The Luke Scott Brawl at Fenway Park

Another beautiful night to watch a baseball game!  After trying to catch foul balls in leftfield and watching PawSox Ace Daisuke Matzusaka get his hat handed to him by Triple A hackers, I thought that our next baseball game experience was going to have to wait until next year.  But, when we lucked into tickets from one of G's friends in the State Street Pavilion right before the game, we thought we were going to see a great game.  It was fate.  And when G found out that he was going to see the Red Sox with one of his buddies, he made a bee line from school bus to car.

"We're not leaving for another hour." I explain to G as he sits and waits in the back seat of my car.

"That's OK, Dad, I don't want to miss it!"  OK, fair enough.  Can you pick up the trash that's your sister left in the back seat while you are in there?

7pm.  Boston.  This was going to be an interesting game.  Boston and Tampa Bay have never gotten along, ever since Pedro Martinez plunked Gerald Williams in the ribs back in 1997 (and Brian Daubach punched his way in to Devil Rays' lore).  Just last week, Franklin Morales plunked Luke Scott after Adrian Gonzales was hit the inning before.  These teams simply don't like each other.  Joe Maddon doesn't help matters by being such a condescending DB either. 

And Luke Scott is not the nicest guy in the world.  He has bashed Fenway Park and Red Sox fans in general, called teammates derogatory names (and didn't backpedal after saying them) and has generally been a royal jackass.  It says something about Scott - when the Red Sox single him out to hit when teams usually plunk the team's star hitter.  I'll boo when he comes up to the plate.  Even better with the Amish beard he's rocking.

The game started with a bang for the Sox as Mike Aviles scored on a Kevin Youkilis single up the middle.  We were up 1-0 in the First Inning.

But the good feelings quickly disintegrated as Matt Joyce hit a grand slam into the Red Sox bullpen in the third inning followed closely by back to back home runs by Elliot Johnson and lead off hitter Carlos Pena.  The booing was raining down on Jon Lester as he walks of the mound in the fourth inning.   I think my string of 15 years in a row without a loss is going to end tonight.

The Sox score a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to make it a 7-4 game.  They're creeping back!  We are even more hopeful as David Ortiz steps up to the plate with two runners on down by three.  Back in 2003 and 2004, Ortiz would have hit a home run here.  The crowd is abuzz.  But while he is having a pretty good season, the days of Ortiz clutch-ness in every game is years in the past.  Fly out to right to end  the inning.  Bummer - as G and his buddy start talking about the foul ball they almost go when Dustin Pedroia fouled the ball up to our section, I can tell that they are having a good time. 

Speaking of Pedroia, a hit batter in the 7th set the stage for the Top of the Ninth.  Franklin Morales comes in to face Luke Scott.  After a pitch befhind his back and another one by his chin, Morales finally hit Scott in the leg.  After getting hit, Scott starts to walk menacingly toward Morales bat in hand, only to be restrained by Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  The benches clear, the bull pens empty and the pushing and shoving begin.  Not much happened, except after the brawl happened, it looked like members of the Rays got into it with fans near the Rays' dugout.  They were too far away from us to see what was going on, but it was amusing nonetheless.

The boys got jacked up after that fracas and started hopping around their seats.  As teh clock neared 11pm, the game mercifully ended with the Sox losing 7-4.  But G was just happy to go see the game with his buddy and his Dad.  he's still talking about it this morning.

"Dad, can we go to the game tonight?"