The Answers: Should "Shipping Up to Boston" be Played in Fenway?

LIVE ON LANSDOWNE BOSTON MA BY DROPKICK MURPHYS (CD)

"Shipping Up to Boston" has been a staple in Fenway Park since 2006 as the walk-up song for closer Jonathan Papelbon.  Papelbon has since parted ways with the Red Sox, and left a bad taste in most fans' mouths.

"The difference between Boston and Philadelphia, the Boston fans are a bit more hysterical when it comes to the game of baseball," Papelbon said, just days after Spring Training opened for the Phillies, before he had even played a single game for Philadelphia. "The Philly fans tend to know the game a little better being in the National League, you know, the way the game is played."

With Papelbon gone, we are rid of his idiotic comments and his dumb, pouting look he puts on to "intimidate" hitters.  But one part of him still remains, the Dropkick Murphys anthem, "Shipping Up to Boston."  Should this song still be played in Fenway park?

It's tough to say.  But when you stack up the evidence, I think the scales sway in the song's favor.  The biggest problem with the song would be the memories it brings up about Papelbon.  The uneasy, borderline queasy feeling you got watching him saunter up to the hill, knowing that even a three run lead won't be safe.

But overall, the Dropkick Murphys have been a Boston-area staple, holding shows in Fenway Park and doing a four-day set every St. Patrick's Day across the street at the House of Blues.  If you haven't heard the song, listen to it above, and imagine being in Fenway Park, late in the game, needing something to get the crowd going to get the team going.  The song really is a perfect fit, and hopefully, if the team plays better, we can turn those subconscious feelings of hatred and nervousness around.

The Answer:  Yes, so long as this team starts to show a little improvement and starts to win in Fenway.

"The difference between Boston and Philadelphia, the Boston fans are a little bit more hysterical when it comes to the game of baseball," Papelbon told 94WIP's Angelo Cataldi and The Morning Team. "The Philly fans tend to know the game a little better being in the National League, you know, the way the game is played."

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/03/jonathan-papelbon-says-phillies-fans-know-baseball-better-than-red-sox-fans-praises-bostons-passion.html

"The difference between Boston and Philadelphia, the Boston fans are a little bit more hysterical when it comes to the game of baseball," Papelbon told 94WIP's Angelo Cataldi and The Morning Team. "The Philly fans tend to know the game a little better being in the National League, you know, the way the game is played."

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/03/jonathan-papelbon-says-phillies-fans-know-baseball-better-than-red-sox-fans-praises-bostons-passion.html

"The difference between Boston and Philadelphia, the Boston fans are a little bit more hysterical when it comes to the game of baseball," Papelbon told 94WIP's Angelo Cataldi and The Morning Team. "The Philly fans tend to know the game a little better being in the National League, you know, the way the game is played."

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/03/jonathan-papelbon-says-phillies-fans-know-baseball-better-than-red-sox-fans-praises-bostons-passion.html