From Fever Pitch to Fanatic

I always knew that moving from California to Massachusetts was going to be a big change. I would have to purchase my first Northface. I would have to turn in my flip flops and tank tops for winter boots and thermals. And of course, I knew moving so close to Boston meant I would have to know a little bit about the Red Sox. But I had seen Fever Pitch, so I thought I was set. However, it wasn't until visiting last summer that I realized watching Drew Barrymore run across Fenway Park to kiss Jimmy Fallon over and over again was not going to be enough. I didn’t even have to get past security check at Logan Airport to realize that. Almost every passenger on that plane had a Red Sox cap on. Each store we passed on the way to baggage claim was filled with Red Sox memorabilia. Our drive from Logan to Stonehill was filled with billboards and homemade signs expressing love for the Sox. Even the CVS pharmacy down the street from Stonehill had entire magazines solely dedicated to their coveted baseball team. I had entered Red Sox Nation, and if I was planning on moving here, I was going to have to jump on the bandwagon.

Ever since that trip, I have been immersing myself into all things Red Sox. I started Tivoing random Red Sox specials on ESPN. I went to a Red Sox game at Angel Stadium. I, of course, downloaded “Sweet Caroline” on iTunes and got a couple of my own Red Sox caps. I did some research and found out that the “Curse of the Bambino” ended in 2004 and that Johnny Damon got traded to the Yankees and apparently doesn’t look anything like Jesus anymore. Though I know that learning the words to a Neil Diamond classic and wearing a Red Sox tee to the gym won’t automatically turn me into a devoted Sox fan, I know it will eventually become second nature. When I board that plane home at the end of freshman year, I will be joining the other passengers with my Sox hat on and naturally scowl at any Yankee fan who dares to wear a New York hat on our flight. And I know I will look back on my year thinking that the good times never seemed so good.