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October 24, 2007
BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer
BOSTON -- Former Red Sox pitcher and fan favorite Bronson Arroyo is attending tonight's Game One of the World Series.
The right-hander, now with the Reds, never keeps his love for this city and the Red Sox a secret, and that didn't change tonight. It was clear earlier tonight that he was having a lot of fun being back at Fenway with the Red Sox in the Series.
''Just being in the ballpark is unbelievable,'' he said. ''I tell people all the time, I miss it every time I turn on the TV, and it’s a Tuesday night, it’s pouring rain, the playing the Devil Rays and it’s still a packed house. And I’m playing in a ballpark somewhere in the National League that’s only half full.''
He visited the Red Sox clubhouse and all his former teammates, including Manny, Papi and Youk.
''It’s great to be back here,'' he said. ''This atmosphere, and when it starts to get cool, you can start smelling that the fall is here. It’s almost like déjà vu of ’03 and ’04 and being in the playoffs and having those big runs against the Yankees.''
When asked if he would want to play in Boston again, he quickly answered.
''Yeah,” he said. ''It’s hard for guys who haven’t played here to understand how much it gets into your blood being around here. It wouldn’t matter who I was playing for, the honest truth is I would love to play back here. Maybe not now, but at some point before I hang up the spikes I want to play in this ballpark again.''
Most athletes don’t like to give predictions, but Arroyo isn’t playing so he was asked who he liked in the Series.
''I think the Rockies are a team that has a lot of no-name guys, who are pretty darn good,” he said. ''I really think they have a much better lineup than most people realize. I think their starting pitching will be a problem and trying to hold Boston’s lineup down, so I got the Sox definitely winning before Game Seven.''
Posted by Joe McDonald 
at 8:08 PM | Permalink
Thom Cahir | October 24, 2007 9:05 PM link
What, no mention of when his next CD is coming out?