''I get e-mails from people wondering where I went in the sixth inning," he says, ''or they'll call and ask why I was wearing a jacket when it was so hot out."
Since he began sitting in the seats that were added behind the plate in 2003 he's become as familiar to regular viewers as the NESN broadcasters or the Foxwoods jingle. He doesn't exactly have a fan club but is often recognized inside and outside of Fenway. ''People come up to me and say, 'You're the guy behind home plate.' I get a kick out of it," he says.
From his seat, Drinkwater feels as though he's in the game. He should. He's closer to the catcher than the pitcher is. And if his view is blocked, it's usually by the umpire.
He doesn't take vacations during the baseball season. ''Why would I go to the Cape?" he asks. ''There's nothing like being in the ball yard."
So if you've ever wondered about a guy whose days from April to October revolve around the Red Sox schedule or fantasized about sitting in the seat next to him, here's what Dennis Drinkwater thinks about cellphones, booing, and getting in and out of Kenmore Square 81 times a year.
Favorite player: Third baseman Bill Mueller. ''If we had nine Bill Muellers, we'd win it all again."
First baseball game: Boston Braves vs. the Philadelphia Philles, 1951. ''My mother took me," he says. ''She got me into baseball."
Game day ritual: Dines on lamb chops, salmon, or shrimp at The Capital Grille most nights before heading over to Fenway.
Libations: Five or six bottles of spring water during the game.
Pet peeve: Cellphone use during games. Drinkwater deputized himself to help the ushers keep people from using their cellphones and waving wildly at the camera while the game is going on. ''It's too distracting to pitchers," he says. ''People can use their cellphones between innings."
On booing: Never does it. ''How can you hate or boo a professional? It's illogical."
Exit strategy: The regulars who sit around him call him ''eight and two-thirds" for his habit of leaving his seat with one out remaining in the bottom of the ninth and making a bee-line for the ramp near the right-field concourse to watch the last out. Then he ducks to his car. ''I'm on 93 before most people have left the park."
