My daughter’s boyfriend 1-T is at Fenway on this beautiful New England spring evening and sends along this photo of the park:
A perfect sky over Fenway Park. Photo: 1-T.
Click for a larger image. The Red Sox lead the Orioles 1-0 after four innings.
My daughter Melinda and her friend Scot (with one T) are out at Fenway tonight to see Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Before the movie started, attendees got to visit the dugout:
Melinda and Scot in the Fenway dugout.
They also got to walk on the outfield warning track:
Melinda standing in centerfield at Fenway Park.
I like that the Red Sox find other uses for Fenway to make a little money. Someone has to pay the Price.
🙂
The Red Sox started the festivities celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park with a parade of players. Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, Bill Buckner, Jim Longborg, Jerry Remy, Rico Petrocelli, and Carlton Fisk started things off. Then for the next 25 minutes, as many living Red Sox players as they team could muster streamed onto the field. Every once in a while a break would appear, and a former star would make his way out. Pedro Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra, Kevin Millar, Pumpsie Green, Terry Francona and Carl Yastrzemski all receivEd Huge ovations. Bruce Hurst and Oil Can Boyd made an appearance, but not Roger Clemens. As the players marched to their defensive positions, left field was sparse, as expected. Jose Canseco was there, but not Manny Ramirez. All in all, it was very well done. The players marched out to classical music, with only the score board announcing their names. A very classy ceremony.
In a perfect throwback to 1912, the uniforms are unadorned by numbers.
Update: The Red Sox put a bottle of bubbly grapefruit juice on all the seats. Pedro Martinez and Kevin Millar are leading a toast, which should set the world record for biggest toast!
The Yankees and Red Sox celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of Fenway Park Friday afternoon, the start scheduled for 3:15. These two teams met 100 years ago today, the Yankees known as the Highlanders at the time. Here’s an article about the first game, including the box score from the Boston Globe.
Fenway Park at the start of the 2012 season. Photo: © Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE
The day was ideal. The bright sun brought out the bright colors of the flags and bunting that decorated the big grandstand, and gave the new uniforms of the players a natty look. Before the game started, the crowd broke into the outfield and remained behind the ropes, forcing the teams to make ground rules, all hits going for two bases.
This ruling was a big disadvantage to the home team, for the Highland laddies never hit for more than a single, while three of Boston’s hits went into the crowd, whereas with a clear field they would have gone for three-base drives and possibly home runs, and would have landed the home team a winner before the ninth inning.
The game went into extra innings, with one of the all time great centerfielders, Tris Speaker recording the game winning hit. The seasons pretty much went that way for the two teams, Boston winning 105 games and taking the pennant by 14 games, while New York won just 50, finishing last. Given the close score and the appearance of Hal Chase in the New York lineup, I wonder if New York threw the game. The Highlanders that year projected to a .358 winning percentage based on their runs scored and allowed, but only posted a .328 winning percentage. Hal collected two hits and two RBI in the game, but he was a subtle cheater.
It’s impressive that a stadium lasts this long. It was not until 1903 that the use of reinforced concrete was applied to building stadiums, and that first structure still stands up stream from Fenway. Most, however, wear out physically or practically and give way to more modern structures. I was born in 1960, and most of the stadiums built in my lifetime were replaced in the last 20 years.
Red Sox ownership worked over the years to prevent the ballpark from deterioration. When I started attending games regularly in 1984, the bleachers were separated from the rest of the stadium. The concessions choices where hot dogs and pizza. There was a dankness below the stands, which made coming into the light and seeing the green grass of the park all the more enjoyable.
The Red Sox added a premium seating area and a new press box in the late 1980s. Eventually, they replaced the bones of the building with new steel supports. Under new ownership in the last decade, they expanded seating with the Green Monster seats and the Beer Garden on the roof in rightfield. The entire park is now open to everyone. There is a picnic area that occupies the space of an old industrial laundry, with a wide selection of food. Bars and clubs surround the area, and they now close Yawkey Way before the game and turn it into a party zone. All in all, the park offers a much better experience for the fans.
On the other hand, there are still obstructed view seats due to support posts. Even the old Yankee Stadium managed to banish those when they remodeled in the 1970s. Seats often point away from the action, and many were built for the smaller stature of the population in 1912. The average height of men born in 1890 was 66.6 inches. In 1970, it was 69.8. The players also suffer, as Fenway does not provide the amenities of the newer ballparks.
