Monday, June 12, 2006

How the Red Sox screwed a million fans in one weekend.

Today, I am, quite frankly, a little pissed at the Red Sox organization. I will outline, below, exactly what they fucked up this weekend (not including losing two to the Rangers - Thank you, David Ortiz, for saving game 1 yesterday. You can step away from the rest of them, because I don't want you to absorb any of the bad karma I'm about to unleash.)

Because of an early May rainout, the Sox and Rangers were to play two games on Saturday. One make-up game at 1:20, one regularly scheduled game at 8pm.

Saturday dawns wet, cold, miserable. The rain is relentless all morning long. We KNOW Sunday's weather is going to be better. Do the Red Sox postpone game 1 and reschedule it as part two of a double-header on Sunday? No, they do not. We wait all morning for them to do the right thing and reschedule, so that people who are traveling great distances can stay home.

At 12pm, still no announcement, we get a cab to the park. We HAVE to go, because we have tickets to both games, and we're meeting another couple in between the games, to give them our tickets to game two over some beers and dinner. We get to Tequila Rain, order some beer and food, and settle in to wait for the announcement that we KNOW is going to come. And we wait, and we wait, and we wait.

No announcement.

It gets to be 3pm, and there is nothing but dripping rain to be heard out of Yawkey Way. At this point, having game one puts game two in jeopardy, because there is no way they can play one game, and have time to ready the field for another, while getting 35,000 people OUT of the park, and then getting ANOTHER 35,000 people INTO the park. And that's not even counting if the game goes into extra innings or just takes longer than usual.

Still...they are silent. Stay with me, this gets confusing.

FINALLY - an announcement comes to us at the table, from our friendly waitress. "It's unofficial," says she, "but I just heard they're going to play game 1 at 6:15, and then have game two tomorrow at noon. Then Sunday's afternoon game will be at 5:15."

This turns out, indeed, to be the case. How fucking stupid is that? Now, all those people on the road for game two have to turn around (providing they got the announcement in time) and then COME BACK for a noon game on Sunday.

We make our decision. We'd been drinking since 12:30, already blown over $100 on food and beer at Tequila Rain, and were, quite frankly, too wet, cold, drunk and angry to go to the game. The couple coming in - FROM CONNECTICUT - is now too close to Boston to turn around and go home. So, we give them the tickets for the afternoon game, and we hold onto the night game tickets, thinking we'll either use them (yeah, right, noon on a Sunday, after drinking all day Saturday...I'm not fucking getting up for that!) or put out an e-mail to a bunch of people when we get home, and see if anyone wants them.

The couple we give the tickets to go to the game. They've been on the road for 3 hours to get to this game, and now they're anxious for the fun to start.

AND THE RED SOX, IN THEIR INFINITE WISDOM, SHUT DOWN BEER SALES INSIDE THE PARK.

Their reasoning, I guess, was that they'd been selling beer since 11:15 in the morning...oh yeah, which is right about the time THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN CANCELLING THE FUCKING GAME IN THE FIRST FUCKING PLACE. Honestly. It defies common sense.

6 Comments:

Blogger Student said...

Yes. Unleash the rage. Come over to the dark side.

I am right with you. Dithering officials should be named and shamed... and then beaten with sticks.

12 June, 2006 11:18  
Blogger FINN said...

clearly, you should have stayed in your dream. would have been more fulfilling.

12 June, 2006 11:22  
Blogger Andraste said...

Oh, p1p, I've been hovering over on the dark side for years now.

Finn - the dream was lovely. And believe it or not, fairly innocent. Even in my dreams, I am terribly repressed.

12 June, 2006 11:49  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

Oh no, and you were so looking forward too, for shame officals, for shame! Is there any one you can complain to?

12 June, 2006 15:00  
Blogger Dr Maroon said...

Any team called Rangers must be total *****, ****** ** ****** *******s.
Ask Binty if you don't believe me.

13 June, 2006 04:45  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you for keeping us anonymous, you are too funny!

24 June, 2006 21:06  

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