The last vestiges of what I’m calling the BR3 virus was successfully vanquished on Tuesday. I kept thinking I was over it only to wake up in the morning still trying to hack up a lung. She has potent virological powers apparently. I‘m considering investing in a biohazard suit for her next visit. My Favorite Panamanian had an opinion (I know – shocking). She believes I was trying to do too much physically which tired me out and didn’t allow my body to heal. I’m thinking she might be right which is the last kind of news she needs to hear. At any rate I recovered in time for yesterday’s big event which I’d been looking forward to for a couple weeks, my first ever WooSox game.
It was huge news when the Triple A
affiliate of my beloved Red Sox decided to move to Worcester from Rhode Island.
I watched the stadium, Polar Park, take shape as I drove by its construction
each day on my way to work. They opened their first season last year and I
never got around to seeing a game. Soxfather and I had made a deal to see a
game together but it never happened for a variety of reasons and now well,
now. The Cantankerous Friend was the driving
force of getting me off my butt when he texted both Keene Friend and I about
going to a game. I suggested yesterday’s afternoon game and we were off. I
think Soxfather got involved at this point because in a very spooky moment, I
was on the computer, about to complete the purchase of our game tickets when I
received a text from Great Aunt suggesting she and I go to a game, specifically
the game I was currently buying tickets for. Weird, but cool, so the ticket
order went up to four.
With Great Aunt and Cantankerous at the Ballpark
First View of Field as we Entered
The game was supposed to start at 12:15
and having never been to the park I allowed for some extra time to get through
the lines and to our seats. That wasn’t needed. We arrived at 11am and walked
right up to the gate and entered the nearly deserted park as it was just
opening. This allowed us some great views of the truly spectacular facility as
we wandered around before game time. It is at this point I should mention it was
cold. A damp spring cold that permeates most efforts to stay warm. This was accompanied
by a fairly stiff breeze which allowed a diminutive visiting player to hit two towering
homeruns but I’m getting ahead of myself.
View from Our Seats
We were in our seats and in talking to
one of the ushers, learned that the previous night’s game had been rained out
so we were in for two seven inning games for the same price. Again, I think a
dearly departed brother-in-law must have been involved in this somehow. The
weather and the early start kept the crowd to a minimum. Even though you were
allowed to stay for the second game on the same ticket, the cold sent almost everybody
home for the second game. That was kind of cool (pun intended) though, with
only about a hundred people in the park you could hear everything from the
umpires making calls to the ballplayers swearing when they made an out. 
The Three Amigos
It had been a while since I’d been to a
live baseball game and it brought with it the abundant memories of past games.
I can’t go to Fenway Park anymore because the small seats have my right knee in
agony by the third inning so it was a relief this new park had the extra space
needed to be truly comfortable. I loved the park and the convenience of
everything, from the parking close by, the concessions, although, as with any
ballpark, the prices were beyond gouging level, and the excellent views of the game.
Rain Delay for No Rain
We shivered through the first game as
the Sox rallied to win it late. The second game was held up for what they
claimed was a rain delay although that turned out to be the sunniest part of
the day with no rain at all. We used the hour long wait to continue our
wandering. We ended up beyond left field in what they call the berm area. They
had some Adirondack chairs there that allowed us to sit in the sun and wait for
the unneeded tarp to be removed from the field. The Sox tanked in the second
game. It was started by a former major league Red Sox reliever who’d been sent
down to learn some control. Since he hit two batters and walked another one in
the first inning, well let’s just say it remains a work in progress. A series
of Sox hurlers were lit up as the game progressed although there was one nice
inning from another major league relief pitcher rehabbing from injury. God
knows they need him to get back to Boston ASAP.
View from Left Field Berm
The games sailed right long as there was
a pitch clock and the batter had to stay in the box. I can’t wait for major league
baseball to adopt some of these measures to speed up the game and pull it out
of its death spiral. The best part of the games though was hanging with my big
sister and two oldest friends. The Woo Sox have a local restaurant sponsor a take-out
place in right field for each game. My sister and friends had a two game long
running joke about this at my expense when they announced the restaurant for
the game featured West African cuisine. I didn’t think it was that funny but
they seemed to have a lot of fun with it. 
Sitting in the Sun During the Rain Delay
We headed home after the game to thaw
out and send Great Aunt on her way. She didn’t want to drive back to Rhode
Island in the dark and this marked her first long distance foray since
Soxfather’s departure. I’m so proud of her. Since the day was still relatively
young and we could now feel our toes again, we set out for my favorite old haunt,
Brew City. The atmosphere remained the same although they finally cut a space
in the bar for the bartender to walk though. There was only one waitress
remaining from the glorious, pre-pandemic days as this marked the first time I’d
been back in two years. 
Second Game Debacle
The Adirondack Chairs Are Directly Under the Big Scoreboard
There is no better medicine for the soul
than to spend time with the important people in your life and that’s what yesterday
was all about, even though there were a couple of frigid baseball games
involved. Cantankerous and Keene Friend spent a lot of time trying to convince me
to return to watching the NBA playoffs in which they say the Celtics are playing
well. We’ll see but every time I check in I see the same old problems of ignoring
rules like carrying and superstars getting calls they don’t deserve. I might
just be entering my official “curmudgeon” period. At any rate, a great day and
night spent with truly excellent people.
Brew City Baby!!
Meanwhile, Down in Panama 
Wife Sent Some Photos of her Adventures
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PanaGal Cleaning Grill at our Condo
Before Storing until Next Year
RECURRING CHARACTERS:
ABFA – Amazing Best Family
Athlete - my daughter
in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter
#3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel -
second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue
about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Curbside Girls – close friends of my
daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions
once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite
Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR
- First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since
high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited
with after many years; Maine and
Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my
wife is the 3rd musquetera (musketeer); Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia
member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends
of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin
Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we
have lived & their spouses; Pittsburgh
College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in
Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as
the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather
- my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my
son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s
mom, of course
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