'lotta sports

The plan for Day Two was to be at the Red Sox practice fields by the ten o’clock public opening time and later attend the game with Boston hosting the Toronto Blue Jays.   I immediately found myself in a quandary of what to wear.  Laid across the bed were my David Ortiz Red Sox shirt, Ryan Fitzgerald WooSox shirt and Road to the Show [with the minor league affiliates emblems for the Red Sox] shirt.  After several minutes of self-debates, I settled on the Ryan Fitzgerald shirt and put Big Papi’s shirt in the car to change into for the game.  I met Ryan in 2019 when he was with the Salem Red Sox and playing against the Mudcats.  Note – A fun story about our meeting is in my blog under August 2019.    

As I exited the hotel elevator and started across the lobby, a man stopped me.  “Are you a fan of the Red Sox?  I like your WooSox shirt.”  I turned and modeled the back of the shirt.  He continued, “Oh, Fitzy!  I hate it that they traded him to the Royals.”   I gave him a capsule version of being from New England originally, working the Red Sox Delta charters in the eighties and nineties, my continued allegiance to them despite being employed by a rival team and why I was wearing “Fitzy’s” shirt.  “My name is Mark Schroeder.  My wife Mary and I are here for spring training too.  My daughter Maria is the Manager of the Boston Red Sox social media.”   I suggested taking a selfie together and I would post it on the Red Sox Instagram.  He loved the idea and said, “I’m not saying a word to her!  We’ll surprise her!”  We both laughed. 

When we arrived at the ballpark, we easily found parking on the third base side of the stadium.  There was a walkway to six practice fields.  As in the day before, I had a specific goal for the morning.  I wanted to find Alex Binelas, former Mudcat and as of last year, with AA Portland.  I surveyed the six practice fields not knowing where to even start.  Fortunately, there was a guide with a group touring near us.  When she was between talks, I told her who I was looking for.  She got on her radio and relayed the information.  “It will take a few minutes.  I have someone looking into it.   Just hang here near me.”  I left Rick with her and I continued down the walkway looking at the next practice field.  I heard the sound of feet behind me.  Passing me was the guide with a parade of kids and their parents following her.  Rick was taking up the rear!  They stopped at the next field and I sighted a field opposite that one with players taking a break in the dugout.  I ran up to the fence and reached through the wiring, tapping a player on his shoulder.  He turned.  “Do you know Alex Binelas?”  He smiled and pointed a few feet away to his left.  “Alex!”  I called out.  When he came over, I turned around so he could see the back of my shirt.  “Fitzy!” he exclaimed and several guys cheered.  We took a selfie and chatted a few minutes until he was called out to the field.  I ran over to Rick who was still diligently following the guide.  “I found him!”  As we were watching Alex do drills, a security person came up.  “You’re in an unauthorized area.”  We had no idea.  He pointed to a dangling sign on a dropped rope.  “Carts transiting must have left it down,” he mumbled as he secured the rope.  We apologized and left. 

By now, it was time for the gates to open.  As we headed toward the ballpark, we spotted the guide with kids racing around her in an unauthorized area.  I’m sure she had long forgotten about us.  I did a quick change in the car to my David Ortiz shirt.  We entered on the opposite side from yesterday.  The first thing we spotted was a Big Papi statue made of Legos.  As we admired it and took photos, a darling older staff member offered to take our picture with it.  Her arms resembled someone directing a plane to park as she motioned us to the right positions for the picture.  As we proceeded to the seating area, a gal dressed in red and white on stilts passed us.  She was conversing with the fans as she threw them souvenirs.  As I turned to go to my seat, I spotted a Rockies backpack on a seat near the Blue Jays dugout.  I knew that backpack!  John from the Colorado Rockies had scouted at the Mudcats last May.  I proceeded down the aisle.  It was John!  He told me he’d be back at the Mudcats in July. 

Our seats were between the Red Sox dugout and Left Field.  Adjacent to our section was the tunnel where the Toronto Blue Jays exited after BP [Batting Practice].  The concrete tunnel walls were quickly filled with fans of all ages with balls and autograph books.  I was there too with my red Lotta Sports T-Shirt loaded with autographs from last year’s Spring Training in Arizona.  We all figured out quickly that the players only stopped to sign for the kids.  I yelled to every player, “Please…… I’m almost 74!  Please sign my shirt!  I’m not selling it.”  A player stopped and looked up.  “Sure.”  It was Bo Bichette.  His autograph was very recognizable with his two looping “B”s and tiny “o” in the middle.  A familiar voice was heard in the background.  “OK Folks.  Time to return get to your seats.”  It was the usher and the same guy who busted us at the practice field!  I just couldn’t get off his radar!

The game itself went quickly with the only scoring in the sixth and eighth innings.  The Blue Jays had a homerun and the Red Sox responded with a trickle of hits scoring one run.  Midway through the game, a guy sat down next to me.  A ball came soaring towards us.  He extended his arm, caught it barehanded and tossed it in the stands above us.  I turned to him and said, “Nice catch!  Are you a ballplayer?”  “Yes, but not anymore.  I drive the bus for the Blue Jays and the Yankees.”  I learned a lot from him including that the Yankees players frequent a strip club near their ballpark.  Oh my!  Boys will be boys!  In the eighth inning, Tessie, one of the Red Sox mascots, led our section in cheering.  It must have motivated the Red Sox minor leaguers as they got two more runs with two outs for a 3 – 1 win over Toronto. 

Dinner that night was at Deep Lagoon located on a yacht basin!   The place was packed and I was thankful I made reservations.  As she seated us, the hostess suggested the carrot cake for dessert.  Our table overlooked the yachts and we witnessed a gorgeous sunset.  Like the first night, the food was very good.   Rick chose clam strips while I got a salad and grilled shrimp which would leave room for that recommended carrot cake.  We ordered the dessert to-go and thankfully, the waiter warned us to split it.  It was a huge four-layer cake slice taking up the entire container normally used for main meals!      
to be continued