Red Sox Nation Represent
At least once a week we get together with friends for an informal potluck dinner. It’s never planned far in advance, but seems to just come together somehow. Everyone brings something to contribute to the meal, and as a result we eat quite well. My contribution has been a spinach salad, which seems to be a crowd-pleaser. I think it has something to do with the walnuts caramelized in maple syrup or the dried cranberries (both items imported by yours truly), neither of which are found in Chile. Or maybe it’s unusual because it doesn’t have mayonnaise, which seems to be a staple of the Chilean table.
Anyway, on this particular night, I bowed out at the early hour of 3am (dinner usually lasts until 3 or 4am, depending on the amount of red wine and pisco sour consumed) and walked the 1-minute journey back to our house. Nelson decided to stay a bit longer, and at 3:15 called me to let me know that he had stumbled across a rebroadcast of a Red Sox – Yankees game on the Spanish ESPN. And the Sox were up 12-0! Definitely an acceptable reason to call someone at 3:15 in the morning. I was elated.
The next day, my mom informed me that the game had actually been played that afternoon, and that the Sox ended up winning 17-1. According to my game schedule, they were scheduled to play again that evening at 8pm. Nelson and I happened to be over at his mom’s house doing our laundry and having onces, Chile’s version of teatime. I think it’s just an excuse to eat dessert without having to eat dinner first, but it’s a noble tradition nonetheless.
Anyway, at 8:05pm, we flipped over to ESPN and were excited to find the game broadcast en vivo (live). It seemed to be ESPN’s Venezuelan affiliate, as all the ads were for Venezuelan products, with prices given in bolívares. Venezuelans, by the way, are unique in South America for being much more into baseball than soccer. It was cool to hear the game broadcast in Spanish, and I learned words such as sencillo (single), doblete (double), and entrada (inning). And even though it was in Spanish, I think it still made no sense to the rest of Nelson’s family (mom, sister, niece and nephew) who were incredibly good sports to watch a game that is incomprehensible to the casual onlooker.
The game was great. The Sox won again. But I have to say the real excitement was the fact that Nelson and I were sitting in his mom’s living room down here at the end of the continent watching the game. We couldn’t get over it. I’m thinking we should write to the Globe or to the team or something. We’ve got to be the southernmost fans in the world.
Anyway, on this particular night, I bowed out at the early hour of 3am (dinner usually lasts until 3 or 4am, depending on the amount of red wine and pisco sour consumed) and walked the 1-minute journey back to our house. Nelson decided to stay a bit longer, and at 3:15 called me to let me know that he had stumbled across a rebroadcast of a Red Sox – Yankees game on the Spanish ESPN. And the Sox were up 12-0! Definitely an acceptable reason to call someone at 3:15 in the morning. I was elated.
The next day, my mom informed me that the game had actually been played that afternoon, and that the Sox ended up winning 17-1. According to my game schedule, they were scheduled to play again that evening at 8pm. Nelson and I happened to be over at his mom’s house doing our laundry and having onces, Chile’s version of teatime. I think it’s just an excuse to eat dessert without having to eat dinner first, but it’s a noble tradition nonetheless.
Anyway, at 8:05pm, we flipped over to ESPN and were excited to find the game broadcast en vivo (live). It seemed to be ESPN’s Venezuelan affiliate, as all the ads were for Venezuelan products, with prices given in bolívares. Venezuelans, by the way, are unique in South America for being much more into baseball than soccer. It was cool to hear the game broadcast in Spanish, and I learned words such as sencillo (single), doblete (double), and entrada (inning). And even though it was in Spanish, I think it still made no sense to the rest of Nelson’s family (mom, sister, niece and nephew) who were incredibly good sports to watch a game that is incomprehensible to the casual onlooker.
The game was great. The Sox won again. But I have to say the real excitement was the fact that Nelson and I were sitting in his mom’s living room down here at the end of the continent watching the game. We couldn’t get over it. I’m thinking we should write to the Globe or to the team or something. We’ve got to be the southernmost fans in the world.
2 Comments:
I watched thesunday Red Sox/Yankees game in my living room the other week. Apparently it was a very well viewed game in foreign countries :)
That´s cool! There´s a contest through the Red Sox Nation asking members (i.e. Sox fans) to tell their stories. First you write a short paragraph; then if they´re intrigued, they interview you. I´m going to see if we can get Nelson interviewed, as I think there aren´t too many fans in this corner of the world. Not yet, at least. You could get some props for your fandom from afar as well....
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