I Am A Sentimental Red Sox Fan

I’ve become very sentimental these past few weeks.  I’m not sure if it’s because of the move to Connecticut, my boyfriend moving before me (he leaves Friday), my high school reunion coming up this weekend, or what.  I’ve been making my boyfriend go to “our places” for meals the last week or so.  My friend and I decided yesterday to go The Package concert (New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees, and Boyz II Men) next week.  I also found two boxes of old pictures that I can’t wait to dive into and place the photos in nice, new albums.

I think everyone becomes extra sentimental from time to time.  There are certain things that just resonate with people.  While going through my “great purge” the last few weeks, there are certain things I found myself not being able to part with.  I have items of clothing that I can’t get rid of, even though that piece may not even fit. 

That piece of clothing: a green, Red Sox shirt that says “Green Monster” on it.  Now, in the past when I was ready to get rid of Red Sox clothing, I usually asked one of my younger cousins if they wanted it.  My family sort of has a rule that you’re not allowed to throw away anything Red Sox related (within reason, of course).  But, this particular shirt was way too small for me, and I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t fit any of my cousins. 

I put the shirt in the garage sale pile last week, as I figured someone may want it.  My mom saw the shirt in the pile and told me she wanted to keep it.  I asked her why, since it didn’t fit me.  She said she wanted to keep it in my dog’s kennel when I moved away, so my dog would have something with my scent on it.

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but my dog’s name is Fenway Parker.  He’s adorable, see:

 

Unfortunately, with the move, I will not be taking Fenway with me.  I thought about it long and hard, and my boyfriend said we could find an apartment that allowed pets.  But, I didn’t think it would be fair to Fenway.  I don’t know what kind of job I’ll have in Connecticut, and there’s no way Fenway could go 8-9 hours without being let out during the day.  Besides, I couldn’t take him away from the only home he knows, a yard he can run around in, and the other people he’s used to.  Instead, Fenway will have my Green Monster shirt, which seems appropriate.

There were other items of Red Sox apparel I decided not to bring with me, which I’m pretty sure are either in the garage sale piles or they’ve been snatched by someone in my family (my sister-in-law or future sister-in-law, possibly).  There were t-shirts, sweatshirts, and even a Red Sox purse.

I had a pink Johnny Damon t-shirt that my dad brought back for me from Boston in 2004.  It had a lot of meaning to me since it was from my dad, Damon was my favorite player at the time, and 2004 was the Red Sox won the World Series.  When Damon signed with the dreaded Yankees, I stopped wearing that shirt in public, and it became part of my pajamas.  Even being regulated to “night-time wear,” I still couldn’t force myself to wear the shirt very much (mostly because it was pale pink, and I’m not a fan of the color).  So, that was a shirt I had to get rid of in the purge.

As I mentioned above, there are certain items I just can’t force myself to toss.  I have a red shirt that reads in white writing “Red Sox” in the front and “Trot” and “7” in the back.  While this has also become a pajama shirt, I can’t get rid of it.  I also have a Lowell and two Varitek shirts that I still wear on a regular basis.  (As far as player shirts go, I still have Pedroia, Lester, and Ellsbury that are current players.  Beckett had to go as well.)

I’m the person who wears Red Sox players shirts depending on who’s pitching, who’s hot (at the plate), and other factors.  I wore my “Fenway Park” shirt on the 100^th Anniversary of Fenway Park opening last year.  I wear a Red Sox shirt on opening day every year.  I even went years wearing one of those Red Sox baseball stitching bracelets.  I’m that person.

I know some people may be reading this post and thinking what’s the big deal?  It’s just clothing.  It’s not to me.  These clothes are a part me because I associate them with my love of the Red Sox, my family, my friends (the Red Sox fans and even those who aren’t), good times, and my history.  The Red Sox are a big part of my life, and I’m proud to be a Red Sox fan and show it.

Also, make sure to keep voting for Koji Uehara for the All-Star Final Vote.  At last count, he was in third place.  You can vote here.