Sriram B.

It happened about five years ago when I was in fifth grade. .It was April of the year 2000 and baseball season had just started. The whole country was thrilled about the new season and fans were cheering on their favorite teams. Baseball was being talked about everywhere; on TV, on the radio, in magazines, and billboards. I remember that I was extremely excited to see my favorite team, the Boston Red Sox, play again after the dull, dreary winter months. The whole city was in a fervor, hoping that this would be the year that the Red Sox break the 82 year old curse and bring a championship to Boston. A few years earlier, I had started to follow baseball and this was my first year playing baseball, so I was especially excited.

Since Opening Day in early April, I had been watching every Red Sox game except those that went late into the night. So it was a Friday night like any other and I was lying on the couch while dozing off and watching the Red Sox. Suddenly I was woken up by my dad. He told me that he had gotten two tickets to the following Red Sox game at Fenway
Park against the Baltimore Orioles. I was ecstatic when I heard this news and could not fall asleep thinking about it. I was finally going to my first Red Sox game.

After an eternity, Saturday arrived and it was time to go to the game. The game started at one so we left around eleven. First, I had to make sure that I was wearing my Red Sox t-shirt and hat. It took an hour and half to reach Fenway due to the heavy traffic. Then we passed through security and had our tickets checked. When we walked into the stadium, I was astounded by what I saw. It was like I had stepped into the TV while the game was on. I was overwhelmed by the sights and sounds that could not be appreciated while watching the game on TV. The freshly cut, bright green, grass was the first thing I noticed. It was like a sea of green with a brown island on one side of it. Then a large, looming figure captured my attention. It towered over everything else like a huge, green giant. I realized that this was the Green Monster that I had seen so many times on TV but I did not realize how immense it actually was.

Also, I was astonished by the vast number of seats and Red Sox fans that were there. There was always a constant hum as 35,000 people excitedly chatted while they waited for the game to begin. Resounding through the cool, spring air, I could hear the frequent calling of the vendors to buy peanuts, popcorn, and soda. At last we found our seats and they were right by the first base line. I could almost feel the breeze from the mound when the pitcher hurled the ball towards home plate with all his might. Then the game began and I diverted my attention to trying to find my favorite players on the field. I was able to see Pedro in the bullpen and Nomar on the field. They appeared like tiny, toy figurines from where I was sitting. It seemed like an eternity before either team scored.  Finally, Nomar broke the tie by hitting a two-run homerun in the eighth inning. It was a close game since the Red Sox had a slim, two-run lead. I was on the edge of my seat for whole game as the Red Sox prevailed 2-0.

Finally, the game was over but I did not want leave and wished I could spend the rest of my life there. As we were leaving, there was a huge crowd near the exit of the stadium. I went to see what the commotion was but I could not get through the wall of fans. Then I was finally able to creep through the mass of people and saw Trot Nixon signing autographs. Fortunately, I had come prepared and was able to sneak in and get my paper signed. Then it was time to return home after a long, thrilling day. It was an exhilarating experience that I will never forget. In spite of having gone to more Red Sox games, I still enjoy them as much as my first game.