But none of the above was as amazing as the Biblical storm that roared through the ballpark in the bottom of the first.
There had been threats of rain throughout a sunsplashed morning at Fenway, but it was still dry when Tim Wakefield threw the first pitch at 1:37 p.m.
Big fat drops of rain were plopping on the lawn when Ellsbury flied to center in the bottom of the first. Then all hail broke loose. Dustin Pedroia stood at home plate, taking pitches while little ice balls bounced off his covered head.
"It was weird," said Pedroia. "They were pinging off my helmet. 'Ping, ping, ping,' "
Cracks of thunder and flashes of lightning accompanied the white crystals.
"We could hear the hail pounding on the roof of the bullpen," said Justin Masterson. "And the ice balls were bouncing on the ground in front of us."
Willie Tasby came to mind. It was about 50 years ago that Tasby, while playing outfield for the Orioles, removed his spikes during a thunderstorm in the middle of a game. Tasby feared electrocution - death by conductor cleats.
Nobody took their shoes off yesterday. Throughout the deluge, umpiring crew chief Joe West stood near third base and just let it all be. He reminded me of Lieutenant Dan in "Forrest Gump," clinging to a shrimp boat mast, shaking his fist into a hurricane, and screaming to God, "Is that all you got?"
When David Ortiz took a towel off his head and stepped into the batter's box, West finally waved everybody off the field.
The Who's "Love Reign O'er Me" poured out of the loudspeakers while the grounds crew covered the diamond. The delay lasted only 36 minutes and the rest of the game was played in ideal conditions.
And a lot happened.
