Is it still worth going to Fenway Park? One Red Sox season ticket holder urges fans to be skeptical
BOSTON - Tuesday marks opening day for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, and despite a 7-3 start to the year, at least one longtime fan remains skeptical as the season gets underway.
Jim Sullivan is a quintessential music guy. He's written two books about the history of music, and was the Boston Globe's pop music critic for 26 years. He's also a quintessential Red Sox fan.
"I was here in '67, I'm that old. I was kid. I was 11 and I saw the last two games of the '67 season when they won the pennant," he recalled as he stood in the shadow of Fenway Park to talk about the upcoming season.
Skeptical on renewal after last season
Sullivan has been a season ticket holder for 30 years, never wavering in his fandom ... until this offseason.
"They realized they were in last place three of the past four years and that was the promise in the offseason. We're bringing in a new guy to run the show, Craig Breslow, we're going to make some changes, sign some people. They didn't, they went bottom feeder," he said.
Add to that the highest ticket prices in baseball and Sullivan and his friends, who split the tickets and cost, were left with a huge dilemma. Swing away once more, or pass?
"My heart says one thing. My analytical brain says another," Sullivan said.
Advice for Red Sox fans
Sullivan and his buddies deliberated for a while. In the end, they came to a unanimous decision to re-up their tickets.
"Ultimately, we went with our heart, decided this is what we do," said Sullivan, who also has advice for anyone else who may be on the fence about tickets.
"Buy them. Carry into it the kind of skepticism I have about what kind of product you're going to get from the game," Sullivan said.
Skepticism about the team in April? Jim Sullivan really is a quintessential Red Sox fan.