For a good portion of his life, Rob Gauvin swore by “Sweet Caroline.’’ He considered it a fundamental part of the Fenway Park experience — like the Pesky Pole or the sausages on Lansdowne. He liked that it was unique to the Red Sox, that it brought people together, and when the 1969 Neil Diamond hit kicked in midway through the eighth inning, as it did during every Red Sox home game, he’d stand with the masses and belt out verse after verse.
“It used to be something special,’’ says the 26-year-old Boston resident who goes to about a half-dozen games a year.