This past Saturday I took my youngest daughter to a Yankees' game in New York. If you know where I grew up, you know this is quite a feat. I'm from the South Shore of Massachusetts. My mother took me to Red Sox games during the days of Fred Lynn, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Luis Tiant, Dwight Evans, Dennis Eckersley, Wade Boggs and Bob Stanley. I have "lived and died with the Sox", as they say, for most of my life.
So for me to take my daughter to a Yankees' game is no small thing. And yet I did it because my love for my daughter is much, much greater than my love for my Boston Red Sox. I wore my Red Sox cap and proudly escorted my daughter into Yankee Stadium on a bright, sunny Saturday afternoon.
I had decided ahead of time that I would ignore jeers and taunts but would welcome any questions about my choice of hats. As it happened, I heard only two of the former and received but one question--from a woman sitting in front of me: "So, why the Red Sox cap?" We had already made exchanges about the game; now she was ready to satisfy her curiosity.
I replied that I was making an effort toward world peace. If I, a Red Sox fan, can take my Yankees' daughter to a Yankees' home game and cheer them on, then there's hope for the world. After that declaration, she and the man seated next to her spent the next several minutes trying to figure out what I did for a living. At first they were convinced I was a teacher--not bad for a first guess. Of course, after that they didn't get any closer; the man even paid me a backhanded compliment with "a swimsuit model"! I replied that I do that in my spare time.
When I finally confessed that I was an ordained minister, the woman, who was Roman Catholic, said to me, "You have to go to school for that?" (When they were guessing, I had said that I went to college and grad school.) I explained, yeah, we have to learn all that church history, Hebrew scriptures, the New Testament, systematic theology, etc., just like a priest would. In return, she gave me a blank look. Oh well.
So now I had my ally in the bleachers in case anyone gave me a hard time. By the way, Boston fans, Yankee fans aren't half so rabid as you might think. Although if I had worn the cap to a Yankees'/Red Sox game in New York, perhaps they wouldn't have been so forbearing!
So now I had my ally in the bleachers in case anyone gave me a hard time. By the way, Boston fans, Yankee fans aren't half so rabid as you might think. Although if I had worn the cap to a Yankees'/Red Sox game in New York, perhaps they wouldn't have been so forbearing!
It was a great game and a wonderful time with my daughter. Here's recap of the game:
