Fields Of Dreams: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachussetts
Think of all the history this house has seen. Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Carlton Fisk willing his shot to remain fair, the ball rolling through Bill Buckner’s legs, the curse of the Bambino in addition to the 86 yr World Series drought, Carl Yastrzemski, Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling’s bloody sock, in addition to finally…two footing championships inward the 2000’s.
The electrical flow lineup includes such names equally David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jacob Ellsbury, in addition to Mike Napoli. The squad but couldn't business office nether managing director Bobby Valentine lastly yr in addition to thus novel skipper, John Farrell is guiding the squad inward 2013. Maybe there's something at that topographic point because, equally of this writing, they're tied for outset house amongst their biggest rival, the Yankees. The squad also has the tape for the nigh consecutive sell outs, non a difficult feat amongst such a small-scale stadium in addition to a powerhouse team.
Here are the stats:
Year opened: 1912
Surface: Grass
Construction cost: $650,000
Capacity: 37,402 for nighttime games, 36,974 for solar daytime games
Field dimensions: Left land – 310 ft.; left pump – 379 ft.; Center land – 389 ft.; correct pump – 420 ft.; Right land – 302 ft.
Home team: Red Sox (American League-MLB) 1912 - present
Fenway is quirky. It’s old. It looks in addition to feels old. The outset fourth dimension I stepped human foot into the park, I saw the rust, the grime, the pallets of beer kegs, the trucks…and I take in I was inward the loading dock. Nope, this is the concourse where you’d become to acquire nutrient in addition to beer during the game.
It’s nigh famous characteristic is the giant wall inward left land that is 37 feet tall called the Green Monster. There’s a street on the other side in addition to the wall keeps the stadium into its lot. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 ladder in addition to a garage door are on the outfield wall. Both are inward play in addition to tin brand the ball bounce inward crazy directions. The correct land foul pole is exclusively 302 feet out. Weak hitting bit baseman Johnny Pesky figured out how to claw a ball but correct to acquire some this pole earning it the advert of Pesky’s Pole.
The scoreboard inward left land is manually operated. Not from nostalgia but because it’s but that old.
We convey been to the common 2 times. The outset was on the solar daytime that the hated New York Yankees eliminated the Sox from the playoffs inward 1999. We struck upward a conversation amongst groundskeeper Al Forrester, who was sitting inward a chair outside. When he learned nosotros were from Los Angeles, he asked “do you lot convey a camera?” Yes nosotros did. “Go on in,” he said. We did in addition to wandered some the empty stadium to our heart’s content.
Several years later, nosotros came dorsum in addition to took a formal tour because the games that calendar week were sold out. This time, nosotros got to walk along the alert track, come across within the dugouts in addition to scoreboard, in addition to come across the person gild behind habitation plate.
It’s the nigh fourth dimension we’ve spent within a stadium without seeing a game. With that inward mind, hither are our impressions of the park.
The Other Side of the Green Monster
On game day, it’s festive exterior the common amongst nutrient booths, souvenir shops, restaurants, in addition to bars. If you lot can’t acquire into the game, sentinel it at 1 of the local watering holes across the street. Even on non-game days, at that topographic point is all the same quite a fleck of action inward the expanse some the stadium. It’s a fun house anytime.
The seats are a fleck small. There are newer seats located on overstep of the Green Monster in addition to on overstep of the correct land roof. Wheelchair accessible locations are available throughout the park, although the accessible seats at the overstep of the Green Monster were built amongst huge obstructions. Their website says they’ve been re-designed, I convey non seen them since they were.
Tickets a pretty darn expensive in addition to difficult to come upward yesteryear at the perennially sold out park. Disabled fans tin telephone hollo upward (877) RED-SOX9. Prices run from $22 to good over $300.
I convey no take in how the nutrient hither is but inward add-on to the common fare lobster rolls, Italian sandwiches, pulled pork, in addition to our favorite East Coast treat…fried dough…is available here.
Transit for able-bodied fans is great. The Kenmore Station…the closest 1 to the stadium…is marked equally accessible on the MBTA’s map but on the station listing says “no accessible features.” We had to disembark at some other station a mile away in addition to walk the remaining distance. Also banking corporation complaint that this expanse is served yesteryear the Green Line, Boston’s oldest transit draw of piece of job in addition to the nigh accessibility challenged one. Maybe they’ve added accessibility to the Kenmore station since nosotros were there, but their website is contradictory on it.
Very express parking is available close the stadium.
I’d beloved to come across a game hither someday, but to come across 1 inward the oldest stadium. Be aware that at that topographic point may live accessibility issues when you lot become hither in addition to orbit for them.
-Darryl
Copyright 2010 – Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved
Updated for 2013
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