Thursday, 4:30 PM
With playoffs about to begin, anticipation builds outside Fenway
(Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff)
Bobby Vinson of Concord, N.H., Rob Camuso of Norwood, Juliet Wilson of Middletown, Conn., and Liz Daley of Mansfield, admire a sign made by a friend before the game. The Northeastern students arrived at Fenway a few hours early, hoping to get tickets.
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
The 80 people leaning against a brick wall outside the Green Monster at Fenway Park this afternoon looked like a ragtag lot down on their luck. Some had been on Lansdowne Street since last night, hoping to score a seat when the Red Sox released excess tickets two hours before the start of tonight's playoff game.
They needed shaves, showers, and a clean pair of clothes. But they were happy to be there.
Shawn Langlois, 28, of Revere, a bartender at Legal Seafoods, arrived Tuesday night with just a backpack filled with snacks and a bottle of vodka.
"I slept right there," Langlois said, pointing to a dirty patch of sidewalk next to a green light pole.
His friend and co-worker, Chad Farias, 21, of Allston, said their night on the sidewalk would be well worth it. They were fourth and fifth in line, which virtually assured them a ticket to tonight's game.
"I'm gonna pay face value for a ticket to a playoff game," Farias said, smiling. "On Stubhub or Craigslist or even from a scalper, we'd pay four times as much."
Farias said he had skipped his Western Civilization class today at UMass-Boston for the first game of the Red Sox playoff series against the Los Angeles Angels.
"Let's make some new history," he said.
The air near the park was filled with the smell of frying sausages and onions and the cries of hawkers. The lights were switched on. A big American League East Champions 2007 banner hung on the back of the scoreboard. A steady stream of people flowed on Brookline Avenue to the park.
Near the back of the ticket line, Alex Gold, 27, and Jake Hall, 27, both of Brookline, sat in metal folding chairs, sipping cans of beer.
They had only been in line for an hour but still felt good about their chances for a ticket.
"I do this a lot, and we should get in," Gold said. "This is pretty short for a playoff game."
