Steven Tyler, Neil Diamond, Dr. Dre at Red Sox Home Opener. And No-MAH!!
Boston, MA –It was destined to be a big night for the Boston Red Sox last night. First game of the season. Opener at home against the Yankees. Pedro Martinez back in a Sox uniform to throw out the first pitch. And that was just the beginning. The rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees is still a thing of legend, and to have that as the home opener in a town so violently pro-Sox and, specifically, anti-Yanks was poetry. Red Sox fans don’t care that the Yankees won the World Series (again) last year. For as long as there is beer to drink and Fenway Franks to eat, “Yankees Suck!” will be heard everywhere, from the most expensive box seats to the farthest reaches of the bleachers.
Steven Tyler brings his own heat to the Sox home opener.
Pedro was a surprise for the fans. When he walked out for the ceremonial first pitch, the crowd went wild. After signing with the New York Mets and playing a bit of last season with the Phillies, he is still beloved by Sox fans. Once again, they chanted “Pe-dro! Pe-dro! Pe-dro” as he strolled onto the field, and he was as much a part of the team as he was when he actually played for them. On March 10, Nomar Garciaparra—who had the most fun name to chant in a thick Boston accent (No-MAH! No-MAH! No-MAH!), and which I did even though I do not have a Boston accent naturally)—was signed to a one-day contract so he could retire with the Red Sox.
This is a team that inspires a bizarre, almost frightening loyalty and offers the only stadium in which the cheap seats are the most fun (Anothah bee-ah! Who wants anothah bee-ah?).
Sox ownership pulled out all the stops for the home opener. Steven Tyler sang “God Bless America” at the 7th-Inning Stretch. Neil Diamond (yes, the real Neil Diamond) came out in the 8th to lead the fans in the traditional singing of “Sweet Caroline” (So good! So good! So good!), and Dr. Dre showed up to hawk his new Red Sox headphones which, according to him, are the best headphones ever, stating, “I guarantee, you won’t be mad at ‘em”. Even Dre acknowledges the Power of Red Sox Nation. Oh, yeah, and just in case you were wondering, the Red Sox beat the Yankees, 9-7.
The Yankees will receive their 2009 World Series rings at their home opener on April 13. Since their 2000 championship rings were each set with more than 3 carats of diamonds, we can imagine that these will be even more impressive.
But that’s not what’s interesting about the Yankees this year. Yes, they still have Derek Jeter (who did not give an engagement ring to Minka Kelly during the off-season) and Alex Rodriguez (dumped by Madonna after he dumped his wife for her) and Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada. They still have some impressive pitching with CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, AJ Burnett and Javier Vasquez. Blah, blah, blah. The big news in Tampa during Spring Training was some kid called Pat Venditte.
When I say that Pat Venditte pitches from both sides of the mound, that isn’t a euphemism. This is a kid who has a custom-made Mizuno glove with six fingers. No, he isn’t a relative of the guy who killed Inigo Montoya’s father. He has a six-fingered glove because he switches hands, depending on the batter. He can pitch almost equally well with both hands, although he is aware that he doesn’t have overpowering stuff. From the right, he throws harder and uses a curveball. With his left hand, he is more likely to go with his slider. On July 3, 2008, the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporations had to create a new set of rules regarding ambidextrous pitchers. It hadn’t been an issue before that. And because he can use both arms to throw, he can be used often, as he is less likely to tire out than pitchers who throw with the same hand all the time. He’s going to be at Single-A Tampa to start this season, and, at 24, that’s a bit old. But pitchers peak later than hitters, so we can still hope that he makes it to the big leagues, and we can watch a few of his games. Sure, he’s more an oddity than a great pitcher, but oddities put rear ends in the seats. He is also an oddity because he insisted on finishes college at Creighton, even after the Yankees offered to throw piles of money at him.
The Red Sox and Yankees are still the greatest rivalry in all of baseball. Maybe all of sports. And, hands down, they are the most fun to watch. Anothah Bee-ah, chief!