March 25, 2008 12:28 PM

The return of Red Sox fever
Posted by Jesse Nunesat 12:28 PM

It's March. We're two days removed from Easter. And the Red Sox are playing regular season games.

At 6 a.m.

What is a gainfully employed Sox fanatic to do?

While the local nine opened their season early this morning against the Oakland Athletics in Japan, the sleep and work schedules of those who just can't miss an inning were undoubtedly thrown for a loop.

I'm thinking more than a few hardcore Sox fans called in sick to work today. Or at the very least, arrived a wee bit late as they watched the Sox (or, at least, tried to watch the Sox) stage a late-inning comeback, and then hold on for dear life in extra innings.

So just how prevalent is this sickness, this Red Sox fever?

Well, according to a new survey by Bank of America Corp., 35 percent of locals would blow off an important business meeting to attend a Red Sox home opener, compared with only 23 percent of Yankees fans, and 20 percent nationally. In addition, 59 percent of Sox fans would allow their children to skip school for such an event.

How about you? Did you skip work today, or allow your child to skip school, in order to catch the Sox opener in Japan?

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