When I heard they were making a musical about the Red Sox, I was torn between wanting to cringe and laugh. Let’s be honest, sports and musicals haven’t gone together since the debut of “Damn Yankees in 1955.
But “Johnny Baseball” wasn’t campy at all. In fact, it was a quality musical that hit on the 2004 ALCS, the Red Sox curse, the history of race relations in Boston and a story of star-crossed lovers, all with impressive lyrical storytelling and catchy music. I feel like the resulting story did a good job in capturing those elements.
See: “Johnny Baseball” sings the Sox song.
I was happy with how it came out as were the ESPN.com readers, whose opinions count most. That’s why it was great to get an e-mail from a reader who wrote, “I really enjoyed your column on Page 2, ESPN.com. It’s the best thing up there all week.” Even though, I’m entering my fifth year writing for ESPN.com and have seven years experience, little notes like that, from readers I’ve never met, still make my day.
On a personal note, I think I feel especially proud of this story because I’ve had it in the back of my mind for over a year. This piece came about by chance. Living near Harvard Square, we pass by the American Repertory Theater almost daily. Last summer, I noticed a banner hanging from one of its windows announcing the world premiere of a new show, at that time titled “Red Sox Nation,” that was to debut in the Spring of 2010. This was several months before I was even contributing to Page 2. I told my husband I thought that could make for a fun story.
A few months later, the Page 2 opportunity came about, and when I first met with my editor, I brought a list of ideas – including the Red Sox theater idea. He said he loved the idea. Then it became just a matter of waiting for the show to open. More than a year after the idea first struck me, the piece ran.