Waking up on Tuesday in the Days Inn hotel in Boston never felt any better. Finally the year had passed and i was about to attend my second consecutive Red Sox home opener after the 7 hour car trek from Ottawa.

My father and I began our journey by leaving the hotel at 9:30am and after a half-hour of driving around Fenway we finally found a parking garage charging 40$, almost as much as the face value of our tickets, to park for the game.

The time flew by and before we knew it the gates to America’s most beloved ballpark were opening. Back again was the sweet smell of Fenway Franks and ice cold beer. Half an hour before game time the festivities began. The troops representing every aspect of the military marched out onto the field and Harry Connick Jr. sang America the Beautiful. This was then followed by a tribute to the Impossible Dream team of 1967, which had all former players, still living make their way to their former positions. Although it was spectacular to see all the former greats such as Yaz, it was not well coordinated as they were hardly even introduced. So the first pitch was then thrown to Ichiro, but the National Anthem had not even been sung. I am not an American but as a baseball fan and sports fan i know that any anthem, American or not, should definetly be belted out prior to the start.

Alas there is a game to get to.

Beckett showed what he was made of on this frosty afternoon. He went 7 strong innings, striking out 8, including Ichiro 3 times. He now moves to 2-0 on the season and is proving his ace like status that the entire Red Sox nation was hoping for. Offensively for the Red Sox, both JD Drew and Captain Jason Varitek knocked in 3 rbis a piece and Coco Crisp knocked in a pair.

This game was not without controversy however. In the top half of the eigth with Brendan Donnelly on the mound, he managed to strike out former teammate Jose Guillen and instead of going straight to the dugout after striking out, Guillen started walking towards the mound looking for some trouble. The umpire managed to get between the two but not before the bench’s cleared yet nothing ensued. Very next batter, Kenji Johjima was plunked in the leg on the 3rd pitch from Donnelly which resulted in the pitchers ejection. Although the ejection did not seem warranted, it was necessary for the umpire to take charge and make sure there was no more horsing around.

Mike Timlin made his return from the DL and appeared in the 9th innings. He struggled, allowing 2 runs, but it was to little to late for the Mariners as the Red Sox crushed them by a final of 14-3.

The atmosphere on Opening Day is one that can only be matched by a Yankees game or playoff game. The friendly confines of Fenway Park offer the best Opening Day experience of any ballpark. Fathers should bring their sons, Husbands bring their wives and grandparents bring their grand children. It is a great time for bonding and getting away from stresses of life back home.

So as the day comes to a close and the lights turn off, morning will soon come at the Days Inn and then Dice-K will take the mound to begin another unforgettable day at the “pahhk”

Written and Experienced by Jordan Adams