M is for....

"Boston, you know we love you madly
Hear the crowd roar to your sound
Don't blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn't live without you"

*Dropkick Murphy's

Yes, I know. It's Friday. I was thinking hard about M, and how it's Memorial Day weekend, and I should blog about being born and all that hoopla. But I think I'll wait until Monday. So then I was thinking... what else in my life is significant enough to post that starts with M. Y'all. It's the end of the school year. I'm lucky I know what letter comes before M, forget drum up any words that start with M. So instead.. I give you ...


The Red Sox. See, Memorial Day after all is the unofficial kick off to summer. And summer in NH means one thing. Baseball. And up here in Red Sox Nation, we take our baseball seriously. The next best thing to being in the park, is watching the Sox kick arse on the big screen in HD. I love our TV. It's almost like being there.

It doesn't matter if we have baseball's oldest, and smallest, stadium. What we do have is the Green Monster. The wall was built to keep the baseball's off of Landsdown street. Before 1947 it was plastered with advertisements. In 1947 the Sox painted over those ads with some green paint and a legacy was born. The Beantown skyline may have changed over the years, but the Green Monster has stood the test of time. It may not be the best stadium ever. The seats are not comfortable and from certain seats you get a view of a giant pillar in your way... but there is a romantic charm about it. So it's not the best modern baseball has to offer. But Red Sox Nation wouldn't be the same without Fenway Park. I know I'm in the minority here and I don't much care.

However, as much as I love my Sox, I am also on a budget. And no matter how many secret desires to spend an afternoon or evening at Fenway, it's just not in the plans. That's why they have farm leagues. The Pawtucket Red Soxs play in Rhode Island, but from where I am, it's about the same distance. And it only costs $20 for the whole family to see a game. We're headed down there in July, and I can't wait. In the meantime, we have the Keene Swamp Bats to keep us entertained. Because nothing beats a warm summer evening out at Alumni Field. The bugs flying in the lights, the smell of hot dogs permeating the air, and the hum of the crowd as we cheer on our local team.

Play Ball!!!

(edited to add, I just realized too.. that it's not Friday after all. Touche!)