Well here we are only hours away from the first pitch puck drop.  For years I’ve always wanted to try to catch the baseball Beanpot tournament for the chance to see a UMass team take the field at Fenway Park, a place where I have an overwhelming number of memories, but with the games taking place mid-week it has never worked out.  Never did I think the hockey team I follow so closely would be the first representation of the alma mater to witness playing in the old ballpark.

I cannot count the amount of times I’ve been to Fenway.  I attended my first game there as a kid probably in 1982 or 1983, I remember it was just as Wade Boggs was starting to develop into the prolific hitter he later became.  Since then I’ve been countless time for everything from baseball to concerts.  I attended my first playoff game in 1986 and I know that sneaking into the park to attend Game One of the 2004 World Series will be one of my best memories even when I’m old.  I’ve seen an amazing amount of great moments there, from the Pedro-Clemens playoff matchup in 1999 where the Rocket got rocked (“Where is Roger?  In the shower!”) to Billy Hatcher stealing home right in front of my third baseline seats.  I wake up this morning knowing that by the end of the day there will be additional memories to add to to all of those from my past.

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As you can expect there a lot of stories out there regarding today’s events.  Here they are to get you caught up:

The UMass players share their memories of Fenway and what the experience means to them in the Gazette.

However for someone like Belarusian Oleg Yevenko, yesterday’s practice was his first time in any ballpark.

Toot tells the Globe that this is worth losing a home game for.

Dick Baker stresses the importance of the game itself in his preview.

The Burlington Free Press agrees that the game is critical for both teams.

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Here’s my final weather report.  Temp of 49 degrees at 4pm.  Temperatures will fall to 41 by the end of the game.  10-20% chance of precipitation during the game.  Winds will be around 7-8 mph.