Happy Belated Truck Day!
While the Red Sox organization attempts to rebuild itself with new players and coaches, many traditions remain.
One such tradition took center stage Tuesday outside Fenway Park, where dozens of fans came out to watch the Red Sox equipment truck be loaded up for its annual trip to Fort Myers, Fla.
Truck Day, as its known by many, marks the unofficial beginning of the team’s spring training.
Workers began loading the big rig parked outside Fenway Park just after 7 a.m. despite below-freezing temperatures. The JetBlue sponsored truck was graced with a message: “Big Things Ahead.” Inside were boxes full of everything you could need for spring training, including over 20,000 baseballs, more than 1,000 bats and, of course, sunflower seeds.
By 10 a.m., fans had already gathered for the truck sendoff at noon. Red Sox president Larry Lucchino greeted the fans and said he was happy with the Truck Day turnout.
Also in attendance was Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks. He said that he’s ready for spring training in Florida and is feeling 100 percent for the start of the season after missing the second part of last season with a wrist injury. It was Middlebrooks’s first Truck Day.
The fans who stood outside watching as the truck was loaded up probably could not tell what was in each box, but that hardly seemed to matter as they looked toward the promise of spring and possibly better baseball from their hometown team.
The crowd dispersed once the bus left. Meanwhile, down in Florida, the real work is about to begin.
Pitchers and catchers are due to report on Sunday, the day that officially marks the beginning of spring training. Let’s hope the Sox get the job done this year!
