today

Today's a special day for Red Sox fans. It's Patriots Day in Massachusetts, and the Red Sox play an early day-game at Fenway, a tradition that dates back more than 100 years.

Patriots Day commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord, the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. It's also the day of the Boston Marathon, being run this year for the 110th time.

I love the Boston Marathon because it was the first major city marathon to admit wheelchair racers as official participants (though not willingly at first). The wheelchair designer and former racer Bobby Hall fought the heart of this battle. I interviewed Hall many times in connection with the bitter, protracted battle to admit wheelchair racers into the New York City Marathon.

The great Jean Driscoll, who I've written about extensively, has won the Boston Marathon an eye-popping eight times, the only athlete in any division to do so. Driscoll's seven consecutive wins helped catapult the visibility of the wheelchair division.

First pitch 11:05 a.m., wheelchair division start 11:25.

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