The title of this story does not do justice to the metamorphosis that Chris Faraone is putting himself through. A Long standing non-sports fan Faraone, who writes for a Boston newspaper only steps away from Yawkey Way, is trying to explain “How I stopped worrying and loved the Sox” on his blog that he started with the break of the new baseball season.
He is a colorful fan even though he is new to the endeavor (just see the answer to the first question below), but with a beard that makes him look a lot like Kevin Youkilis, and a new found fondness of John Lackey, he is quickly becoming a real Sox fan.
Don’t believe me…check it out for your self (Faraone is “ThatFan” too on Brookline Ave in front of the Phoenix and across from Ace Tickets in Beantown):
Dr. Venkman: The Red Sox fan base is quite a ravenous one, so was there any interest in maybe trying to get into the Celtics or the Bruins first before jumping right in to the deep end?
Faraone: That’s a good question – particularly since I never thought of that. But the truth is that the Red Sox project made perfect sense. I’m a staff writer for the Boston Phoenix – which is located on Brookline Ave., across from Ace Tickets – so I’m in Kenmore Square and around Fenway every weekday anyway. This whole thing may seem ridiculous – and I know that a lot of people are pissed off about what a prick I’m being at this early juncture – but I really do want to change my thinking and become a fan. I’m sick of hating baseball season because of how inconvenient it makes my life; hopefully, at the end of the day, I’ll be able to see the positive in all the mess. After all – I do like beer, hot dogs, and drunk chicks.
Dr. Venkman: Had you ever been to a Sox game before this endeavor started?
Faraone: Yes I have. Way back in the day I went to tennis camp at Curry College in Milton (the reason that I couldn’t be a hardcore rap artist, by the way), and we used to do day trips into Fenway Park. I wasn’t particularly into baseball, but I remember those as being pretty fun adventures since that was around the time I started smoking weed. I also went to a game last year – my first since moving to Boston in 2004 – but I got bored as hell in the sixth inning and went to drink over at the Lower Depths.
Dr. Venkman: Do you already hate the Yankees?
Farone: I wouldn’t say I hate the Yankees more than I hate any other team, though I do think that George Steinbrenner is an obnoxious prick. I grew up not too far away from Shea Stadium (RIP), and have probably gone to more than 100 Mets games in my life. Still, I wouldn’t say that I was ever much of a fan; in New York, when you tell someone that you’re going to a Mets game, the first thing they ask is, “Who gave you the tickets?” In other words: it’s just assumed that nobody would ever buy them.
Dr. Venkman: What prompted you to try and become a fan?
Faraone: After some serious thinking about what sort of project to pursue, I decided that I wanted to write a journalistic take-down of professional sports – blasting everything from how ball clubs take complete advantage of their fans, to how much municipal money is spent on sports teams. My agent thought that was a decent idea, but that it needed a more personable angle – possibly something that could be entertaining to both sports fans and haters alike. Hopefully I’ll find that medium.
Dr. Venkman: What is life like for a non-sports fan…is it as fulfilling and intellectual that we all think it is?
Faraone: I’ve been going back-and-forth with my literary agent for about two years trying to figure out what my first book is going to be about. Since I’m primarily a hip-hop critic, the original plan was to write a travel book about underground rap music scenes across the country. The only problem is that, as you might imagine, a book like that would probably cost more to write than it would ever make (subterranean rap junkies aren’t exactly known for their voracious reading habits).
It’s awful. I can’t even go on double dates, since, when the girls start talking to each other, most guys just assume that I want to talk about sports, and it gets extremely uncomfortable. And as far as that intellectual thing, let it be said right here that intellectuals hate me, so it’s hilarious to me that I’ve been accused of being highbrow. I’m a complete degenerate; just because I’ve never really liked sports doesn’t mean I’m not a bong-toking boozehound who likes to curse and act stupid.
Dr. Venkman: What is your favorite part about being a fan thus far (any heartbreaks?)
Farone: It’s extremely early in the season, but I will say that I might have had my first small stroke of excitement earlier tonight when John Lackey struck someone out in the third inning. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be one of my favorite players; not only are we both new to the team, but he seems like someone who really cares about the game more than all the Red Sox Nation crap that surrounds it – and I can respect that.
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We here at ThatFan respect anyone with such a fresh attitude and a fresh way of putting it out there.
Are there any other anti-fans that you have swayed to our side? Send Dr. Venkman an e-mail.
Posted by Ben Meyers 
