6/19/2009 - Fenway Park - MLB Ballpark #3

2009 Game #1 - Atlanta Braves at Boston Red Sox
Final Score: Braves 8, Red Sox 2.
Hot Dog - 5/5

Well, it all started with a homerun… Literally, the first pitch of the game was slammed into the bullpen. Luckily Dice-K managed to get out of the inning after giving up only 2 runs. The game was not the best I’ve ever seen, but by no means was it the worst either. It was only thanks to Jason Bay that the Sox scored any runs at all, and he was actually the only Red Sox player to get a hit in the whole game. Later in the game, over in the right field grandstand, there was some excitement in the form of a food fight. People were throwing beverages at one another… and were promptly removed from the stadium. One thing I must say is that Fenway Security (in tandem with the Boston PD) doesn’t mess around. If you want to act like an idiot, you’re going to leave, whether you want to or not.

Some of the “Fenway Specialties” included the organ version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in the 7th, and the ever-popular “Sweet Caroline” in the 8th. We also watched The Wave go around 4 times, but since Rich and I both think The Wave is dumb, I just booed as it went by. We did not hear the Red Sox victory song, “Dirty Water” since the Red Sox, in fact, did not win.

The rest of our ride into Boston was remarkably uneventful. There was no traffic, which I thought was rather bizarre considering it was rush hour. But who am I to complain? Once into the city, we parked at the garage near Wheelock, and walked to “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.” Or so the Red Sox claim. So far on this trip, it’s my favorite! When we got into the park, we wandered a bit behind homeplate and up the 3rd base side. Then we realized that we had to walk all the way around the stadium to get to our seats. No big deal, though, since there weren’t too many people there yet. Along the way, we stopped by Pesky’s Pole and a very helpful usher took our picture. (Thanks!)

We had our hot dog in the 4th inning, and we will be posting our scoring breakdown of said hot dog soon. Overall, the Fenway Frank scored a 5/5. We do reserve the right to change our mind as we eat other hot dogs.

Now, some of you may be wondering, “What’s all this about a hot dog? Who cares?” Well, here’s the scoop. We were thinking, what family-friendly item could we compare at all 30 ballparks? Since the key words here are “family-friendly,” that eliminated a few options from consideration. Solution? Hot dogs! The all-American baseball staple! Before the game today, Rich and I decided what the categories would be as far as rating a hot dog in each park. The catch is, the ratings decisions must be made based on a plain dog, which at first upset me, since I can’t remember the last time I had a hot dog without ketchup. Anyway, here are the categories, each rated on a scale from 1 to 5: presentation, snap, saltiness, bun, and overall score. (Thanks for the suggestions, Brad!) In addition to that, we made note of whether we invested in the hot dog from the comfort of our seats or ventured out to the concourse, and what the financial damage was. As soon as we can, we will be putting together a “Hot Dog Page” with all the information about all the dogs. We will post the overall rating here in the blog too.

After Game #1, Rich and I both feel like the trip and accompanying adventure hasn’t really started yet. We’ve made that drive to Boston before. We’ve been to games at Fenway before. We’ve sat in the bleachers before. There hasn’t been anything new that’s happened yet. Well, I guess we could count the alternate route we took leaving Boston, since instead of heading back home to Rhode Island, we are heading to New York and tomorrow’s date with Pete M. and the Mets.

-Karyn