I feel like I took the most pictures on this one day than I have on any one day in my entire life. I realize this, so if you can't bear to look at all these pics (which you really will want to because it was such a great day...I think these 4 pics pretty much sum it up):
Jacoby Ellsbury #46. Bless you Jacoby's aunt.
I'm the one with the sign and the baseball pressed up against the window.
In all his glory.
In all my glory.
The parade sign glory.
Where to start? I'm so behind. I still need to post world series pics but anyway... a little pre-game rally action happened on Monday eve when I returned from my run and flipped on Fox where they showed the red sox landing in Logan and boarding buses en route to Fenway. After showering and running full sprint to Fenway, I saw John Henry walk right by me with the championship trophy. Too bad I didnt have time to get out my camera!
I also saw Schill, JD Drew, Youkilis, Ortiz.
All the other red sox players parked in the real fenway parking lot and drove off. Bobby Keilty got hosed and had to park across the street. So he made his way through the crowd. I snapped his pic and then high fived him!
We headed straight for the red sox store to get our world championship sweatshirts. Too bad they weren't there yet. But we did find the Jordan's furniture guy! I told him how much I enjoy my sectional. Too bad I didn't buy it in April! (it would have been free since the sox won the world series)
Monday night I couldn't concentrate on school work because I was so stoked for the parade. I played guitar hero III for 4 hours instead. And then I tried to sleep but it was like the night before christmas.
Now, just a preface...I am a big sports fan. I was raised that way. I love basketball, football, baseball, soccer, tennis...etc. I have watched baseball since I was young. I have always looked down on the girls in middle school or high school that would crush on some cute young players and just like the sport because they thought the boys were cute. I have not ever been like that. But Jacoby Ellsbury...I am his biggest fan. (I think). I started to notice Jacoby in July/August when he was called up from the minors. Then when I was back in Boston Jacoby had major play time in September since Manny was still injured. He was AL Rookie of the Month and hitting .353. I was a fan of his althletic abilities -- he is so fast, he makes great catches, and bats fairly well. I also loved the fact that he started out the year in AA ball and moved to the red sox. The physical attraction part started at the end of September. I realized that I thought he was pretty hot. Then thats when I googled him. I found out he went to OSU and brought them to the College World Series for the first time in 50 some odd years, his mom is full Navajo and Mormon, he was raised Mormon (whatever that means), and he is exactly 5 months younger than me. Learning all this information made me like him a bit more. So once October rolled around, I was sad I didn't get to see much of Jacoby in the ALDS or ALCS until Game 6...which happened to be the game I attended and he started in the lineup instead of Coco Crisp. Anyway, I've become a big fan. And I haven't quite forgiven myself for loving Jacoby for his baseball skills and also how he looks, but I think this baseball crush is a phase that will pass. Then I can go back to being a true Jacoby fan.
I couldn't sleep on Monday night because I had a feeling something great was going to happen. I debated about making a sign for Jacoby. I knew there would be hundreds of girls/women that had "marry me jacoby" signs. So I decided against it and I just figured it would be enough to see him and wave to him.
I got up on Tuesday morning so excited. I got my roommate to come with me at 10 AM to stake out a good spot near Copley. We heard Jonathan Papelbon was going to dance in front of Copley.
Copley was packed.
Whitney & Whitney waiting patiently.
So around 11 o'clock I realized that I really did want to make a sign for Jacoby. I went to Walgreens and grabbed some posterboard. I already had a fat sharpie on hand. I debated for a long time what to write. I finally came up with "Jacoby Marry Me I'm Mormon". I was super embarassed when I was making the sign, but I figured it would get his attention because how many other women would write that on a sign? I counted maybe 10 mormon women would actually be at the parade, so the odds were in my favor.
I was SO excited when the first duck boat pulled up. They were going really slow.
THEO!
THEOOOO.
Theo is seriously the man.
As you can tell it was a gorgeous fall day in Boston. Not a cloud in the sky. It was a bit chilly though.
Francona! I love this man.
Francona & the other coaches.
Beckett and WAKE! I didnt realize it was Beckett at first because he was just standing there looking bored and kind of pissed. Schill was on the other side, so I couldn't see him.
Beckett feet away from me! Still looking kind of mad. Maybe it was because he promised Papelbon he would dance with him if they won the World Series. Beckett didn't dance.
Copley.
I had a ton of reactions from the players and their families about my sign. It was a huge hit! This sums it up. The woman with Youkilis (I think his wife) pointing to my sign, filming me, and laughing. Youk just chillin.
Pedroia! On the other side. I love him! It was at this point that I thought I had missed Jacoby. I was freaking out a little. I figured they'd put Ellsbury & Pedroia together. But no. Wait for it...
The back of Dice-K. Sad I didnt get to see the full teddy bear face effect up close.
The bullpen band. Donnelly, Delcarmen (Glo's boyfriend), Lopez.
Glo's boyfriend.
Confetti.
I didn't know what was coming next...there was a break in the floats and then....
HE WAS RIGHT THERE. He was there, waving to the crowd, and then he saw my sign, pointed at me, laughed, smiled and gave me the thumbs up. I was screaming my head off. I'm so glad Whitney B. was there to witness it, because I'm still having to tell myself it really happened. He reacted in a big way to my sign. I'm sad this pic came out blurry.
Right about now my heart was racing. And my face was all hot.
