It took all the way to May to get me to the ballpark this year — the latest for a first game since 2004, when I waited until June. I had some nebulous plans to attend the Twins-Tigers series back in April, but a family emergency had me, coincidentally, back in Minnesota for that week. And thus, my inaugural ballgame of the year was tonight’s Red Sox-Tigers game at Comerica Park.
And it was a good game for a Sox fan. Boston scored three runs in the 2nd inning and never looked back, winning 5-1. Looking at the starting pitchers, Beckett and Verlander, I thought it might be a pitcher’s duel, but then I talked to a pair of guys sitting next to me and it turns out that Verlander hasn’t been the no-hitter throwing Verlander of last year. So instead, the game itself was pretty non-exciting. My observation of the evening (which I’m sure I’ve made before) is that if the home team is never really in contention, the crowd is pretty blah leading to a dull atmosphere at the ballpark.
However, I did have some amusing snippets of conversation with the two guys sitting next to me. For starters, we bought our tickets from the same scalper official ticket booth, and they actually bargained the guy down $10 cheaper than I paid. Note to self — never accept the first offer, even if it is cheaper than face value. Second, being a Red Sox fan pretty much sets you up to be hated outside of Fenway Park. (And arguably with good reason, but I’ll not go there.) However, declaring that your first allegiance is to another Central Division team actually redeems you quite a bit. And being able to remember the name Archibald “Moonlight” Graham will redeem you even further.