He is a Real Dominican...

Tonight will be my first visit to Fenway Park since 2004. It will also be Pedro Martinez's. The record press passes, astronomical scalper prices and rock concert buzz around the park will not be for me but they will be present. Today I ask myself if I have witnessed anything like this before. I am fortunate to say that indeed I have.

Boston Dirt Dogs and some personalities on WEEI have been urging fans to boo Pedro upon his return and he did take a longer more lucrative contract to leave for New York rather than stay for the loyal following of Red Sox Nation. The only difference between him and Johnny Damon is the surname after the word New York.

However among the 30,000 Red Sox fans in Fenway Park (figure approximately 5,000 Mets fans) all of them are Red Sox fans because of Pedro Martinez. For Pedro's best years were among the rest of any Red Sox teams worst. He single-handedly carried the 1999 team to the ALCS through the 23-4 regular season and in painful relief against the Indians. While the suspense has been taking out today by the Red Sox putting together a touching video to Billy Joel's "Days to Remember" prompting a standing ovation while Pedro was in the dugout. The question is only how long, how loud, and how often will the ovation be.

My friend Scott (who will be in attendance and got me the tickets to tonight's event, thank you!) and I waited in line at the gate for two hours at Toronto's Skydome to see a star-filled card for WWF's Wrestlemania X8. The main event was WWF's marquis young superhero The Rock against the returning Hulk Hogan of the villanous nWo. The WWF even had Hogan run over Rock's jeep with a Mack truck just so we knew who was supposed to be the good guy and the bad guy.

When the bell rang, the response was surreal. Easily the biggest big-time moment I have witnessed live up to this point (and I have been to a Final Four). The ovation for Hogan was insane. 60,000 fans cheering Hogan's return to Wrestlemania even booing the previously babyfaced and forever hip Rock.

The point was and will be tonight. Fans while fickle are always nostalgic. They remember. The good times the bad times and when there are no more good times or bad, they remember the good times more vividly and the bad times more forgivenly. While Pedro was a diva when he was in Boston and contracts prevent him from being a Red Sock again (like the WWF made Hogan wear red and yellow the next night) for one night (or two) we can treat him like one of our own again and prove that in Boston you can come home again.

Unless, of course, you're a Yankee.