Rocket Man, thanks for reminding

Rocket Man, thanks for reminding me about our excursion to Fenway Park in June of 1971. It’s a game that many New Englanders of a certain age still remember, and not just because of the near riot. The Red Sox were in first place, as were the A’s. Sonny Siebert hadn’t lost all year (I think he was 8-0). Vida Blue hadn’t lost since early April, to my Washington Senators in the old Presidential Opener. I think his record was 10-1. Boston’s powerful line-up, led by Rico Petrocelli that night, did enough damage to give the Sox a 5-3 victory, if I recall correctly. The next day, the headline in one of the Boston papers read “Vida Blue is 10 and 2.” But this was the high-point of Boston’s season. Soon they did their annual swoon. Meanwhile Oakland went on to dethrone the Twins as champions of the old AL West. The next year, they won the first of three consecutive world titles.
Believe it or not, Rocket Man, I don’t follow baseball closely any more. The 1994 strike converted me from a fanatic into a casual fan. I’m still interested in the historical side, but rarely watch games except during the play-offs. This year, I’ll be rooting for the Twins to win their third World Series, or fourth if you count the one they won in Washington in 1924.
As Rocket Man says, I failed miserably in my attempt to turn him on to soccer. However, I believe that if he saw a high quality match at Highbury Park in North London or the Nou Camp in Barcelona, he would see some merit in my arguments, as he did that night at Fenway all those years ago.