Opening Day

A long, long time ago, the year was 1967, and there was a young girl with a Red Sox baseball cap who would walk to Charlie’s with the Maple Street kids and buy baseball cards for 5 cents with chore pennies. 

The prized ones, Yaz of course, and Jim Lonborg, Tony C., Rico Petrocelli, George Scott, were carefully guarded (not carefully enough, obviously – cough it up bro – you still have my Yaz card) or if you got doubles – were traded in self-organized sessions with the other neighborhood fans.

Merchandising was hardly what it is today – a Red Sox cap was a big deal, and YOU DID NOT LOSE IT. You outgrew it. (Note to darling daughters – am still waiting for that to happen?) I loved mine, and truly did wear it as much as I could during that wonderful Impossible Dream year.

Probably because I do remember that year pretty well, albeit with the gilded edges of youth and nostalgia coloring it a tad – I still, despite last fall, love my Red Sox. 

I am, and always will be, grateful for the magical, insane fall of 2004, when the
Impossible became probable, and a Dream became reality.

So folks, take heart – it’s opening day – the boys of summer are back –  “Go Red Sox!” 

P.S. Mike Lowell? I still have a crush on you.

Shirley Walsh is a longtime West Roxbury resident and owner of .