Mirabelli, Ortiz, steal the Johnny Show...

The energy level at Fenway was unbelieveable last night, and it came on the coldest night of the season so far. It almost had a playoff feel to it.

Johnny Damon's first reception at the Fens was probably a little different than what he thought. The boo birds were out in force for his first at bat, but turned to cheers once he tipped his helmet. Many fans applauded him out of respect at that moment, but the park was filled with anti-Johnny signs and even chants throughout the game. It must have been a difficult pill for Damon to swallow especially since he's seen former players like Orlando Cabrera came back to standing O's. The difference? Pinstripes.

Fans can't & won't understand the difference between landing $45 vs. $50 million, especially since players have money in the bank already. Heck, Manny STILL gets booed in Cleveland because he left for more money. Damon's "faux-pas" was signing with the hated Yanks. That apparently is an unforgiveable offense in the Nation. Damon may have underestimated that during his decision process - not that it may have swayed him anyway. But, he did appear somewhat wounded by it. It's also notable that he has handled himself in a professional manner and said all the right things. Despite the idiot monicker, he is a class act...

The real story of the night was the return of Mirabelli. From his plane skidding sideways upon landing, to his 100 MPH journey to the park, he barely made his debut. For those of you who have not driven in Boston rush hour traffic, the ride from Logan Airport to Fenway is a nightmare. Dressing into uniform in the back of a state police SUV, he made it in 12 minutes. Wow. He played very well defensively, blocking a number of balls, and throwing out a runner. It was great to see the ovation he received as well.

So, to recap, a pivotal player in bringing home a World Series gets booed, and a backup catcher hitting under .200 gets a standing O. Only at Fenway. The moral? Don't mess with the Nation...


Big Papi comes through in the clutch once again. The Yankee nemesis continues to punish. Joe Torre will continue to have those Papi nightmares. It looks like their major acquisition of Mike Myers (lefty specialist) to come in and shut down Papi wasn't as critical as they thought. Sweet dreams Joe... That shot Papi hit against the wind was absolutely crushed. Nothing else came close to going out.

So, this is only game 1, with 18 to go. It just has that feeling that every game will be a grind. Nothing will come in under 3 1/2 hours. Would love to have been a fly on the wall to see the reactions of all the new additions to this rivalry - Loretta, Lowell, Beckett, Gonzalez, etc... The words "you have got to be kidding me" was probably said about 50 times. Guess what, it's going to be said a lot more over 18 games...