A ragged start can be momentarily forgotten as fans celebrate Fenway.
People view the scoreboard section of the Green Monster left field wall during "open house" at Fenway Park in Boston on Thursday.This is supposed to be a celebration.
Belt it out, Red Sox fans. Is everybody happy?
Scores of former players and others will descend on Friday at Fenway Park, where the park will mark its 100th anniversay.
Spoilsports have noted that since this is really the 101st season of Red Sox baseball at Fenway, the gala event arguably comes a year late.
Such an anniversary comes only once, though. The opening of the park was overshadowed in 1912 by the Titanic sinking.
This one must thankfully compete only with present baseball news, not tragic world news, for attention. Trouble is, the news ain't good from Yawkey Way, as my English teacher used to say.
Ever throw a party and the guests showed up grumpy? Welcome to Fenway Park.
Bloggers are debating not whether Bobby Valentine will win 90 games or 100, but whether he'll still be the manager by Memorial Day.
Kevin Youkilis says the Red Sox will be one big happy family. That he had to even discuss the matter is pretty solid evidence they are not.
Even Friday's 100-year celebration will remind us of what's not to celebrate in Red Sox land. Terry Francona has reversed his initial boycott stance and says he'll attend.
It is a high-minded stance for a man who had good reasons to stay away from a party thrown by owners he felt betrayed him. But as the fans cheer Tito, how can they help but wonder how his unpopular replacement wound up in the dugout for a team that looks even worse than its 4-8 record suggests?
All around baseball, spring is busting out all over. Tigers fans this year are like Red Sox fans were last year, wondering how high is up for their talented team.
Stephen Strasburg is pitching again, and doing well. Jamie Moyer won a game at age 49, inspiring not only Middle America, but Middle Aged America.
The Mets and Dodgers are better. This is a great time of year to be a baseball fan, except in Boston.
The Red Sox have spared no expense for the 100-year celebration, which is more than they can say for their pitching or infield.
Most of the greatest living players in club history will come back. One will be 94-year-old Bobby Doerr, the oldest living Hall of Famer and an Oregon resident who once indicated his days of cross-country travel were over.
The Yankees are waiving their own club policy against wearing retro jerseys, and will look like the 1912 New York Highlanders again. Even Boston's archrival is willing to make this a special, festive event.
All that is missing is a home team its own fans can like. The 2012 Red Sox have been giving off the scent of a dysfunctional or at least disjointed lot, less talented than their 2011 predecessors and just as unwieldy as a unit.
Injuries have hit this team hard. Valentine's moves have defied convention, and the pitching decisions in particular have backfired.
This has left all of New England to psychoanalyze this man and his team. Office pools are being organized to predict how long they'll be together.
Maybe Friday's celebration is just what Red Sox fans need, a tonic to distract them from the uneasy feeling that their team is a train running off the tracks.
They should cheer their old-time heroes, celebrate their cathedral of a ballpark and appreciate that a rooting interest in this team allows entry into a very special club, albeit a rather large one.
The rich history of the Red Sox will be on display Friday. It should be an unforgettable show to be enjoyed to the fullest.
Do so, Red Sox fans, because then comes the hard part. The game will begin.