Watching Jason Bay go By!

I got Jenn Red Sox tickets for her birthday. My co-workers were impressed that a night away to drink beer and watch a ballgame was a present for her, but she’s a diehard and loved the idea of getting away. So we packed our bags and headed east, checked into our bed and breakfast and headed over to Fenway Park.

We got there early (4 hours before the game) so that I could ensure that I had time to come up with an alternate plan in case there were a problem with the tickets. There wasn’t any, so we headed over to the Cask ‘n Flagon to grab a snack and a beer. The Cask ‘n Flagon was rated the #2 sports bar in America (#1 was in NYC, ugh!), and the previous night’s Red Sox game was being replayed on TV (Papi finally hit a home run). Jenn tried the chowda in a bread bowl, and I had the Leinenkugel Summer Shandy. We saw some fans going on a ballpark tour, so we decided to go ourselves. Jenn bought a Jason Bay T-Shirt, and we got into the park to watch batting practice from the Green Monster.

We went to the Boston Beer Works (http://www.beerworks.net/home/index.html) for dinner, which was a plate of nachos (my favorite). Jenn got the Blueberry Ale (slow down honey, don’t drink that one too fast), and I got the sampler. My favorite was the Fenway Pale Ale on cask, but their Imperial Pilsner was a must try beer too. The Beer Works is the place to be before (and probably after) the game. The game itself was awesome. We sat in the right field bleachers, and got to see the pitchers and catchers up close in the bullpen. Jason Bay hit a home run that came our way, and we attributed it to Jenn’s purchase. We sang Sweet Caroline (bom-bom-bom), and got to hear our new favorite, Papelbon’s theme music, "I'm Shipping up to Boston" by the Dropkick Murphy's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-64CaD8GXw&feature=related). Kind of an Irish jig meets hard rock, perfect for Boston.

It was a great evening, and we both agreed that catching a game together is something that we should try to do every year. Can’t wait to get back to Boston to find my wooden leg! - 5134

"There is only one game at the heart of America and that is baseball, and only one beverage to be found sloshing at the depths of our national soul, and that is beer." – Peter Richmond