In what has been a confounding and sometimes miserable season, the Tartan Army invasion of Fenway Park has been a breath of fresh air. Yes, they’ve been a delight in Boston as a whole as well: putting traffic cones on statutes, drinking beers, exuding joy upon seeing a real yellow school bus.
You’ve seen the videos. You’ve heard the songs. It’s been a nearly seamless transition for the Scotland fans. They marched to the ballpark. Stood up. Cheered. Sang. Chanted.
And they did that while also adapting
to baseball. While soccer/football is a constant game, baseball has pauses. Inning breaks. Well, that’s just more time to get in a song. They rolled with it.
And they aren’t just singing Scottish football songs. Bagpipes were obviously part of the march to Fenway. They sing songs brought to the game as well. “I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)” by The Proclaimers is there. Unmistakable. You could hear them singing to Connor Wong’s “Forever Young” and making that just part of their night.
This one caught my eye (ear?) because it was sung at the winter Olympics this year too. And I thought it was weird then. But I rolled with it. It turns out the fondness in Europe for “Country Roads” is kind of a long story without too much explanation. Although per the Defector link, “Hermes House Band, a Dutch act, recorded the song and that group’s version shot to the top of the German charts in 2001. It’s been a staple of Oktoberfest celebrations for decades now.” So I guess it made it over to Europe for real after they had a local version. And honestly, “Sweet Caroline” has a weird origin story too.
The Red Sox weren’t caught off guard. Fenway Park organist Josh Kantor, a true highlight of the ballpark, did his homework. He prepared. He knew what they wanted to sing and had some of those songs in his pocket, ready to go. It’s just good hosting to make your guests feel welcome.
Is there anything we can take away from this?
Is cheering during play better than the tarps off movement?
Baseball isn’t soccer. It’s not going to have the same fan experience and interaction.
But what if there was some of that? Fans in Japan and Korea can have chants and pep bands. And we see in the WBC that there are all kinds of celebrations in baseball cultures around the world.
Or maybe if being more like the Scots isn’t the answer perhaps it’s to act more like the Scots, but in Scotland. Unfortunately the Red Sox aren’t likely to travel to Glasgow but if they did would there be “Sweet Caroline” or “Dirty Water” or “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” sung by friendly Bostonians descending upon the city?
Would Edinburgh run out of iced coffee in January if the Bruins were playing in a hockey tournament?
This all makes you think “maybe we shouldn’t have voted against the Olympics” but then that would have been dozens of counties, not a handful. And would have required many locations, not just one. And lots of new buildings, not the existing Gillette Boston Stadium.
Sunday night’s Red Sox game is one no one will forget for a while. Not because of the baseball but because of the atmosphere. One way or another we can all be more Scot when we travel or go to a game. Or in the words of our esteemed guests…
