The sound of one hand clapping

What's that old saying about familiarity breeding contempt?

Newman yesterday summarized the pessimistic feelings that have enveloped many fans. "It is either eat the tickets and the bill, or sell them for face or less and make at least some money back," Newman said.

"To be honest, at this point, I have no interest in going to games at Fenway this weekend and wouldn't mind giving them away for free."

Even stuck this far away from the Sox, I've not stopped watching the games, even in the middle of the night, so I have trouble imagining a situation where I would actually thinking about giving away tickets for free. It's a fact that the Sox are playing terribly right now, but isn't that precisely the reason you should be going to Fenway right now, rather than opting out? This is our team, for better of for worse, and although there's been a lot more 'better' than 'worse' recently, you can't just turn your back when things look grim.

I guess everything is relative. If you live in or near Boston and going to Fenway is a regular occurrence, then maybe it's no big deal to eat those tickets. I've been to Fenway four times, period, so they would hold a greater value for me than the average Red Sox fan. Still, if this disenchantment allows other, more enthusiastic fans access to tickets at a reasonable price, then it's not entirely a bad thing.

I just wish there weren't 4,000 miles of ocean separating me from Fenway.