By now I had spent $3,750 on the 2004 World Series victory, actually more if you include the roundtrip flight to St. Louis and the hotel room across the river at the Casino (the only place I could find an available room, honestly). But I did win a couple of $100 at Blackjack and just missed seeing David Ortiz at the table the morning of the victorious fourth game.

    But I digress again.

    As soon as the 2005 baseball schedule was published, I noticed that Opening Day was going to be against the Yankees. And that was when the World Series flag would be raised and the rings given. And the Yankees would have to just watch.  How delicious.

    So I visited StubHub and purchased four Opening day tickets (I had to bring the ladies along, didn’t I?).  Thus on a chilly spring day in April 2005 I found myself at Fenway, watching the press and the Sox hours before the festivities were to start. My wife and one daughter were off shopping (clearly they didn’t understand the festivities were already underway). My other daughter, however, was arriving from NYC and was to come directly to the park.

    My cell phone rang, and said daughter was outside Fenway, wanting to know where to meet me. I looked around and told her I was standing just behind the Sox dugout and would meet her there,

    And then it hit me: I was standing within a few fee of the box seats where my grandfather had started this whole obsession 55 years ago.

    How wonderful.