Children lose their innocence, Jack Clark hits the Moosehead sign

By: Mike McCarthy in reference to July 31st, 1991
Children lose their innocence in unexpected ways. Some kids find their parents stuffing presents under the tree when they were expecting Santa Claus. Other kids lose it when the family cat dies. Quincy kids lost their innocence by watching members drink grain alcohol while watching the weather channel during Hurricane Bob. I lost my innocence the night of July 31st, 1991 when Jack Clark of the Boston Red Sox hit 3 home runs against the Oakland A's, one of which that hit the Moosehead beer sign roughtly 2000 feet away at the Hotel Buckminister in Kenmore Square.

July 31st was a beautiful summer evening in Boston, a great day to watch the local 9 and take in a ball game. The game was attended by 22,000 assorted cups of coffee from the south shore who got tickets as part of a Mr. Tux prom special and Little Caesars pizza raffles and 2 black guys (1 gentleman who went in the wrong door of the EPMD concert at Venus De Milo and Ellis Burks). Years later fans would reminise about guessing D during Guess the Attendance in the 8th inning, littering the ground with ice cream helmets and scratch tickets, and listening to sheetrockers belch while urinating in the community trough in the men's room. Others will be bouncing their grandchildren on their laps telling them they saw Jaimie Quirk throw out Mike Brumley stealing before they got sent back to the minor leagues for the rest of their lives. And still others will fondly remember the fight in the bleachers between two guys who wanted to start the wave and would later go home and hit their wives. What i remember is seeing the inigmatic Jack Clark hit a ball over the nets of the green monster instead of over the heads of the smiling faces of the Marshfield Hockey Team.

But the ball didn't stop there. It sailed over the heads of the 3 people who lifted weights in 1991 at Gold's Gym. It sailed over a chinese guy in a Herman's Sporting Goods shirt. The ball went so high and so far Sean McDonough had dropped a comb size. Now i know what everyone is thinking out there, "you silly goose, nobody could hit a ball that far." Well usually i'd agree with you, but i challenge you,watch the tape. This monumental game was replayed at Murphy's Twin Shamrock, a local pile of piss in North Quincy almost a year ago during a rain delay. The disinterested bar patrons were mostly oblivious to the game before them except for an elderly gentleman, who happened to be wearing a filthy shirt, watching a Red Sox rally in the 3rd end with a popout. "Fucking Greenwell" shouted the awful man, who had mistaken the game for the current one being rained out, as he returned to his apple pie.

Now i know there are theories that the ball didn't travel as far as i am claiming. Some say shitty TV-38 camera work is to blame for losing site of the ball. Others say Havileck stole the ball. And further few would blame the resolution of their televisions purchased at Apex for losing tack of the ball. But if your a dreamer like me, and you remember the Fenway Park where dreams came true and the games weren't about the baseball, they were about the fights, then you saw Jack Clark hit the Moosehead sign that fateful night.