Fenway Faithful Seek Series Tickets

Harvard students have a reputation for being lousy fans. Cool dispassionate observers rule the roost at Harvard Stadium. Clever, cryptic cuts dominate conversations at Soldier's Field and a social faux pas is admitting you're even considering going to the football game before Saturday noon.

Sad but true, the Crimson faithful pale in the face of Big Green fanatics, and I'm convinced that B.U. devotees give the Terriers at least a goal advantage when the Beanpot rolls around. But while the insouciance towards Harvard sports remains vogue, a new fad has arrived--Soxmania. It is now fashionable to read the boxscores before the ed page, to preface problem sets with a brief bantering over Yaz and Freddie, and in general to greet the morning crowd with a "How about those Sox, huh?"

The trek to Mecca

Pharisaical fans hang your head in shame, for while you were sleeping, Fenway's faithful snuck out of the Square like a thief in the night and made their pilgrimage to the Promised Land, 24 Jersey St.

Ed Laake and Ed Sullivan, Quincy House juniors, were two of the Green Monster's disciples. "We arrived just about midnight," Laake said, "and there were about 800 people in front of us, so we camped down in sleeping bags right under the right field wall and tried to go to sleep. I'm from Cincinnati and a big Reds fan but I wasn't about to advertise that last night."

Sullivan, long standing Sox fan, had other things to attend to before bedding down for the night. "After we got settled a little after 12:30 a.m., I began writing my English 12 paper. I finished it around 3 a.m., had some hot chocolate, talked to some folk and went to sleep. At 5 a.m. somebody yelled "better run" and everyone panicked and headed for Gate C. And there we stood for four hours waiting for tickets."

Henry Taves, a Mather House senior, was a little more reserved in his camping in Kenmore. "I was pretty excited about the Sox this year," he said, "but I wasn't quite hardcore enough to sleep there over night."

Taves arrived about seven and nonchalantly snuck into the middle of the line. "I've been a Red Sox fan since '63 and am determined to see every series game," he said. "If I can't get tickets I plan to climb the Windsor Canadian billboard." No greater love hath any man...

Dave Solomon, a Quincy House senior, and a veteran fan of 13 Sox seasons was graced with Series tickets through a friend who was "stuck" with an extra, Solomon reflected on his experience as a bleacher bum, "Fenway Park is a tough field to learn. You've got to know the ins and outs of the different concession stands. With the Green Monster out there you might make one misguided move to get something to eat and blow the whole game right there.

"Back in '67 I was practically a rookie, At the next to last game of the season against the Twins I went for a Coke and missed George Scott's homerun; I lost the Coke too, But now I can play the bleachers in my sleep."

Following the advice of the sage Ned Martin, Billy Berkowitz, a freshman from Lionel, decided that being there would be twice the fun. "Actually a third of the fun is just getting the tickets, another third being there and the last third is the game itself."

"The crowd was great," said Berkowitz, "lots of camraderie among people and I made about 10 million friends in line. A breakfast of coffee brandy didn't hurt things either."

Judgment Day arrives on Saturday and for those few who braved the night the Gates of Fenway will embrace them in all their splendor.