let me warn you now, this is going to be a long post about my trip to DC, the higher points anyway.
over the past five days red sox nation has come alive. there cant be a greater time in the year as the baseball playoffs. everyone at every turn was wanting to know the score of the game. as luck would have it i was traveling to DC on the same day as game seven. the game was scheduled for an eight eastern start which gave me plenty of time to get a good seat at a bar and watch the game intently. so our plane landed and i was informed we were going to have to wait around for my uncle and grandfather as they were on a later flight and we were all riding together. i was ok with this plan cause as everyone knows there are plenty of tvs and bars in airports.
so i wander around and find a good little place to enjoy the game. of course the astros game went into extra innings so i sat and watched that game as i ordered my first Guinness. there was nothing but cardinal fans sitting around cheering for their team. as i scanned the bar i didnt notice any sox or yanks hats, so i figured it would be a lax crowd that really wasnt going to get into the game. could i have been more wrong.
as soon as the game was over more people filtered in and out and held steady at my post on the corner enjoying my steak in a glass. there was a man sitting three seats over to my right with a thick boston accent. he was just there drinking his beer and smoking cigarette after cigarette. once the game came on he opened up a bit and became more vocal. before the first pitch a lady came and sat right next to me. and asked me if the game was on.
“top of the first, second pitch.” i informed her as she sat down and said good i didnt miss anything. throughout the next twenty or so minutes she informed me she was from cleveland and was a red sox fan. i told her that cleveland rocks. i dont know if she got the joke or not. anyway after the sox scored a few runs the boston man had to catch a flight and departed. not as soon as he walked out the door a younger grl probably around my age sat in his seat and asked about the game. i informed her the sox were up and it was the bottom of the second. she then asked how the runs were scored. obviously a fan.
throughout the next few innings it turns out the younger grl was from ohio and currently lived in boston, alston to be exact. she was on her way back to boston. by this time i was on my second Guinness and feeling good cause damon just hit a grand slam. the entire bar erupted in jubilation. it was then i realized everyone was pulling for the sox.
ten or so minutes later another woman came and sat down to my left and asked if the game was on. i of course told her it was and the sox were up. she then sighed and said something to the effect of being a yankees fan. i warned her the bar was nothing but sox fans and she sat quietly the remainder of the nite. as the time passed and the game got deeper and deeper it was getting closer for the time for us to get my uncle and grandfather and head into dc.
we met up with them and got the rental van and headed out of baltimore and ventured toward the heart of dc. i did my best to find an AM station that was carrying the game, cause as all red sox fans know, you cant count the yankees out til the game is over. we picked up a shotty station and could barley hear what was going on as john miller and joe morgan did their best to relay to the rest of the world on the edge of the seats waiting for that final out. the reception went out and i turned it to a talk radio station that was crystal clear and the dj kept giving constant updates.
finally the last out came and the red sox had pulled off the impossible. they came from three back and beat the yankees in four straight. this had never been done before….ever. history was made. soon after the game was over we pulled up to our hotel, which just happened to be directly across the street from the espn zone in downtown dc. as soon as i got out i could hear the red sox fans chanting “whose your daddy” what a great thing to be hearing…finally. maybe now that the sox beat the yanks, that god-awful phrase will go away.
we ventured into the bar under the hotel and it was packed. there were no empty seats at the bar and back was filling up. there were numerous red sox fans and everyone was in a great mood. as i sat down i threw my sox hat on and no more than ten minutes later a drunken patron passed by and starting talking to me about the sox as he was wearing a sox hat as well. we chatted briefly and he stumbled on his way. me and my sis then moved up to the bar and stood there enjoying a beer or two and yet another group of drunk sox fans came up and started talking to me. it was a great nite and the red sox nation was out and in full force enjoying being a part of history.
the following day we did some sight seeing around town and hit some of the usual spots, the museums and such. during the day at the national art museum my dads brother called and he wanted to talk about the red sox game. there i was in the middle of one of the most historic art museums talking about americas pastime with my uncle who was back in texas. he was thrilled about the victory and was hoping for an astros victory as well. apparently i was talking a little loud as i found out a few minutes later from my sister she heard me on the other side of the exhibit. for dinner we went to the hard rock cafe as it was just a block down. i of course had my sox hat planted squarely on my head. as soon as we sat down the waitress came over and started talking about the game last nite. saying she is a huge sox fan and had to take the nite off last nite just so she could watch the game. she was from the north shore of boston newbury port if i remember correctly. we continued to chat about the sox throughout the course of the time we were there.
saturday we headed over to the monuments as that was what my grandfather wanted to see. we walked down towards the vietnam memorial, which as everyone knows is a very solemn and serious place. before i had passed the first name on the wall, this guy comes up and puts his hand on my shoulder and starts to talk with a thick boston accent about the yankees series. here i was one of the most sacred places in the US if not the world and all this guy could talk about were the red sox. not that i minded at all.
we made our way through the memorials and i was standing up near the street enjoying the view of the WWII memorial when two younger guys who were shooting photos came and started talking to me…well one was doing all the talking as the other one stood there in silence. turns out the talker was a sox fan while the guy in silence had his yankees cap on backwards. they were photographers for the army and were out getting shots for a magazine. but all they wanted to talk about was the series.
that nite we headed out to a ghost walk in alexandria. the ghost walk was horrible, geared to the younger crowd, and even then the stories were not very imaginative. after the walk we headed to find a bar or twelve. as this is the best way to meet locals and learn stuff about the town. it was late in the evening and we went to a place called tiffanys bar i think. it was owned by a guy from greece and seemed to be rocking, with bluegrass nonetheless. we belly up to the bar and order a round of beers and sit back and enjoy the music for a bit. we hear a good four songs before the guy singing stops playing letting everyone know he was going take a break and be back in like twenty or so minutes. before he was done he went into lil speech about the red sox and said he was so excited the outcome of the previous series. as he was walking to the back of the bar i stopped him and wanted to see if he would play some bill monroe, but all we wanted to talk about were the sox cause he noticed my cap. later on at the same bar, yet another drunk patron stumbled up to me and began talking all about the sox and how he was looking forward to the series with st louis.
saturday my uncle and i took a road trip way out to the western part of maryland to visit a civil war battlefield. i had never been to one and i thought it would be interesting seeing as how my uncle was a civil war buff and he could tell me all about the battle and what had led up to the battle. so we ventured out to antietam as i found out was one of the bloodiest days in american history. some 22,000 men were killed on that day alone in what amounted to a good two square mile radius. the approach and the killing field were amazing. my uncle of course told me all about it and to tell you the truth it was much more interesting and fun that i had expected. there we were standing on the burnside bridge were the union soldiers were trying to cross and were gunned down. it was like the confederates were shooting fish in a barrel. the bridge had been covered with dead bodies. the union soldiers were trying to cross over their fallen friends and all of the sudden i heard this woman say to her husband, “look honey, he has a red sox hat on.”
red sox nation is alive and well. as i sit here on the airplane back to texas the sox are up 1-0 and game two is tonite. as it is our flight is early enough for me to go to work and make it home before the first pitch. i look forward to a good series, but come on you think the cardinals have what it takes to defeat the nation of devout loyal hardcore fans known affectionately as red sox nation? even if the sox do succumb to the cardinals the nation will be just as strong and anxiously awaiting opening day. and i will still have my red sox came affixed firmly and proudly atop my head.
