By Jamie Rieger
Saturday, February 11 – a day that probably doesn't hold a lot of meaning for most people; but for Boston Red Sox fans, that day is one that has been anticipated for months.
Truck Day, as it is commonly called, is the day all of the team's equipment gets loaded onto the truck and sent down to Fort Myers, Florida for spring training. Again, unless you are a Red Sox fan, it probably doesn't mean much. For those of us who are passionate about our Beantown Boys, however, Truck Day is very significant. It means baseball is right around the corner; and after last year's implosion by the team, everybody is looking forward to a fresh start.
Truck Day will be followed closely by the day pitchers and catchers report to camp on Feb. 19 and their first workout set for Feb. 21. A full squad workout takes place on Feb. 25. Of course, only the most diligent fans would have these dates marked on their calendar. Following the meltdown last year, and the firing of beloved skipper Terry “Tito” Francona and the trading of closer Jonathan Papelbon to the Phillies, and most recently former Jays star Marco Scutaro to the Colorado Rockies, fans are anxious to see what this team is going to look like and more importantly how they will perform under the eye of new manager Bobby Valentine, who has not managed a major league team in nine years. Also under the watchful, if not leery eye of the fans during the off-season has been the actions made by new general manager, Ben Cherington, who was hired after the firing of golden-boy Theo Epstein.
At the onset of last season, the Boston Red Sox were the team to beat, the one that was forecast to win it all. And, they did okay up until September when they had a 7-20 record in their final 27 games of the regular season. Even the most faithful of fans were getting frustrated with the team at this point.
A fresh start is needed and hopefully, the powers that be in front office have sorted out the whole mess and have put together a team, including the management team, that will work hard together as a team.
As third baseman, Kevin Youkilis said, “We're a team. We lose as a team and we all failed. There's not one player that didn't fail because we lose, and we all failed.”
Youkilis went on to say that winning heals all wounds.
Here's hoping it does. At least having a few wins under their belt will work wonders to build confidence that was lost.
Another date and another reason the Red Sox need to get it all together is April 20. That date will mark the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park. What an incredible milestone that is! And this Red Sox fan has gotten an invitation to this year's opening day! Sure would be nice to actually be there, but I think other commitments closer to home will just not allow it to happen. If I could, I would be there wearing my jersey, taking in all the festivities of opening day with a dear friend and soaking up all the nostalgic significance of that ball park. Who wouldn't want to be there? Even people who aren't die-hard Red Sox fans will be wanting to be there for that celebration.
The Centennial celebration of Fenway Park is almost enough to make this fan forget about the horrible year the Sox had last year...almost, but not quite.