I know this blog is supposed to be only about Newton, but I can’t resist telling this story about a Newton resident (yes… me) who had a late July blast last night in Boston. After all, Newton is close enough to the Big City that we can enjoy many of its wonders without an airplane ride or a day’s drive! With a visiting 13 year old grandson from Vegas (aka Parker) and a 5 year old grandson who lives locally (aka Casey), my hubby and I stepped from Newton into Fenway for what we faithlessly feared would be a defeat by the marauding Tigers. We chose the 2pm Sunday game so that the boys would be home early and we chose Detroit since Parker was born there and my older daughter (Aunt to both boys) and her husband and three kids still live there. So, no matter who won, it would be OK. It didn’t auger well that the 2pm game was moved to 8pm so that it could be shown in Prime Time as the Game of the Week. Neither kid had ever been to an MLB game, but I was certain that the extraordinary cost of the tickets would be lost on a too-tired 5 year old who would force us to go home early. I wasn’t even sure I would be able to stay awake through the expected disgrace myself, even though we had snagged wonderful Field Box seats right behind home plate.

Early in the evening, my grandsons had forced me to choose a favorite player and I had pronounced my not-so-secret love for Big Papi. Three and a half hapless, hopeless innings later, I thought we would all expire from boredom until something shook the Sox in their socks. Big Papi sent home at least 6 runs and by the time the ninth inning was over and the score was an amazing 11-1 for the Sox, my grandboys were totally entranced with the game, full of hot dogs, peanuts, pretzels, cotton candy and water (I had insisted on at least one healthy item) and certain that their Bubbie (what they call me) was Way Cool to be able to predict the power that they had evidenced from David Ortiz at the bat. It didn’t hurt that Big Papi’s wife and very well-behaved young son were 4 rows in front of us, nor that the scattered thunderstorms that weather.com had predicted didn’t show up!

That’s the kind of magic to be found near Newton in the summer. Oddly, Fenway was our second choice for last night. If that game hadn’t been moved to 8pm, you would have found the same four of us on the grass at Hyde, listening to and spreading more stories at the Newton Nomadic Theater’s Free Story Slam.