better way to spend a beautiful Tuesday afternoon than at Fenway Park watching the Sox. I haven’t missed an Opening Day in six years. Generally, I go in town just to hang out and be part of the scene, but this year, I had tickets to the game.

As I mentioned in my previous post, just being in the area of Fenway Park on Opening Day is enough for most people. The hundreds of watering holes surrounding the park are jam-packed with people and have lines around the corner to get in. Until this year, I had spent the bulk of Opening Day at the Cask n Flagon, meeting the same group of peeps each time. This time around, Jacks and I pre-gamed at the Cask with our friends before heading into the park. When it was time to leave, I seriously felt guilty and almost jealous. It sounds insane, but I almost preferred to stay in the Cask than go to the game. (My Mom will kill me for saying it, but it’s the truth).

Anyway, here are some of my favorite memories from the day (what I can remember, at least):

Toto, I don’t think we’re in the Cask anymore?

For years, I had gone to the Cask on Opening Day because it’s simply the place to be. There was nothing particularly great about it, other than the fact that I loved it. It’s located on the corner of Brookline Ave. and Lansdowne Street, directly beside Fenway Park. It was what I liked to call "a dressed-up dive." It was dark and dreary with only one group of windows in the front of the building. Honestly, if you didn’t wear a watch, you’d have no idea what time of day it was. It’s decor wasn’t exactly eye-catching and it was always hot as Hell. But it was the place to be if you were a TRUE Sox fan.

During the off-season, the Cask underwent a serious overhaul. Millions of dollars were spent on renovating the popular Sox watering hole and in the end, it looked absolutely amazing. So much so, that I really didn’t know where I was. It occupies the same corner, but is a completely different structure. Windows stretch around the entire building from end to end. Tables line the walls and high top booths offer the cushiest seating. Plasma TV’s are everywhere. I mean it. No matter what direction I turned in, I NEVER missed a second of the action. Also, there’s a TV in the ladies room—which now has 14 stalls. (The bathrooms were simply the worst thing about the Cask before the renovations. Two stalls in one room, three in another. You could count on at least two of them being out of commission halfway through the day with girls clogging them up with God knows what. Needless to say, this was a welcomed change).

A few things I didn’t like, though:

* No more basketball game. The old Cask had a little gaming area that had a hoop shot, Golden Tee, a hunting game, and a couple others. For the previous five years, I had met the same group of guys for a hoop tourney. Last year, they didn’t show because I later found out they got a sweet deal at Copperfield’s down the street. But I bumped into three of them this year and they were truly disappointed our tourney could not continue.

* Nowhere to stand. This will only be the case for about three more weeks, when the back club area is completed and open for business. The front room is clearly more restauranty, leaving little place for us boozers to stand. The whole day we were being pushed around by passersby and waitresses trying to serve their tables. It wasn’t very comfortable. But this will all be solved when the 600-capacity back room opens. It’s catered more to the drinkers who like to stand around and chat. Also, there’s going to be six projector 80-inch TVs. Did you see my ears just perk up?

* Having to let my friends in at different times during the day. I know pretty much everyone at the Cask, including management and owners. Because of this fact, I never have to wait in line and often get the royal treatment. It’s a nice perk. Here’s the rub: EVERYONE wants me to get them in. Honestly, I don’t mind getting my friends into the Cask if they’re with me. I do have a problem getting different groups of people in at all hours of the day. It’s not fair to me or the bouncers who put their jobs at risk by letting my friends in over capacity. This is why I tell people to meet me beforehand so they can get in with me. Of course, this didn’t happen. At one point, I told my friends, that’s it. I’m not getting anyone else in. It was ruining my day, honestly. They’ll learn.

* No Krissy. This is the second-straight Opening Day that my sister has missed because she now resides on the Left Coast. Those who know Krissy know why she was missed. In short, she’s tons of fun and watching her show off her increasing knowledge of the game brings warmth and joy to my heart. Love you, sister. I don’t care what you have to do to get here next year, but you better!!

Finally…my shirt gets me on TV:

Every year for Opening Day, I’ve made a T-shirt. Last year it was "Curse Closed" on the front and "The Rivalry Begins Now" on the back. This was because we had just won the World Series and were playing the Yankees on Opening Day. We got our WS rings that day while the Yanks had to look on. It was honestly one of the best days of my life!! Last year, Jack Harper from Channel 5 commented on my shirt, but had already wrapped his 6 p.m. coverage (it was 5:45 p.m.). Drag!!

Anyway, this year my shirt asked, "Who the New Kids?". This is of course in reference to all the new faces on the Red Sox team this season. While waiting in the foyer for Jacks to get into the Cask, a man from CN8 asked if my shirt was in reference to the new guys, to which I stated, "DUH". (No, not really. But that’s what I wanted to say). He then said he’d come find me for an interview, which he did 15 minutes later. He asked me about my shirt, then about the chemistry of the team, then about the new faces and what I thought of them. Good stuff. My interview aired around 10:30 p.m. that night and he used about 15 seconds of it. I sounded smart, though, so that’s all that matters!!

The game, of course:

After a lousy first inning in which new pitcher Josh Beckett walked in a pair of runs (eek!), he settled down and was virtually light’s out the rest of the game. The Sox answered in the form of a 4-for-4, three double, one homerun effort from Mike Lowell and homerun by David "Big Papi" Ortiz.

Beckett pitched seven strong innings and handed the ball to Keith Foulke, who simply can no longer pitch a one-two-three inning. He gave up a two-run homer in the eighth, making it 5-3 Sox. He got out of the inning, thankfully, and the Sox went to new closer Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth. The kid threw gas and retired the side to give the Sox the win, their second-straight on Opening Day!!

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All in all, it was a great day. The worst part about it was knowing I had to get up for work the next day. Boooooooooooooooooo!!! It wasn’t that bad, though. I’ve become somewhat of a professional drinker, in that I never get a hangover. I may be a bit groggy, but I no longer seem to ride the porcelain bus, which is always a good thing. (Sorry, Mom).

Have a great weekend everyone!!