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Fenway faithful reserve energy for shows of patriotism as Rays, Red Sox return.
By MARC TOPKIN
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 19, 2001
BOSTON -- In a way, things appeared normal Tuesday night when the Rays returned to the field. They didn't pitch well, didn't hit much and lost to the Red Sox 7-2.
For the most part, it looked like major-league baseball and sounded like major-league baseball.
It just didn't necessarily feel like it.
Sure, more than 30,000 filled the stands. They cheered, they chanted and they greeted Manny Ramirez's game-breaking homer with an ovation. They even did the wave.
But it wasn't the same. It wasn't the usual passion for a game at Fenway Park, wasn't the typical emotion.
The fans may have come to the home of the Red Sox, but this night they came to cheer the red, white and blue.
They applauded when the U.S. Armed Forces color guard stepped onto the field. Cheered when Lee Greenwood's God Bless the U.S.A. was played before the third inning. Screamed "U-S-A! U-S-A!" when a fan ran atop the Boston dugout waving a U.S. flag. And, in the night's true proud-to-be-an-American moment, joined voices to sing America the Beautiful during the seventh-inning stretch.
There were placards all over the stadium with an American flag on one side and GOD BLESS AMERICA on the other. Flags draped around the stadium. Patches of flags stitched on the back of the players uniforms and flag stickers pasted on their batting helmets.
"The crowd was very subdued, very quiet. Really reserved. You could tell the mood was very somber," Rays batting coach and former Red Sox star Wade Boggs said. "But the show of patriotism was overwhelming. You could really tell that America is strong. When they played Lee Greenwood, my eyes started filling up with water. Watching everybody stand, it was like, 'This is real.' "
"I thought it was awesome," infielder Russ Johnson said. "There may have been some fear involved, but it's overcome by pride. That's what it's all about. And that's what made this nation the greatest in the world."
The Red Sox kept the pregame ceremonies brief and straightforward. There was a brief prayer by the Rev. Peter Grover of St. Clement's Eucharist Shrine, booming renditions of God Bless America and The Star-Spangled Banner by stadium cook Todd Angilly, first pitches by a Boston firefighter and police officer with large flags in the outfield.
There was not the emotion that was prevalent during some of Monday's games.
"There was a sadness and gloominess (Monday) that wasn't in the stadium tonight," Rays manager Hal McRae said. "I thought players would be emotional when they were playing the anthem and God Bless America. (Monday) night they panned players and guys were crying. That didn't happen tonight. The guys tonight were ready to play."
The Rays arrived here early Tuesday, their chartered plane landing at Logan Airport around 1 a.m. after an uneventful flight. The traveling party was able to go directly from the buses to the plane in Tampa, and straight from the plane to the buses to the hotel in Boston, though there was a Massachusetts state police car at the airport gate.
"Overall, it was much like a typical charter," travel director Jeff Ziegler said. "It wasn't far from normal."
The security procedures implemented mostly had to do with keeping a closer watch on the team's luggage and equipment, and requiring all team members to travel as a group. There also was a significant addition to the traveling party: St. Petersburg Police Lt. Joe Jesiolkiwic, the team's resident security agent.
At Fenway Park, the routine was only slightly altered. The most unusual sight was the bomb-sniffing dog that members of the Boston Police Department brought through the stadium and into both clubhouses before the game.
Some players automatically showed their player identification cards to enter the stadium, some did when asked, and some walked right in -- carrying packages nonetheless -- and said later they wondered why they weren't questioned.
Reporters were required to show a picture ID and allow their equipment bags to be searched, while fans were prohibited from bringing in bags.
As for the action on the field, it was okay. Neither team looked particularly sharp, though the game wasn't necessarily sloppy nor the pace slow.
McRae had said he expected the pitchers to be ahead of the hitters, and he was partially right. Boston's Hideo Nomo was way ahead of the Rays, striking out 11 in seven innings. But Rays starter Tanyon Sturtze enjoyed no such advantage, allowing 7 runs on 9 hits, 4 walks and 2 hit batters.
The best thing McRae could say about the game was that it was over.
"I'm happy we got this game under our belts," he said. "I'm not happy with the results, but I'm happy we got through this game and can get back to playing baseball and concentrate on getting base hits, making pitches and playing well."
As routine as some things appeared, all wasn't normal. Not when the team flew into Logan Airport and traversed Boston, where two of the hijacked flights originated.
"Coming to the ballpark we drove right in front of the Westin (Hotel) where they were raiding it at 2:30 that afternoon where some of the hijackers had stayed," Boggs said.
"They talk about ground zero being where it all happened, but this is as close to ground zero as you can get right here.
"Then you hear reports today that one plane from Boston to LAX (with potential hijackers on board) was canceled because of mechanical difficulties. So where are those guys? I've got one eye on the hitters and one eye on the stands. I'm sure everybody is like that. You don't want to live in fear, but we have to be cautious and sort of take a step back. ... It's not like we're in Kansas City."