Overseas Fan - on the road in strange places

In the previous article in this series, I shared the ultimate Green Monster experience. This time around let's examine how much effort an Overseas Fan has to put in to keep up with her beloved Red Sox.

What I am talking about is more than location. It is about dedication. The Overseas Fan can be one, two, or twelve timezones removed from Boston. She can be traveling for work, studying abroad, or stationed far away for a set period of time. The challenges remain the same, no matter the reason she is remotely located to the Red Sox.

Case in point, traveling for work this week our Overseas Fan is half way around the world from Boston in Singapore. This is located in Malaysia for the geographically challenged, in Asia.

Singapore downpour.
It took an incredibly long flight to get there, it is a culture that does not really even know what baseball is. There is not a single Boston Red Sox baseball cap to be seen on the streets here (though a very lost Minnesota Twins fan, wearing a team shirt, wandered past with a dazed look on his face yesterday).

When the games start in the evening in Boston it is morning here. Exactly twelve hours time difference. Being as everyone has to work in the morning, you can only setup game tracking in your browser and try to catch the score between meetings, calls, or whatever it is you are doing at work. If the game is a weekend or afternoon game that starts around 1300 hours, then you have a chance to catch a few innings when you return from a late dinner before falling asleep in front of your computer.

Don't laugh, this is one speaking from experience.

Some games you just can't miss seeing live so you go through long nights of trying to stay away. After that you spend the next day fighting to stay alert and focus on whatever it is you need to be doing. Though watching the Red Sox pull off a win is often worth the trouble!

Nice place to watch
 a Red Sox game? 
If you decide to just go to bed and not stay up for the game there is always a bit of jet lag to help you out. It seems here in Singapore, the time difference has you waking up at 0300 hours no matter how tired you were when you hit the pillow. As an Overseas Fan you see this as a bonus, a chance to drop in on the Red Sox live. So you keep your mobile device close at hand to jump into the game live. You are just taking a peek to see if Clay Buchholz will notch his 7th win (he did!). Maybe you catch a glimpse of Big Papi launching one over the outfield bullpen which puts a smile on your face as you snuggle back into bed for more sleep later, dreaming of winning pennants.

The message here is that baseball transcends cultures, timezones, countries, and almost any hindrance that you can imagine. The Overseas Fan is a resourceful and dedicated fan. They go to great lengths, they spend great effort, and they are just like you in their love of the Boston Red Sox.

The Overseas Fan might be logistically challenged with regards to the Red Sox, but they love them no less.

Next time I would like to share some of your best places to watch a Red Sox game. Where is the strangest, farthest, hardest place you ever had to try and watch the Red Sox from? What did you have to do to stay in contact with a game? What have you done that a normal person might think is a bit over the top to follow the Red Sox? Do you have pictures with you in your Red Sox cap somewhere interesting that you will share with us?

Post a comment or via twitter @ericschabell with your answer to the above questions to become a part of the Overseas Fan story.


Note from author: The location covered today is in no way strange in the negative sense of the word. I am only referring to the vast difference in culture between East and West. This together with the jet lag will make it all feel strange for awhile until you settle into one of the nicest cities I have ever been to. The people, food, and sights are amazing.

More by Eric D. Schabell