With championship memories as fresh as the spring air, Boston faithful returned to Fenway Park to officially inaugurate the 108th Red Sox season, with the home opener and all its requisite celebrations.

Besides the 36,567 packing the park to see the Sox soundly defeat the Detroit Tigers, 5-0, fans milled around Yawkey Way and the Back Bay, picking up ballpark bites and ice cream.

“It’s definitely exciting,” said Somerville resident Joe Movelli, who said he has sold game programs at home games for 11 years, of the opening day festivities. “I look forward to this day more than Christmas.”

Fellow program merchant Ryan Goldney said he would not trade his spot at Fenway for anything.

“I love it here,” he said. “I took the day off from work to come.”

Allston resident Brian Coffey brought back his homemade Red Sox signs from last season’s playoffs. The short and simple “I Like Baseball” has been a hit, he said.

However, not everyone in the park caught Red Sox Fever. The widespread excitement was less compelling as in years’ past, some attendees said.

Three-year Fenway Park employee Garrett Moraves said yesterday was one of the calmest opening days he had seen.

“It might be due to the game being moved up an hour earlier, but it’s still surprising,” he said.

The Red Sox won the World Series in October but fan riots were not as large and raucous as previous celebrations in 2004, he said.

With the Fenway crowds came a swarm of businesses looking to reach out to the sporting-types.

Boston Sports Clubs held a “Box a Yankee fan” promotion to capitalize on the age-old Boston-New York rivalry. Personal trainer James Bailey stood dressed in a Yankees uniform with boxing mitts ready to receive a pummeling from obliging Red Sox fans.

“It’s opening day at Fenway, and we’re in Boston,” BSC representative Meg Hughes said. “We had to be here.”