This week, Danny reacted to some of the top stories in the sports world:
I have to admit. I absolutely love the new Red Sox Boston Marathon uniforms. And this is coming from someone who usually despises anything other than the traditional uniform for historic franchises like the Red Sox.
The new Marathon-inspired uniforms aren’t just different. They’re completely different colors. At first glance, I definitely caught myself thinking, “What in the world are these?” But then when I saw the “617” embroidered into a Marathon racing bib, I was sold.
Like I said, usually, I am against any form of major changes to classic uniforms. For example, I cringe whenever I see the Celtics wearing anything other than their standard home whites or road greens. And anytime the Red Sox wear those goofy red softball jerseys, it makes me a little sick to my stomach. Classics are classics for a reason. There’s no need to mess with them. But what the Red Sox and Nike did with these new yellow and baby blue Marathon-inspired uniforms is amazing.
Everyone in and around Boston has a special connection to the Boston Marathon. And the Red Sox organization is no exception. In fact, because of the annual Patriots’ Day game at Fenway Park, when you think of the Boston Marathon, you think of the Red Sox, and vice versa.
That connection between the city, the Red Sox, and the Marathon grew even stronger in the wake of the tragic and senseless Marathon bombings in 2013. Nobody will ever forget the way that the 2013 championship Red Sox comforted an entire city that was heartbroken. David Ortiz’ passionate pregame speech will always be remembered. His words in that moment will forever be worshipped: “This is our [expletive] city, and nobody is gonna dictate our freedom. Stay strong.”
I don’t think drastic uniform changes like this should become a trend with our teams here in Boston. But this Marathon uniform is one that I strongly approve of.
—It’s great to finally see fans in the stands again. Some states have different reopening strategies, which leads to a different capacity percentage for each team in MLB, NHL, and NBA.
Here in Massachusetts, right now, the capacity permitted is 12 percent. That seems a little too low, considering that the Texas Rangers are playing baseball in front of a 100 percent capacity crowd. And ok, maybe 100 percent capacity right now is a little too aggressive. But in the strangest of occurrences, as Texas has completely reopened, their COVID-19 numbers have gone down. I’m not here to play the role of scientist or politician, but it’s an intriguing sign and is certainly something to keep an eye on.
That said, why can’t Massachusetts increase capacity to, let’s say, 40 percent? Vaccines are out in full force and the weather is starting to get warmer. Isn’t it time to look at that “12 percent” and admit that it’s time to open up a little more than that? I think so.
Either way, seeing and hearing real humans celebrate a walk-off win for the Red Sox on Tuesday night gave me goosebumps. Ya, the dramatic win was nice. But a glimpse of normalcy in the stands was an adrenaline rush by itself.
—Speaking of capacity, the WWE is opening the gates for wrestling fans for the first time in over a year, as it hosts WrestleMania 37 this weekend in Tampa Bay. This year, WrestleMania will be a two-night event at Raymond James Stadium. Each night, they will allow 36 percent capacity, which comes out to about 25,000 fans per night.
Raymond James Stadium holds a maximum of 70,000 fans, so it will be interesting to see how Vince McMahon chooses to fill in the empty 45,000 seats on both Saturday and Sunday night.
Capacity-aside, I must say that I’m not a fan of WrestleMania being a two-night event. Some wrestling “experts” believe that this will now be the norm for the “Showcase of the Immortals” moving forward.
As for this specific WrestleMania 37 card, the main event of the main events will close out the second night, on Sunday, as WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends his title in a Triple Threat match against Edge and Daniel Bryan. Bryan was added to this match at the last minute. To be honest, I would’ve been just fine with Reigns vs Edge for the championship, but what’s done is done.
With no Undertaker or John Cena or The Rock, there definitely seems to be something big missing from this year’s WrestleMania. That’s why I predict we’ll see the return of Brock Lesnar on Saturday night, as he’ll be interfering in the WWE Championship match between Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley. Again, that’s just a prediction. Enjoy the show.
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