Damien Doran's Baseball Blog

SHOPPING AT TIFFANY'S - OR WATCHING CELTIC ON TELLY?

01-09-2007

Not content with supporting Oldham Athletic and Glasgow Celtic from his home in Birmingham, sports nut Damien Doran is currently following his other favourite team - Boston Redsox.

There are so many things to do in Manhattan on a Wednesday afternoon. Shopping at Tiffanys or Sachs on 5th Avenue; visiting one of the many world renowned musuems or taking in a Broadway matinee.

So where else would I be but in a crowded bar watching Celtic play Spartak Moscow in the Champions League?

Its true to say that in most cities in the world you will find a Celtic Supporters Club and in New York you are spoilt for choice. I've chosen the Parlour Bar on the Upper East Side near to John Lennon's old apartment where a mixture of Scots, Irish, Yanks and a couple of Russians are packed in cheering on their team.

My day has been sorted by James an exiled Glaswegian who has lived here for 9 years. In between buying drinks and shouting at the screen James tells me he is a History teacher in the South Bronx.

His class is all black kids including some gang members . When asked how they dealt with his Glaswegian accent, he replies " they call me Shrek!"

Many beers, extra time and a penalty shoot out later James pours me in to the subway to head up to the Bronx for day 2 of the three game Yankee-Red Sox baseball series. Our Russian friend wishes all the Celtic fans "a very merry Christmas!"

The previous day had not gone well for the Red Sox losing 5-3 to a two run home run from Jonny Damon. This was particularly painful as Damon was previously a Red Sox cult hero, all beard and long hair which gave him the look of Jesus. Like so many before him Damon has taken the Yankee dollar and now is every bit a part of that organisation with his new clean shaven cropped hair look.

I'm starving and there is plenty on offer from Jewish hot dogs, Chinese noodles, Italian sausages and pizza, buckets of pop corn and even an ice cream helmet (honestly). You don't even have to get out of your seat as vendors move through the stands all night bringing it to you.

Baseball is a great social occasion and the packed 55,000 crowd is made up of all walks of life and ages. The real surprise is the number of women at the game, I estimate around 30% of the crowd was female.

For most the real reason for going to the game of course is the drinking which never stops throughout. . We are talking cricket Twenty/20 style drinking here and they will even bring it to you! Money and beer being passed among the fans and vendors.

The longer the game goes on the more rowdy the crowd becomes as the home fans heap derision with chants of "Boston sucks" directed at the Red Sox players and fans.

The Red Sox are probably the only American sports team with a large travelling support. There there must be around 10,000 in the ground but they are dotted around the stadium in small groups making it difficult to orchestrate a response but sufficiently isolated to be targetted by home fans as the atmosphere becomes more heated.

Sporadic fighting breaks out in the crowd and the New York cops wade in to break it up and then eject the Boston fan to huge cheers from the Yankee fans.

On the field the team do no better. The veteran Yankee pitcher, Roger "The Rocket" Clemens ties down the Red Sox batters and they go down 4-3. Of course Clemens used to play for the Red Sox.

The Thursday game takes place in the afternoon in scorching heat and is more sedate than the evening games. The Yankees are selling brooms for the fans to wave indicating a three game 'sweep' which the team duly delivers 5-0. The Boston lead is falling away at the top of the division, the Yankees are catching them up. Its that time of year again.

Boston head home for a 3 game series with Baltimore, I'm off to bed but will be up tomorrow to fly there with them.

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