Take me in to the ball game

Well, Tuesday I got to do what I haven't done in a while, which is watch a baseball game from Fenway Park.

It was pre-season, but baseball's baseball.

And it was plenty odd.

Except for a couple of photographers, there was no one in the stands. Even when it's 40 degrees out and drizzling, there are always at least a few diehards in the bleachers, and for a good long while, most games at "America's Most Beloved Ballpark" (while Fenway is beloved by me, I always wonder who decided this) have been sellouts or nearly so.

It was good to have a game to watch. A nice reminder of before time.

The game featured the usual announcers - Dave O'Brien, Jerry Remy, and Dennis Eckersley - and, in fact, doubled up on the color guys so we got both RemDawg and Eck. It was good to hear their voices, especially Eckersley, with his colorful nonsense. Mitch Moreland hit a home run, which the Eck called "a 3-run Johnson". (Eck has a lot of original coinages, but my favorite Eckisode was a malapropism. He was talking about pitcher Justin Masterson and he called him "Justin Masturbation.")

I liked the fact that they had fake crowd noise. It's not clear whether the players are down with it, but the announcers liked it, too. Even if they don't pipe it into the park, I hope they keep using it for the televised games. (While they're at it, why not add in some organ music?) I can get past the empty stands, but it would be way too eerie trying to watch a game with no crowd noise. It was done pretty well, by the way. Mostly the general buzz you hear in background, but revved up when the Sox did something good. It worked for me!

But, as my sister Trish observed during our running game-time text commentary, they might want to stir some boos into the mix.

Because the game we watched was definitely boo-worthy.

The Red Sox took an early 5-0 lead, but the Blue Jays chipped away at it. In the 9th, they tied the game - then went ahead by two runs. Our boys never recovered. At least the game didn't go into extra innings, so there's that.

There were some things to cheer about. That 3-run Johnson, and another dinger from J.D. Martinez. A kid from Worcester - John Andreoli - was in the game, and they did a shout out to The Woo and St. John's High (alma mater of both of my brothers).

Overall, however, it was a classic Red Sox suck-fest. Nothing I haven't seen during my long, long, long history as a Red Sox fan. (First memory: trying to pick a player off the screen - likely at my father's directive - of the family's black and white Philco. This was 1952. I was two.) While I have certainly enjoyed the embarrassment of riches which has been the 21st century Red Sox - four World Series Championships: who'da thunk it? - I am never surprised when they falter.

Last season was a debacle. Why should this year's edition be any better?

Especially with the departure of Mookie Betts to the L.A. Dodgers, second only to the Yankees as the team I love to hate. It is rumored that Mookie is about to sign a colossus of a contract with L.A. When he should have been staying put, here in Boston. Bad deal. A stab in Boston fandom's heart. It pains me that Mookie will now likely enter the Hall of Fame as a Dodger, not a Red Sox. Boo! Even if I don't live to see it.

And speaking of colossal contracts, as I texted Trish during the game "What's up with Pedroia?"

Pedroia is one of my favorite players, but we haven't seen much of him in the last four years. So I looked it up.

Although not in the same league as the contract Mookie will sign, Pedroia, who is still injured, will have collected a hefty $56 million since 2018, during which time he played in nine - count 'em, nine - games. Nice non-work it you can get it. And a good example of just how insane baseball financials are.

Tonight the "real" COVID of a season kicks off. The Sox play the O's, and I'll be sitting there, watching. Root, root, rooting for the Red Sox. If they don't win it won't surprise me. I am, after all, a true Red Sox fan (and my father's daughter).

Whatever this truncated and weird little season brings, I'm happy that the game is back on.