“We’re all told at some point in time that we can no longer play the children’s game. Some of us are told at 18, some of us are told at 40. But we’re all told.” In my eyes that quote perfectly captures what makes amateur sports, especially baseball, so special. Our whole lives growing up, most young boys grow up dreaming to play in the pros in their respective sport. But if everyone could do it, it wouldn’t be a dream worth chasing. According to Quora, less than 0.1% of youth baseball players will end up on an MLB roster one day, and only 8% will play college baseball at any level. So, as you could imagine, the star-studded college ballplayers of the Cape Cod Baseball League took full advantage of their trip to historic Fenway Park on Wednesday, a place where over 50 hall-of-famers have donned Red Sox uniforms alone, not to mention the countless members of Cooperstown that have come through on road visits.

For those who played in the Cape League last season, the visit to “America’s most beloved ballpark” was a repeat of last year’s, for others, while it wasn’t their first trip to Fenway, it was their first time on the field. But for a select few, including Commodore’s righty Grayson Saunier, it was their first time ever walking the grounds of baseball’s oldest operating venue. “It’s surreal,” Saunier said, “I grew up watching Red Sox games, so getting to run around out here, I feel like a little kid again.” Him saying that immediately brought me back to another Moneyball line: “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” Which, after watching all our players, coaches, and interns get a taste of Fenway, couldn’t be truer.

Now, while our players were excited to try something new, for one member of the Dore’s organization, it was yet another warm welcome to a place he called home for the better part of four seasons. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Falmouth’s first year field manager, has had more than his fair share of time within the hallowed green fencing the Red Sox call home. So for him, it was about giving his players an experience that he hopes they’ll never forget, saying “I hope they understand the history, because without it they wouldn’t be able to have this opportunity.” He later went on to mention what was talked about all day among players, coaches, and interns alike: the previously mentioned countless members of Cooperstown that have come through Fenway Park, bringing up names like Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, and Ty Cobb, just to name a few.

But, it wasn’t just the players that got their first feel of the big-league dirt we all dreamed of stepping onto as kids. Second-year intern, and first-year broadcaster for the Commodores, Ryan Martin also had dreams realized on Wednesday, saying,” Being from Massachusetts as an aspiring sports journalist, the dream’s always been to cover baseball in a place like Fenway. So just like the players trying to show off their best skills in one of baseball’s most historic landmarks, my fellow interns and I want to do the same!” He was among the several Commodore interns that were able to cover the day standing no further than three feet away from where countless Boston legends have eyed down their opposing pitcher in the on-deck circle.

Now, we’ve mentioned the players who had a first taste of their dream, and we’ve mentioned the interns, who did just the same. But what about the coaches? For many of Falmouth’s coaching staff, this day is just as much a first for them as it was anyone else. Beau McMillan, the Commodores no. 2 man and assistant head coach, took his first trip to Fenway in over 20 years on Wednesday. Although, this one was a little different. When asked what made this stop different than his first, his answer was to “Take it all in, 20 years ago you think oh you’ll be back here again, you think you’ll be playing here one day. But now 20 years later it’s just hey I want to take it all in.”

Now, given everything you’ve heard, some might ask what could possibly be better than a couple hours running, throwing, and reporting their way around Fenway Park? Well, the answer might be nothing, but Ron Blomberg did everything he could to make our stadium tour a close second. The man who refers to Fenway as his own field of dreams spent the afternoon hours giving the entire Commodore organization a tour of the ballpark like he’s done for the last 11 years, as we were the only team in the league to be granted such an opportunity. The man who claimed to have attended over 60 playoff games and “hundreds” of Sox games in their home stadium belongs in a category that I like to refer to as “baseball guys”. Time and time again, we found ourselves baffled at what he could rattle off the top of his head while taking us up the green monster, showing us the famed Ted Williams red chair (the landing spot of his monumental 502-foot home run), and even sharing with us the secluded rooftop garden tucked into the corner of left field. The best part is, we will all have the pleasure of seeing him again at Sunday’s home game where he’ll be working the gate. Blomberg has been associated with the Commodores for years as a volunteer and board member, and he made sure to let us know how much touring the team around Fenway meant to him.

Minus the gray skies, it was as close to perfect as any baseball aficionado could have possibly asked for: an entire day spent on what has become the longest standing cathedral that our beloved sport has to offer. Down the road, some players will be able to tell their grandchildren they took batting practice at Fenway Park, others will recall this visit when they take their first trip back, only then it will be through the players only entrance. Even for those that weren’t lucky enough to shag fly balls in Ted Williams’ outfield, it was a dream come true, and then some.

If I could leave anyone with any advice that is considering a trip to Fenway, do it. Go to the game, spend the extra money to sit on the monster, and enjoy yourself a Fenway Frank or two. However, don’t worry about bringing a sharpie to sign the famed Pesky’s pole in right field, they paint over it once a month.