Blog Post: Priceless

One of the first things that my husband and I did when we were done with graduate school and had some disposable income was to buy a pair of season tickets at Fenway. This was back in 1999, when Nomar was our batting ace and Pedro was the star of the show (I'm tearing up just thinking about it). At the time, we were regulars in the bleachers and figured we would pick two decent bleacher seats and then maybe move to a better location in a couple years.  There was no waiting list, several packages to choose from and a Red Sox employee gave us a personal tour of the stadium to help us decide which seats to select. Boy, how times have changed!

We often joke that getting those seats was the best decision we ever made (we actually may not be far off). It has allowed us to see several World Series and playoff games. Before we had children, we used most of our tickets.

On Sunday, my husband and I and friends of ours both took our 5-year-olds to their first Red Sox games. I bought some over-priced "good" seats with a partially obstructed view (only at Fenway!) and it felt a bit like that Mastercard commercial – popcorn, pizza, french fries, ice cream: $100 – taking your son to his first game: priceless. But at the end of the game, when we all had cheered our team to a win and "Dirty Water" started to play, it really was priceless.  There is something about the experience at Fenway that is energizing.  Maybe it is the history.  Maybe it is the fact that typically in Boston people pass in the street without acknowledging each other's existence, but at Fenway strangers embrace when Papelbon strikes out the last batter.  No matter what the reason, there is a collective feeling at Fenway that I haven't experienced elsewhere.  I'm not sure my son felt it at his first game, but I do know he is already talking about next time.