Like the bears that its hockey team is named for, the people of Boston tend to go into hibernation for the winter. Yes, there is ice skating on the whimsically named Frog Pond in Boston Common. And, residents do escape to Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont to ski. But, mostly, we are huddled in heavy coats and warm boots.
It makes us appreciate the spring and summer. I honestly believe that Bostonians (and Chicagoans) appreciate spring more than others.
But, when is spring? When is that moment that Bostonians cast away the winter? When is the moment that hope springs eternal? When does wait until next year become this year?
I can tell you. It is Opening Day at Fenway Park. Fenway seems as old as Boston itself. At nearly 100 years, it is a part of Boston history as much as it is a ballpark. You feel it as you enter and head to your seats.
This year, Opening Day was amazing. It was sunny and relatively warm for April — the temperatures were in the 70s. (OK, the game started at dusk because of television rights. But, I don’t think I could say that it was “moony.”) The crowds outside were in a festive mood. It was as if somebody threw a party and a baseball game broke out.
And, what a party. The Green Mountain Boys of the Vermont National Guard flew over the park. Fireworks soared for the first time after the National Anthem. Pedro Martinez, one of the greatest pitchers in Red Sox history, threw out the first pitch. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith sang God Bless America. Neil Diamond sang Sweet Caroline in person.
(For those of you who do not know, for some reason 30,000+ people sing Sweet Caroline in the middle of the eighth inning at every single Red Sox home game at Fenway. “So good. So good. So good.” It includes mandatory pointing and waving of hands. Check out the video from New England Sports Network. Major League Baseball will not let you post your own copy due to copyright issues.)
Somewhere in there, the Sox managed to beat the hated Yankees in a thrilling 9-7 game. The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is best left for another posting some day.
From this moment in April, Boston people come outside. The talk is of spring activities. Boats start to come out on the Charles River. People know that the winter snow will give way to green grass. It is time to pull out the driveway stakes. Trips to Vermont and Maine will be replaced by trips to the Cape and the Vineyard.
Yes, there is a moment when the bear wakes up and remembers why Boston is such a great town. Go Sox.
Roger Matus is an early adopter’s early adopter. He loves trying the latest technologies, especially in software and mobile, with a focus on whether they add value in a person’s life. He also is a technology marketing guru, having brought to market several major new products including large vocabulary speech recognition, hand-held audio conferencing, and more. He writes the blog Death By Email DeathByEmail.com on the foibles of our communications revolution.
Roger’s travels have brought him to five continents with repeated trips to many. He says that his breath-taking experiences snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, flying past the Aurora Borealis, standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon, going to a Buddhist monastery in the shadow of Mount Fuji, and walking the beaches in Brazil top anything that technology can offer.
