Patriots Day in Boston: Not So Bad

(Note: Cheddar Ben asks if the Braves are for real immediately following this piece from Sip.)

We don't have many traditions at Shea.

The apple after a home run, "Lazy Mary" after the 7th inning stretch and the newest charm, "Sweet Caroline". But for most of us, the sense of pride in the Mets comes in the team and the friends we share it with.

Monday at Fenway Park was a special day. The 10 a.m. start got pushed back to 12 p.m. because of the weather, meaning me, my brother and my buddy Scott didn't make it to the local bar until 10 a.m. We entered and the place was absolutely packed.

The Patriots Day game coincides with the Boston Marathon. The combination of the two means that the city of Boston basically shuts down. At the center of this Siesta is Red Sox baseball.

It's a pretty simple concept. There's the city and then there is a game in the heart of that city. It was really nice.

And sadly, we don't have this in New York. We New Yorkers are a city divided. 1 part Mets, 2 parts Yankees, 5 parts people that couldn't care less. Our city does not bleed two colors for a team, it bleeds one color, green, the money that drives the city.

I'm a little somber right now. That happens after a 13 hour elation filled binge gone tired. It might just be that I am almost dead.

But it's days like this when being a New Yorker kind of kills me.

You see a team take over a city, where being a member of that city makes you a part of that team and then everyone unites. New York's tremendous diversity, for me, it's biggest strength, also becomes it's biggest weakness when it comes to sports fanatics.

I went to three different bars after the games. They were all Red Sox bars. They weren't cool bars or dive bars. They were Red Sox bars.

An entire city became one.

I was jealous.

VCD,

Sip

(Images courtesy of antonshevchenko.com and projo.com)