Next the Ortiz/Manny float. This guy is filming me and my sign. :)
Manny had a mic but I couldnt make out what he was saying. So fun to watch these two.
PAPI! Love him!
I LOVE it!
Tek went down and helped his daughter put on a sweatshirt. His float was stopped in front of ours for awhile.
Tek and his "mom jeans". haha. Thanks Nat for the laugh.
Alex Cora.
Boston Baked Beans and that annoying NESN woman announcer.
Lugo hiding his face.
Boston's finest!
So right after the parade ended, I was planning on running over to city hall to witness the end of it and see Papelbon dance on the jumbotron. But I called my friend Rachel first and she told me some amazing news...her co-worker found out from Boston.com that Ellsbury was going to go to the Taco Bell in Cambridgeside Galleria to get his free taco right after the parade. So I planned on going straight over there. Then she called me back 5 mins later and they had changed the location -- Jacoby was coming to MY taco bell at BU. I was floored. So I dropped off my sign and books at my apt and went straight over there. I was wearing my ellsbury shirt and World Series hat so I figured he could sign one of those. I also wanted to tell him I was the girl with the "Marry Me I'm Mormon" sign. Anyway, I decided to stop and buy a $5 baseball at the BU bookstore, I didn't think I had time to go to Fenway and get a proper regulation ball. I got to TB at 1:50 and so I was one of the first people in line to get my free taco.
I stood outside to eat it and scoped out the promotional people. I asked a cop and one of the promotional guys where to stand in order to meet Jacoby. They were very hush-hush about it all. They weren't telling anyone he was coming. 2 people told me to stand outside by the big window. I stood there and ate my taco while some chick took my picture. Turns out she was shooting for Taco Bell and AP news. Little did I know I'd be Taco Bell's poster child.
http://www.tacobell.com/pressreleases/stolentacos.htmAnyway, I'm so thankful Rachel came down to TB and waited with me. We strategized and planned how we were going to get Jacoby to sign my baseball or at least talk to him. As the time grew closer, the TB was turning into a mob scene. We realized it was going to be pretty hard to get him to sign something, let alone talk to him. We were also outside the TB, which ended up being somewhat of a disadvantage.
Thankfully Rachel had a notebook so I recreated the sign...with a slight variation.
He was supposed to come between 3-3:30. It ended up being 3:45. He also came through a back door, so I didn't get to see him come in.
Jacoby waiting for his taco.
Waving to us.
The view of this scene from the inside.
Boston Globe pic.
Signing hats. It was so cute how excited the TBell workers were.
Signing the workers hats.
After signing hats...the real fun began when Rachel and I chatted through the window with Jacoby's fan club.
So Jacoby entered with an entourage. Right when he came in, I saw this blond chick and figured it was his girlfriend. I had heard he had one. Anyway, she saw my sign first, and instantly looked away after reading it and scoffing. She was kind of a brat. We tapped on the window to talk to her...and I asked her if she was his girlfriend and she said yes. Then Rachel mouthed, "you're very pretty". And she said "thank you" back. Then she turned right around again. Rachel and I were trying to suck up to her so he would sign my baseball. Didn't exactly work.
The heroine of the day was this woman, Jacoby's aunt. I mouthed to her, "are you his mom?". She mouthed back, "no I'm his aunt." Then she pointed to her right and had Jacoby's mom wave at us. I was so excited. Jacoby's dad was there too. The boy in the red sweatshirt is Jacoby's younger brother. Anyway, super funny because the aunt was taking pictures and took a ton of pictures of me and she pointed at my sign and laughed. She also got Jacoby's mom's attention and Jacoby's mom saw my sign too.
I took like 100 pictures to try and get a pic of the gf. Here she is.
So we saw the mob moving after Jacoby ate his taco and was interviewed. I panicked. I figured I'd lost my chance because I wasn't inside to pass my baseball to Jacoby. So we left our prime spot by the window and went around the back. The Boston Cop had told me he was arriving in a black escalade, so we went around the back to find it. As soon as we did that it pulled up to the front of the TBell on Comm Ave. I saw his gf get in, his dad, his brother and I figured Jacoby would be getting in soon. And he did. Jacoby got in the back and I thought all was lost. But then *trumpet blare -- bah bah bah dah!* the aunt showed up. Rachel passed her our sign and the ball and I gave her my BU Law pen and asked if she could get Jacoby to sign it. She said she would try really hard. She got in the back seat and passed it to Jacoby and he signed my baseball and then I got to open the door of the car and get my baseball, Rachel's notebook, and my pen. We were super sad he didn't sign the sign...but I was still in shock as I left the scene with a signed baseball.
In all its glory!
I can't tell you how elated I was. I was shaking. Another funny story...as we were walking away an African American girl walked up to Rachel and I and was like.."was that Jacoby Ellsbury!? He is SO hot!" And I was like, "yeah, I know." And she was like "was that blond chick his girlfriend?" And I'm like "yeah..." And then she goes, "B**** needs to get her roots done!"
HILARIOUS.
We then walked straight to Fenway where I got a cheapo plastic holder (I'm going to get a better one) and we tried to walk off the high.
I couldn't concentrate when I got home but somehow I finished my homework assignment and went to class for 30 mins.
I didn't think my day could be topped but then I went to
Rogue Wave at the Paradise. They rocked. And I got a set list. Yes.
WOW.
I still can't believe it and I'm still pinching myself.
Here's to waiting until March (spring training in FL!) for more brushes with Red Sox players.
