July 26, 2003

A Sip From the Cup of Paradise

The plan was pretty straightforward. My bookstore was asked to go to Fenway Park and sell copies of Moneyball, the new book by Michael Lewis about the Oakland A's and the business of modern baseball. We (my cohorts Hilary, Churchill, Amy and myself) would sell books, assist Lewis with booksigning, then we'd load up the van and watch the Sox-Yankees game. Because it was the Sox and Yankees, they could only give us standing-room access.

So we sold some books, chatted with Michael Lewis (it's really a fascinating book; I recommend it highly), and then the Fenway Ambassador came to lead us to our standing-room section. I envisioned a giant pole in front of me and a clear view of 6% of left field.

Um...not exactly. Next thing we knew, we were in the .406 Club. The giant, posh, plexiglass-enclosed seating section high above home plate. The one that costs twice my annual salary for one ticket, and is (I was convinced), the sign of everything wrong in baseball.

And you know what? It blew my mind. The view is unbelievable; there wasn't a spot on the field that we couldn't see. The windows, while isolating us from the rest of society in the real seats, made it look like we were watching the game on a hi-definition IMAX screen or something. And there was free popcorn. Hilary whispered to me that they'd have to physically remove her after the game. I whispered back, "They'll have to physically remove me from here in October."

The crowd up there wasn't as bad as I feared. There were some stiffs. There were, somehow, some loathsome Yankee fans up there. (And as always, they congratulated one another after New York won -- as if there were some noble suffering and difficulty in rooting for a team that wins all the time. Yeah, it's a real Profile in Courage to be a Yankee fan.) And there were some people who inexplicably got up from their seats after the 8th inning of a 3-3 game (Can you say "instant location upgrade"? We could!)

But it wasn't all Barney Business Deal and Cindy Cellphone. There was authentic cheering, clapping, and moaning when the Yanks took the lead in the 9th (and a few cheers; yeah, it's been a real rough two whole years in the wilderness for you Yankee fans). Folks were there to watch the game, for the most part.

So it was literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Even if I win the lottery, I'm buying the season tickets down near the field. But thanks to the Sox for putting us up there so unexpectedly. And undeservedly. We appreciated it.

Comments

Wow - what a great treat! How much of the game did you get to see?

Saw the game too. But, as always, (a) no run support for Pedro, (b) bonehead plays by the Red Sox (Manny, can you count to 3 outs?), (c) a Yankee win in what is supposed to be a "rivalry", but has not been one for 80+ years (it's not a rivalry when one team always wins - it's like Iowa State claiming they have a football rivalry with Nebraska).

In any case, glad to read that this worked out so well, and you got a chance to see how the other half (or is it other .406?) lives).

Posted by: Vin at July 26, 2003 10:42 AM

My wife bought us a pair of .406-club tickets to last Wednesday's game against TB. She got them at a silent auction for some charity or other. I was likewise astonished at the pleasantness of the experience. The tickets included indoor parking in a garage on Ipswich Street right next to the park. It was a hot, humid night, so the air-conditioned comfort was a pleasure. We got there an hour early and enjoyed the buffet. Yes, it's $25/person, but it's all-you-can-eat and compared to the usual exorbitantly priced Fenway fare, it was a bargain. The view was terrific (4 rows up directly behind home plate), the Sox won 10-4 by scoring 7 runs in the 7th (after going from 3-1 to 3-4) including a GS by Trot Nixon, and there were no discernible Yankee fans (or TB fans for that matter).

Posted by: DaveM at July 28, 2003 12:24 PM

Dave - has anyone ever spotted any discernible Devil Ray fans anywhere???

Posted by: Michael at July 28, 2003 09:54 PM

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