Road trip

I have to hit the road for a two-week business trip today. Christine will keep the blog running. But I figured the occasion merits a look at my first trip to Fenway some 20 years ago.

By 1988, my Yankee-loving family had realized my Red Sox fandom wasn't a fad and offered to take me to Fenway. We got bleacher seat tickets for the Aug. 17 game against the Mariners.

The 1988 Red Sox were a sorry lot for a division winner. John McNamara, one of the goats from 1986, was fired mid-season and replaced by Joe Morgan (no, not the Hall of Fame second baseman who now poorly broadcasts for ESPN). When we saw them, Morgan's Magic hadn't yet propelled them to first, but they were on their way, just two games out.

Their big stars were Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, old-timer Dwight Evans and newly acquired Lee Smith. Ellis Burks and Mike Greenwell were up and coming for a team that barely won the AL East with an 89-74 record before getting swept by the A's in the division series.

Their opponents that night were even sorrier: the eventual 68-93 Seattle Mariners. Things were so bad for that squad that former Sox Rey Quinones was considered one of their five stars despite a .284 on base percentage. They did have not-yet former ESPN broadcaster Harold Reynolds leading the charge.

That night featured Billy Swift vs. Bruce Hurst. The Sox won 7-2 in a rain-delayed game. No Red Sox really stood out at the plate, but five (Marty Barrett, Evans, Greenwell, Jody Reed and Rich Gedman) had two hits.

Geddy homered. Homering for the M's was Steve Balboni. My sister embarrassingly cheered because he used to be a Yankee.

I forget when it rained, but it was a lengthy delay. My folks were willing to wait it out even after someone offered to adopt me out of the Yankee family. He had a pool. I always liked that memory, but now it seems a little creepy. I recently learned he was drunk. What did I know, I was 11.

The game resumed, and I was looking forward to seeing the big man in the bullpen finish it off, but we left in the 8th because my parents thought the subway closed at midnight or something. In later years I learned that the trains do close rather early in Boston, but that they keep them open on game nights.

Prices: $1.50 for the scorecard; $5 for bleacher tickets; $14 for box seats.

SoxandPhils connections: A 23-year-old Mike Jackson pitched 1 1/3 innings for the Mariners. ... An ad for the Rolaids Relief Award congratulates the 1987 NL winner Steve Bedrosian. ... Best of all is this beer ad featuring Greg "The Bull" Luzinski, who doesn't like ewers for some reason. It's such a slice of '80s cheese. Christine joked that one day this could be Pat Burrell, but then we decided they don't do beer ads like this anymore.

Today's game: Even though I'm on the road, Christine is going tonight. She'll post tomorrow, but maybe not with the same amount of detail as I write (I told her she doesn't have to keep a scorecard).