Monday, February 07, 2011

The Pedal to the Metal

*picture taken off Boston Globe Truck Day 2010*

Once every year staff at Fenway gather up all the equipment necessary (and some unnecessary-anything players or managers request) to practicing at Spring Training and load it all up into a huge 18 wheeler truck to make the drive to Ft. Myers, Florida.   The crowd who decide to come to watch this event is special.  They are die-hard Red Sox fans who not only love the team, they love Wally, they love Fenway, they love the entire process and embrace the Sox as being the fabric of Boston.   They've waited through a long hard cold wet snowy frozen winter this year for this.   Sure some of them followed the Pats...but since the Pats were out of the play-offs...they've longed for this day.  It's the first of the Countdowns for Baseball.   For once that truck leaves Boston, baseball is on it's way.  I've never been able to attend but have a few friends who have and I'm quite sure some of them will be there once again in the morning.  Wally will be there riding in the back of a low boy throwing baseballs out to the crowd along with the staff.   This event is like a parade now....I mean the entire staff is back there throwing stuff to the crowd...Wally is waving....some bring signs wishing them luck or a good trip...pictures are taken....then the Truck pulls away for the long drive to Ft. Myers to join the boys who are on their way.  (Hmmmmm, maybe that'd be a job I could apply for?) Some of the boys have already showed up this year....but soon the whack of leather against wood will be heard for miles.  

This ritual that will be performed in the early hours of tomorrow morning in Boston is lovingly known as "Truck Day". 

1 comment:

Ted D said...

One year we need to do a caravan. As the truck makes it's way south we all just sort of fall in behind it and go all the way to Ft. Myers. Sort of like "Smokey and the Bandit" times 11. ;)