Today’s game pits Ivan Nova against Clay Buchholz. Nova is the star of the Yankees rotation so far, walking two and striking out 15 in 13 innings pitched. He also allowed three home runs, which is a big reason for his 4.15 ERA. Clay’s walks and strikeouts are close to parity, five BB and seven K in eleven innings. His history at Fenway is very good, however. These are two of the highest scoring teams in the American League, so don’t be surprised to see a slugfest. I don’t think Mark Teixeira will do a Hal Chase and throw the game. 🙂
Enjoy!
The Green Monster takes Manhattan. He’s no Kermit the Frog.
With the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park coming up on Friday, Brian Evans is promoting his new song, At Fenway. Have a listen:
There’s even a commercial with Jim Rice.
Luke Scott called Fenway Park a dump:
Designated hitter Luke Scott has a different opinion, saying, “As a baseball player, going there to work, it’s a dump.”
Luke, of course, is referring to the parts of the park the fans never see. The Red Sox organization made the visible areas of Fenway less of a dump, but there are none of the modern amenities that newer parks provide in terms of training. There’s just no room. This is why, sooner or later, the Red Sox will build a new facility. Part of building a team is selecting the right players, but the team also needs to keep those players in good shape. I bet Red Sox players love going on the road to the newer parks, and get a bit jealous of the facilities. At some point, the park could become a detriment to bringing in free agents, as they may want to play with more modern training facilities.
I also want to point out a mistake in the first paragraph of the article:
Friday afternoon’s game against the Red Sox will be Boston’s home opener, kicking off the 100th season of Major League baseball at Fenway Park.
Miscounting years is a pet peeve of mine. We count birthdays and anniversaries by completed years. So, when you turned five years old, it meant that you had lived five full years, and were going into your sixth trip around the sun. Fenway completed 100 years in use, so this is the start of the 101th season.
(This is the reason that people are confused about when decades and centuries start and end. The old designation of A.D. meant year of our lord, “year of” the operative phrase. In other words, we are in the 2012th year of what is now known as the common era. So Jan. 1, 2013 will be the 2012th anniversary of the start of the common era, and the start of the 2013th year.)
Hat tip BBTF.
Terry Francona won’t attend ceremonies celebrating the 100th birthday of Fenway Park.
“He has an exalted place in our history and we were hoping it would be convenient and comfortable for him to come back,” team president Larry Lucchino said.
Francona will be at Fenway on April 22 as part of his duties as an ESPN analyst. But he declined to be around 2 days before.
“I just don’t feel comfortable coming back because of what happened,” Francona said, “and that’s a shame because I do feel awfully strong ties to so many people there.”
It would be nice if the fans started chanting, “Tito, Tito,” at some point during the ceremony. Maybe when John Henry or Lucchino speaks.
My good friend and Harvard classmate Constance Martin made it to Fenway for a special event today:
On April 9th, 1912, Harvard and the Red Sox played the first ever game at Fenway Park. This coming Monday, Harvard and Fenway Park will commemorate the 100th anniversary of this historic event — please join us for an afternoon of batting practice and memories as the Harvard Baseball team takes the field at Fenway for a short practice.
Here are some photos:
The billboard says it all as the Harvard logo appears. Photo: Constance Martin
The team wore throwback uniforms:
Harvard players in classic uniforms. Photo: Constance Martin
Of course, the team poses in front of the Green Monster:
The Harvard Baseball team poses for a team photo as part of the 100th anniversary of the first game at Fenway. Photo: Constance Martin.
Update: That’s Mike Stenhouse wearing #12 in the second picture, Harvard ’80.
I just received Remembering Fenway Park, by Harvey Frommer, in the mail. The book brings the history of Fenway park to life in pictures and interviews. Frommer collected recollections of players, fans, broadcasters, Fenway staff, and pretty much anyone who had anything to do with the park. The combination results in a beautiful coffee table book that any Red Sox would be proud to display.
The narrative is divided by decade, covering the nearly 100 years of the park’s existence. The first chapters are mostly narrative. As more voices become available, the narrative gives way to the remembrances of the people who lived and breathed Fenway and the Red Sox.
There are so many great photos, including the construction of the park, Babe Ruth batting there with the Yankees, famous home runs, catches and moments. The one thing that struck me was that despite all the alterations, the park basically looks the same today as it did 70 years ago. My favorite photo, however, is a two-page spread on pages 70-71 of Ted Williams pitching. I knew the Splendid Splinter pitched in the majors, but I had never seen a photo of him on the mound. His finish makes it look like he threw underhand.
If you love Fenway Park, you’ll love this book.
The Red Sox are thinking of making the bullpens bigger, meaning pulling in the rightfield fences. I don’t think John Lackey and Josh Beckett are going to appreciate that.