There are many ways one can flaunt their Masshole credentials: wearing shorts in 50-degree weather; drinking a Dunkin’ iced in 30-degree weather; successfully driving through a rotary without causing a 10-car pileup.
But how about pounding brews at Gillette Stadium and then hitting a home run in the ALCS? That’s exactly what Christian Arroyo did.
The Red Sox’ second baseman belted a two-run homer in the 3rd inning Monday to extend Boston’s lead to nine, further humiliating the Astros. The epic shot would be worthy of praise under normal circumstances. But just 24 or so hours earlier, Arroyo was spotted at the Patriots-Cowboys game, and man, did he appear to enjoy himself.
The climax of Arroyo’s evening came with two minutes left in the second quarter, when he jammed out to “Dancing on my Own” for all to see.
Before Monday’s game, Arroyo, a self-proclaimed lifelong Tom Brady fan, said it’s always been his dream to catch a Pats game in person. Since Sunday was an-off day, he thought it was the perfect opportunity.
“We had an off-day, and a couple of the guys and stuff, we got it set up,” Arroyo told reporters. “I can't remember who set it up, but we were able to go watch a game. Like I said, it was just a dream of mine to go to Gillette Stadium and to take in that atmosphere. That atmosphere is so similar -- it's louder; there's more people. But it's a beautiful stadium. It was a great opportunity to go watch a football game.”
Arroyo said he left early, so the infielder did get some rest before Game 3, where he also experienced a special sports memory: going yard in a playoff game at Fenway.
“To be able to do it in this environment with … I think the greatest fans in baseball, it's truly special,” he told reporters after the game.
So there you go: it’s possible to enjoy some libations and perform well at work the next day. Arroyo became a Bostonian this week, and reminded us of a valuable lesson in the process.