Last night, my brother and I were IMing back and forth about this afternoon's Red Sox-Orioles games, which we were attending separately (he went with his girlfriend, our uncle and our father and sat near Pesky's Pole; I went with my wife and sat near the left-field line. The Moynahans had the place well covered, let me tell you). Somewhere in our conversation, I sarcastically noted that I was glad Curt Schilling was skipping his scheduled start because I wanted to see "this Hansack kid" pitch.
I think Devern Hansack enlisted the help of the federal government to read my chat transcripts because he went out today (after a three and a half hour rain delay) and pitched the best game I have ever seen in person, holding the Baltimore Orioles hitless for five innings before Mother Nature put an early end to the 2006 season. Hansack was superb, allowing only one baserunner (a questionable walk to Fernando Tatis in the second - had it been the same situation in the eighth inning, the home plate umpire probably would have rung Tatis up) and demonstrating excellent location on all his pitches. It's hard to believe that he was practically out of baseball before Sox scouts discovered him at a tournament in Holland, of all places.
Hansack's performance took away from some other great moments in the game, which was delayed for three and a half hours at the outset, including Trot Nixon's first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning. A member of the Red Sox organization since being drafted by the team in 1993, Nixon is a free agent this year and there is a very real possibility that he be wearing a different uniform for the first time in 2007. Terry Francona made plans to replace him defensively late in the game to allow the fans to applaud him (this went as planned, sort of - with the rain worsening and the likelihood of a cancellation looming, Francona sent David Murphy out to replace Nixon. With two outs in the fifth inning). He also put Nixon in the leadoff spot in the batting order. When he came up for the first time, the crowd rose to its feet (most of the crowd, anyway - some of us were too waterlogged to move) and recognized him long enough that he stepped out of the box and tipped his cap. It was a great moment that Trot hopefully remembers in December, when he and the Sox will probably have differing ideas as to his deserved compensation. Trot Nixon has never been one of my personal favorite players, but the city of Boston showed today that they love him and want him to stay (even if some of us want Wily Mo Pena's bat in the lineup more regularly).
What else happened at Fenway Park on October 1, 2006? Here are a few more interesting details:
ESPN's Peter Gammons, who was and is a huge part of the Boston sports scene, threw out the first pitch before the game. Curt Schilling was his catcher.
Mike Lowell, Mark Loretta and Eric Hinske all homered. Lowell's was a three-run shot in the first inning that staked Hansack to a 3-0 lead.
Did I mention the three and a half hour rain delay?
David Ortiz was the beneficiary of at least one solid "M-V-P" chant. He was also replaced by the unlikeliest pinch-runner in major league history following a fourth inning walk - Doug Mirabelli, who seemed to think the fans were cheering for him and tipped his cap accordingly. (Just for fun, I think Ortiz should announce that he's running for governor of Massachusetts. He probably wouldn't win, but I'd be willing to bet that he would carry a solid percentage of the vote.)
Huge ovation for the grounds crew when they came out to pull the tarp around 4:45. I was amazed at the number of guys wearing white shirts and khakis - that is just about the last outfit you want for pulling tarp. If you don't understand why, go roll around on a wet baseball field for awhile, then try to wash the clay off of your clothes. Be prepared to use lots and lots of heavy duty detergent, then throw the clothes away anyway.
This was the third time in five years that my wife and I attended the Sox final home game. If I recall, they have won all three.
I am a 28 year old sports fan who enjoys following the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots and Boston Celtics (and I wrote that before Garnett and Allen came to town).
I've lived my whole life in southern New Hampshire, graduating from UNH in 2003 with a degree in history/relig ious studies. Two of my favorite jobs have been related to baseball, first as an intern with the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002 and then as an intern/Media Relations Manager with the Nashua Pride in 2003 and 2004.
