Royalty goes to Fenway Park on Patriot's Day in Boston on Jackie Robinson Day!

Sunday night after the Yankee game, the King drove Vincent Ascanio, Phil Butleman and I towards Boston. We stayed over in Vernon, Connecticut which is about 10 miles north of Hartford at Motel 6. By doing so, we were in position to get to Boston which was 90 miles away in time for their traditional Patriot's Day game which coincides with the running of the Boston Marathon.

We wound up parking the car on the street within walking distance of Fenway Park for free by a meter because it's a legal holiday in Massachusetts at 10AM which gave us plenty of time to make the first pitch which was threw at 11:05AM.

It's always a thrill to go to Fenway Park to see a game. For me, I've seen at least one every year since 1986. This was my 95th baseball game there.

As for our pal Vincent Ascanio this was his first time to the old ballyard. It was great to have the opportunity to show him the way there.

Upon arrival we stopped off outside the Green Monster by the left field gate where we saw our favorite street vendor, Sausage Connection which is run by Harry and his mother who were call affectionately call Mama. They were so happy to see us again. Mama told us she's 81 years young. She looked great. It's always a pleasure to see her. She doesn't work as often as she used to but she always tries to make Patriot's Day. We were grateful she did. Of course, we introduced Vincent to them. They treated us royally as they have for over the 25 + years we've known them. We all ordered steak tips which served as our breakfast on this day. They were delicious.

The King, Harry, Mama, Me & Vincent Ascanio

Once we got done, we headed inside. We wanted to make sure Vincent got to see the unique features of going to Fenway. He said he had a blast.

Green Monster 

Royal View from Section 24 at Fenway Park

As for the game we saw, in honor of Jackie Robinson Day all the players wore the number 42. With that being said, it was hard to differentiate who was who. The umpires also wore number 42.

The Red Sox were playing the Tampa Bay Rays. Both starters, Jeremy Hellickson of the Rays and Ryan Dempster of the Red Sox both threw seven strong innings. The Red Sox lead at that point, 2-1. The Rays tied the game at two in the top of the ninth inning. In the bottom of the ninth, the Red Sox got a game winning double off the Green Monster from Mike Napoli as Dustin Pedroia raced around the bases all the way from first with one out to give the Red Sox a dramatic 3-2 victory at 2:07PM. Since we positioned ourselves out near the left field gate we were able to get out of the ballpark before many of the 37,449 that we were on hand. We stopped by Harry & Mama to say one last goodbye.

We then headed back to the car. In the process, we got to take a peak at the Boston Marathon which runs nearby. We had to go underground to get to the other side of the street so we could get back to the car. Thankfully we did so with relative ease unlike back in the day when we ran into wall to wall people trying to do so.

Stay tuned for a special post that will recap the unexpected turn of events that occurred shortly thereafter. A sad but unforgettable day indeed.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Sausage Connection outside Fenway Park!

Sausage Connection

The King and I have gone to Fenway Park for 25 years together now. When we go there we look forward to seeing familiar faces before and after the game on the street right outside that beautiful ballyard.

Royalty hates to eat in any ballpark unless we have no choice and/or we're starving to death. Most ballparks allow you to bring food and/or drinks into inside.

When we go to Fenway Park though we like to enhance the unique experience by visiting the vendors on the street. Way back in the day, we find a stand that sold sausages and we decided to buy from them. Mind you, there's competition out there. For some reason, we wound up making a "connection" if you will with these special people. They are Harry and his mother who we call Mama. Over the years, Harry has always been there. As time has gone on though his mother comes once in a while. God bless her.

Luckily for us, she was there on Patriot's Day. What a pleasure it was to see her again. She's such a good person. We got to talk to her before and after the game. She remembers when we were there back in the day. Time does really fly by.

Their stand is now located by left field gate E right under the monster seats on Lansdowne Street.

If you see them, tell them the guys from New York sent you. That's how they know us when we see them there.

Before we departed the area we both indulged in a bite to eat. I had a hot italian sausage which was truly amazing and the King decided to have their steak tips.

In addition, they also sell kielbasa, hot dogs and chicken teriyaki which go along with the variety of soft drinks they have to offer to wash it down.

If you haven't been to Fenway Park yet then you don't know what you're missing inside or out. What a place to go for a real baseball fan regardless of your rooting interest and/or bias. Do yourself a favor and go there with an open mind. Trust me you won't regret the decision.

If and when you decide to go, you can also consult me first for advice. I'll be more than happy to guide you along.

That's what I mean by royal treatment every step of the way.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman