FENWAY PARK
Boston, Ma
July 7, 2012
New York Yankees Vs Boston Red Sox
"That moment, when you first lay eyes on that field —
The Monster, the triangle, the scoreboard, the light tower Big Mac bashed, the
left-field grass where Ted Williams once roamed
— it all defines to me why baseball is such a magical game."
ESPN Analyst
Jayson Stark
Back in March of 2012, about a month before Ryan had decided to send us on our grand adventure, I was asked by our friend Brian if we were interested in going to a Yankees/Red Sox game at Fenway Park this summer. He has a partial Red Sox plan and proposed a trade of tickets, Yankees in Fenway, for Red Sox in Yankee Stadium. I immediately jumped at the offer because I love seeing baseball in Fenway Park.
In my opinion, three stadiums that are synonymous with the game; Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, and there was no way that I could turn down a Yankees' game there for Ryan's first M.L.B. game. Notice I said first M.L.B. game, not first game. That is because I am sure I have have the only kid who has seen more events in one the most famous ballparks in the country, without ever having seen a pro baseball game. There have been walking tours, a Cape Cod League All Star Game and a college hockey game (BU Vs BC), but never a Major League Baseball game. It was time to change that, so we took Brian up on his offer and, lo and behold, it fit perfectly into our tour. June 30th at Yankee Stadium and a week later, Yankees Vs Red Sox, at Fenway.
Now, this game had the potential to go either way. It could be a wonderful experience, or a nightmare of epic proportions, depending on the outcome. I had decided we would go to as few Yankees' games as possible during our journey, because I wanted this odyssey to be about the baseball stadiums and the experiences in each city. I did not want us worrying about the outcome of each individual game. You see, anyone that knows us, knows that we love the Yankees. I don't mean I "follow" them, or I watch them or that we enjoy them. We live and breathe Yankees' baseball. The boys and I watch every game, we listen on the radio when we can't be in front of the TV and we go to the games. Hell, we build weekends around the Yankees, as well as their minor league affiliates. In short, we love the Yankees. That being said, we could never turn down the opportunity to see the Yankees and Red Sox duke it out at, possibly, the most storied ballpark in the country. So, of course, we were excited.
Fenway Park
After the 1911 season, the Red Sox left The Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds, which was located on the present day site of Northeastern University's Cabot Center, for their new home in the Fenway section of Boston. Sox owner, John I. Taylor, had purchased the land in order to develop it for a new home for his baseball team. Construction started on September 25, 1911 and Opening Day was April 20, 1912, when the Red Sox defeated the New York Highlanders (who later changed their name to Yankees), 7-6, in eleven innings. Unfortunately, the event was overshadowed by the sinking of the Titanic, which occurred less than a week earlier. The Red Sox would win the World Series in Fenway's inaugural season, beating the NY Giants four games to three, as well as three more times in the next six years (1915, 1916 and 1918), before altering the course of baseball history by selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1920. Ironically, as part of the sale agreement the mortgage to Fenway Park was used as collateral in the deal between the two teams. So, in theory, the Yankees "owned" Fenway for a brief time, until Sox owner Harry Frazee repaid the loan the Yankees had granted him in the deal.
In 1939, Thomas Yawkey purchased the Red Sox, and Fenway Park, as a 30th birthday present to himself. The Sox had become horrible in the years since Ruth's sale to the Yankees and Fenway had fallen into disrepair, Yawkey set about to reverse the fortunes of each. Some of the changes made were; replacing the wooden bleachers in center field with concrete ones, repairing the seats in left field that had been destroyed by fire in 1926, leveling off the left field area known as "Duffy's Cliff" and making adjustments to the left field wall.
"Duffy's Cliff" was a ten foot high incline in left field, which extended from the foul pole to the center field flag pole. This incline was built to provide support for the left field wall and compensate for the difference in the grades between the playing field and Lansdowne Street, on the other side. The name was derived from the Sox star left fielder, Duffy Lewis, who played the incline so well, the local fans named it after him.
"The Wall", as it was known in the early years, was twenty-five feet high and located in left field, serving two purposes; it allowed spectators to sit against just beyond the ropes, out of the field of play, during the "Dead Ball Era" and it kept balls from leaving Fenway and breaking shop windows, across the street, in later years. When Mr Yawkey took control of the team, he found that people were standing on neighboring rooftops to watch the games instead of buying a ticket, so he built the wall up to thirty-seven feet high and covered it with tin and concrete while adding a manual scoreboard. In 1937, it was painted green and thus became "The Green Monster". Today, there are seats atop "The Monster", which are some of the most coveted in baseball.
Over the years, there have been modifications to Fenway, such as; bullpens being put in right field which brought the fences in about twenty-three feet, accommodating the power of left handed pull hitter Ted Williams, sky view seats were installed in 1946, lights in 1947, private suites, on the roof, in 1983, the glass enclosed area behind home plate (The 600 Club/406 Club/EMC Club) in 1988, to name a few.
Starting Lineup
Jim Kulhawy
Ryan Kulhawy
Brian O'Connor
Michael Kessler
Jennifer Lavallee
Emily Weiner
Heather Ward Cunningham
Tim Booth
Joseph Laurento Thomas
Pam Pritchard
It had only been a week, but Ryan was dying to get up to Boston and I wasn't far behind. The excitement of Game 1, had been replaced by going to our favorite city and seeing a Yankees Vs Red Sox game at Fenway. One of my oldest friends, and Ryan's "uncle", Michael would be joining us for the ride up. The three of us had been graciously offered a place to stay by Jen, who lives 15 minutes outside of Boston and thanks to the generosity of Heather and Tim, who had an extra two tickets to the game, they too would be going to Fenway with us. Things only got better when Joe and Pam announced that they would be driving down from Maine and also had tickets to the game. We would also be joined by my wife Nicole's friend Emily, on the spur of the moment.
"C'mon, guys. You're too slow", Ryan called to us, while running from his camp to the car.
"We're too slow?", I asked him. "It was you that had to go on this camp field trip" I reminded him.
"Yeah, but Uncle" Mike had to work, so it's his fault", he yelled back.
I laughed and shook my head, while Michael chuckled.
"You believe him?", I asked.
"He's your son", was the response I got.
The ride up is always a fun one as long as there is no traffic, and at 5 P.M. there wasn't. We sailed through and pulled into Jen's in just over 3 hours and 15 minutes. After unpacking and relaxing around the TV with some pizza and drinks, it was time to call it a day, because we were going to Cape Cod, for a day at the beach, and a Cape League baseball game early the next morning.
Friday: The Beach, A Ballgame and a Seafood Adventure
Friday came way too early for my liking. I had gone to bed with the intention of getting eight hours of sleep, but "Uncle" Mike's killer snoring nixed that idea. I swear, the man sounds like a chain saw at full bore, the minute his head hits the pillow. Thankfully, Ryan could sleep through a train wreck and it didn't faze him one bit. I, on the other hand, can not and by 7:30 when Ry popped out of bed I was a mess, which no amount of coffee was going to fix.
"Morning Daddy", Ryan said cheerily and full of energy.
"Argh, grr, frump, blah", I muttered.
"Oooooh, kaaaaay", he responded.
"Uncle Mike was snoring again, I guess. I think I'll get ready for the beach."
"Good idea", I said. Barely understandable, I'm sure.
After not enough coffee and some homemade chocolate pancakes we had the car packed and were on our way to meet Brian and head off to the beach.
Cape Cod is located in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts and has the shape of an arm, in the bent position. Brian took us to a beautiful beach in Wellfleet, which is about halfway up the arm, between "the elbow" and the "wrist" of the cape. The beach wasn't very crowded and we spent about four and a half hours relaxing, discussing the weekend and chasing Ryan through the surf. By 3:30, it was time to head out, clean up and get ready to go to the ballgame in Brewster.
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| Mike, me, Ry, Jen, Brian |
"I don't wanna go", Ryan complained when I told him it was time to get out of the water.
"Do you want to go to the ballgame?", I asked.
"Yeah, but I want to swim some more"
"You've been swimming all day, baseball time", I said.
"C'mon Ry, baseball and seafood", Brian said, trying to coax him.
"SEAFOOD? When? Where?", he asked while running out of the water.
"After the game", I said. "Brian will find us a place."
After cleaning up, it was time for some baseball.
The Cape Cod Baseball League is the preeminent collegiate league in the United States. It is divided into two divisions (East and West) and each having five teams. The regular season starts in mid June and runs through August, when the winners of each division meet in a three game championship series. The league is also notable for the fact that the players use wooden bats, as opposed to the metal ones used by the NCAA, so it's more like the majors than college. The level of play, because of the calibre of players, is likened to High A and many notable future M.L.B. All Stars, such as: Thurman Munson, Mark Teixeira, Barry Zito, Lance Berkman, Tim Lincecum , Nomar Garciapara, Evan Longoria and many others, have come out of the Cape League, so it's always a good idea to grab a scorecard and save it for future reference.
Tonight's game was between the Brewster Whitecaps and the Falmouth Commodores, at Brewster's Stoney Brook School field. There is no admission charge to Cape League games, but the teams do ask for a small donation to help defray the costs of the operation. After giving our donation, we walked into the compound and went right to the souvenir stand to get a yearbook. I started to talk to the gentleman about where we were from, what we were doing and how we came to be here and he was so taken with our story, and Ryan in general, that he handed over two yearbooks and wouldn't take a penny for them. It wouldn't be the first time we were on the receiving end of a nice gesture during the weekend.
There are no official seats at Cape League games. There are bleachers along each foul line, or you can spread out chairs and blankets, or stand, wherever you can find a good view. We went down the left field line, spread out the blanket and sat down to watch. Ryan went out behind the center field fence in hopes of catching a home run.
Falmouth scored two in the first to take a quick lead, but Brewster homered to cut the lead to 2-1. Ryan actually almost caught the home run, but another boy got to it just before he could.
"I almost had it", he complained, after coming back looking for sympathy.
"You never know when another will be coming your way", I told him. "Head back over there."
As he went back to his spot, we heard a loud "CRACK" and turned around to see a foul ball land just beyond us, in the bushes. Ryan went running over and stopped.
"Would you please get that for me", he asked.
"Why me?", I wanted to know.
"I don't want to get poison ivy if there is any in there", he told me.
"But, it's OK for me to?", I asked, incredulously.
"You've had it before, you can handle it. I'd make everyone miserable if I got it", he responded.
I just shook my head as I heard Mike, Brian and Jen snicker behind me.
"Suuuuucker", I heard Jen say, as I made my way into the brush.
After coming out with his ball, he thanked me and retreated back to his position beyond the center field fence in hopes of catching a fair home run.
"Not a word", I said to the others.
The Commodores scored 2 more in the sixth and another later on, while Brewster made things interesting by bringing the winning run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but the rally died on a pop out to right and Falmouth escaped with a 6-4 win.
After the game, we asked if we could take pictures on the mound and the Brewster coach said we could. After spending a few minutes, once again explaining our tour, the gentleman told us to all get on the mound where he took a few pictures, talked a little more and told us to have a great time on our journey. As I turned to thank him, I caught a glimpse of Ryan, running off the field.
"What's the hurry", I called to him.
"IT'S TIME FOR SEAFOOD", was all he said as he sprinted to the car ahead of us.
After a quick drive up the road, Brian found a place named Kream n Kone, in West Dennis, where Ryan could get his seafood. After placing the order, (lobster rolls, chowder, swordfish and fried calamari), the unthinkable happened.
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| Lobster roll, chowder and calamari |
"Whatsa matter, buddy?", I asked.
"My stomach is bothering me. I don't think I can eat."
"Let's just relax for a bit, maybe you'll feel better", I reassured him.
It didn't work, after about ten minutes he was visibly upset and inconsolable.
"I'm sorry you spent the money. I can't eat", he said amidst sniffles.
"I don't care about the money, Ry", I told him. "I just want you to feel better"
"He probably ate too much junk, at the beach", Mike offered.
"What do you think will make you feel better, Ryan?", Jen asked.
"How about a milkshake", I asked.
"Yes, please."
With that the seafood dinner went by the wayside. Ryan got a shake, climbed into the back of the car and promptly fell asleep on the way back into the city.
After dropping Brian off and thanking him for a great day, the four of us drove back to Jen's while flipping the Yankees/Red Sox game on and off the radio. By the time we got home, everyone was whipped. Ryan took a quick shower and we headed off to bed...FAR away from "Uncle" Mike and his chainsaw like snoring.
Saturday: Game Day
Saturday morning, Ryan and I woke early. Jen was going to drive us into the city, where we were going to take the Fenway Park 100th Anniversary Tour. Normally, tours of the park are given until three hours before game time and today was no exception, but there was one caveat; the first game today was starting at noon. Therefore, the only tour would begin at 9 AM and we had to purchase tickets at the park beforehand.
Jen drove us to North Station and dropped us at the "T" (subway) station. Apparently, after being on the move early yesterday, she and Mike were content to lounge around waiting for us to return, so we were on our own, which was OK with us. We took the "T" to Kenmore Square, got out, grabbed a cup of coffee, a bacon/egg and cheese on a bagel and walked the two blocks to Fenway Park.
As we rounded the corner to Yawkey Way, I was horrified to see that the line for the tour extended three blocks past the ticket office. Considering there was only one tour today and I really didn't want to have to come back on Sunday, we got on line and hoped for the best. After thirty minutes of waiting, talking to others in line and moving slowly forward, we were about six people from the window when, like in an old time movie, it slammed shut and a sign said "SOLD OUT". I was crestfallen, Ryan was upset and dejected.
"Does this mean we're not getting in?", he asked.
"Not yet it doesn't, I'm not ready to give up", I told him, as we walked towards the head security guard.
After explaining our situation, he directed us to the team store, further up the street and told us to ask them if there was anything that could be done. So, we walked up, retold our story to a young lady and were told she had to talk to her manager.
After a few minutes, he came over and we reexplained everything to him.
"Sir, we are traveling the country to see every M.L.B. stadium and are leaving Boston tomorrow morning. Is there any way you can get us in for this tour?", I implored.
"How many are you?", he asked.
"Just the two of us, my son and me", I told him.
He looked us over, reached into a drawer and pulled out two wristbands.
"Thank, you, thank you, thank you", Ryan said.
"Can I leave you my wallet, so I can pay when the tour is over, it's starting now and we don't want to miss anything", I asked incredulously.
"I can only accept payment for a ticket and there are no more tickets to print. Enjoy your trip and enjoy your tour, this one's on the Boston Red Sox", I was told.
"Thank you very much", I managed to reply in disbelief.
So, across the street, into Fenway we went, thanks to the generosity of a stranger.
The Tour
The tour begins outside the Ticket Office, on Yawkey Way, and you are given an overview of the Red Sox, the history of Fenway Park and introduced the the outer structure of the ballpark, before being ushered inside the park itself. The tour guides ask a myriad of baseball questions to keep the audience engaged and see who knows their stuff.
"Before Fenway Park opened, the Red Sox played at The Huntington Avenue Grounds", our guide, Allison, began. "Today, that site is the home of Northeastern University, but the spot where the pitchers mound once stood is marked by a statue of a famous Red Sox player. Can anyone name him?" she asked.
"Pedro Martinez", once man said.
"Roger Clemens", another offered.
"Ted Williams", a third guessed.
This was apparently more than my eleven year old baseball loving son could take.
"Really, that's their guess?", he whispered to me, while rolling his eyes.
"If you know the answer, say it", I told him.
"Cy Young", he called out.
"That young man knows his Red Sox", the tour guide told the crowd.
"They're not MY Red Sox, I'm a Yankees' fan", he told her, laughing.
She smiled and moved the group inside.
Once inside another guide gave us a history of the Red Sox team since their inception, which takes about ten minutes. After, you are encouraged to walk around, take pictures of the all the memorabilia that is on site. they have a peanut/popcorn cart from 1915 that has been refurbished, refurbished ticket booths from the "important" years in latter day Sox history (2007, 2004, 1986, 1975 and 1967), a bullpen golf cart from the 1970's, which the pitchers used to be driven to the mound from the bullpens in and a myriad of other long time Fenway/ed Sox artifacts.
The next phase of the tour took us to the Grandstand section, which are all original seats (the oldest in baseball) and are definitely from another era.
"People way back when, obviously had smaller butts", Ryan said as he squeezed into one.
"Shhhhh", I said. "Don't be rude"
"Look, I barely fit in this seat. I hope the ones Brian got us are more comfortable."
"Look, I barely fit in this seat. I hope the ones Brian got us are more comfortable."
"We'll be fine", I assured him as we walked to the next section, which over looked right field.
From our vantage point in right field, we got a good look at the Green Monster. Allison gave us the history of "Duffy's Cliff" and The Green Monster and explained that Fenway had the oldest manually operated scoreboard in baseball inside the wall , in which the operator had to hunch over all game long, to make sure the games in progress were correctly updated.
"Well, there's no bathroom in there. So, he couldn't have done that, could he?", our guide said smiling.
"You don't need a bathroom to go. In fact, when I'm out in the woods, with the scouts...."
I quickly clamped a hand over his mouth as the others in the tour tried to suppress a laugh and the guide looked thankfully at me for halting the response in mid sentence.
"Let's move on", she said, smiling.
From there we were led to the back of the press box area and told to look for a single red seat, out in the right field bleachers, and the left field foul pole.
"Does anyone know why that seat is painted red?", she asked the group.
I did, but I felt Ryan had spoken enough for the two of us so far, so I kept my mouth shut.
"Well", she began. "That seat signifies the longest home run hit in Fenway park. It was hit by Ted Williams in 1946 and traveled 502 feet. The ball struck a gentleman, Joseph Boucher, in the head as he sat in that seat. In fact, Mr. Boucher didn't even get the ball as it bounced off him and landed about ten rows father up.
Now...", she continued, "...can anyone tell me what the name of that foul pole is?"
Now...", she continued, "...can anyone tell me what the name of that foul pole is?"
"That's the Pesky Pole", a man to my left said. "It got it's name because Johnny Pesky, who played shortstop for the Sox, hit a few home runs around that pole, but never actually hit it."
"Yes", said Allison. "That pole is 302 feet from home plate and is the shortest distance to a foul pole in baseball. Let's move on to The Monster"
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| On The Monster |
As we sat in The Monster Seats, Allsion asked another question.
"Can anyone tell me why this left field foul pole is so famous?"
"That's the pole Carlton Fisk hit his home run off, to win a game in the 1975 World Series", a young lady in a Tigers' cap said.
"Correct", the tour guide replied. "That's the most famous home run in Fenway Park history."
"Does that make Bucky Dent's home run the second most famous", you know who asked.
"We don't talk about him, here at Fenway", Allsion said with a laugh. "C'mon, one last stop, the Red Sox Hall of fame"
The Sox Hall of Fame is located inside Fenway, on the left field side of the park. To be considered for entry, players must have played at least three years with the Red Sox and must also have been out of uniform as an active player at least three years. Some of the players who have been enshrined, with plaques, are Cy Young, Ted Williams, Wade Boggs, Dom DiMaggio, Carlton Fisk, Bill Lee, Jimmy Piersall, Jim Rice, Babe Ruth and a host of others.
"Who are some of your favorites that you see here?", our guide asked.
Of course one voice rang through the crowd.
"Bob Stanley"
"Bob Stanley?", our leader asked. "Why"
"He was the guy that threw the wild pitch, that allowed the Mets to score and eventually win the game in the 1986 World Series. Without him, the Mets never could have won and keep "The Curse" alive", he happily told her.
"I think it's time we go", I said to him, suppressing a laugh.
"You've got quite the little baseball boy there", Allison as the three of us walked out together. "Thanks for making it an interesting tour"
I couldn't tell if she was serious, or joking, but her smile told me she was being friendly. I thanked her and we made our way to the exit.
Pre-Game
After getting back to Jen's, I got a call from my wife's, good friend Emily. Now, Emily is a die hard Yankees' fan who happens to live and work in Boston. She grew up in Northern New Jersey, went to college in the Boston area and never came home. But, just because she lives up there doesn't mean she gave up on her Yankees. In fact, she may be the female version of me when it comes to rooting for the Yanks and even has a Yankees' ticket package and comes "home" all the time to catch the games. She had read this blog, through Nicole, and decided she wanted to join us for some pre game celebrations. When she called, I told her to go to Stub Hub, grab a cheap ticket and meet us in the city as soon as she could. She did and said she'd meet us a little later on.
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| Tim and Heather |
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| Emily and I |
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| Joe and Pam |
Yawkey Way
As I have said previously, Yawkey Way is located directly outside Fenway's Gate A and runs all the way down to Van Ness Street. However, it is closed down three hours before game time and becomes an extension of Fenway itself. You must have your ticket scanned, as if entering the park, to get on Yawkey Way and once inside you can not leave and come back in. You can, however, go in and out of the ballpark onto Yawkey Way all night long.
Unfortunately, once on Yawkey Way, we all became separated. Emily, Ryan and I ended up together, while Tim, Heather, Jen and Mike were another group and Joe and Pam became a third. I truly wish that didn't happen, but we all had a blast in the pre game atmosphere. There was a live band, a Red Sox fan on stilts and a gentleman making balloon sculptures. Of course, Ryan had to have one, so the artist made him a giant balloon Yankees' hat that he proudly wore inside the ballpark, much to our amusement.
The Game
Once inside, the three of us made our way to our seats. Amazingly, Brian's were about 12 to fifteen rows off the field, right behind the Red Sox dugout. The looks that the three of us got, completely dressed in Yankees' gear, as we made our way close to the field was priceless. We decided that we were going to try and squeeze the three of us into two seats for as long as we could, which lasted about 10 minutes. As I mentioned earlier, there is not a lot of room for one person in a Fenway Park seat, let alone an adult and an eleven year old who is antsy for the game to start.
"How much longer". he asked.
"Not much, they're doing introductions", I said.
"We need to score early and give Hughes a cushion", Ryan said.
"We'll be fine", I responded.
At that point, Emily decided it was a bit crowded in these seats and made her way up to the grandstand, directly behind us, on the concourse.
As we turned around to tell her we'd meet up soon, the national anthem began. It was time to play ball.
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| First pitch |
Boston got one back in the third, when Gonzalez doubled, Ciriaco bunted for a hit and Nava's double play brought a run in.
"No worries", I told Ry. "Hughes is pitching well and we'll get a few more to pad the lead.
"No worries", I told Ry. "Hughes is pitching well and we'll get a few more to pad the lead.
"We're fine, but I'm hungry", Ryan said.
"Already? OK, after the Yankees bat in the fifth inning, we'll call Emmy and get a couple of Fenway Franks", I said.
"Sounds good to me", was the bottomless pit's response.
After the half inning, we called Emily and told her to meet us at the concessions behind our seats.
"OK", I said to Ryan, "What do you want?"
The answer I got made me so proud:
"I want them to stop looking to me for answers, begging me to speak again, write again, be a leader. I want them to start thinking for themselves. I want my privacy", he said, quoting my favorite baseball movie, "Field of Dreams"
"I want them to stop looking to me for answers, begging me to speak again, write again, be a leader. I want them to start thinking for themselves. I want my privacy", he said, quoting my favorite baseball movie, "Field of Dreams"
"No, what do you want?", I said emulating Kevin Costner and pointing to the concessions stand.
"Oh. Dog and a beer", was his perfectly delivered line.
"You know that little boy can't have a beer, right?", the lady said in shock.
We just laughed, ordered the dogs, beer and soda and waited for Emily.
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| "...Dog and a beer..." |
As we were savoring our dogs, we heard the roar of the crowd. Now, since we were in Boston, that could not mean good news for the Yankees and it wasn't. After the opening batter popped out to first, Ciriaco, there's that damn name again, singled, Nava reached when Darnell McDonald ran into Curtis Granderson and the ball dropped in. Punto then hit a sac fly, which would have been the third out of the inning if not for McDonald's bonehead move, which brought in a second run.
"Damn", I yelled.
"Damn", I yelled.
"It's OK", Ryan said, "we're still up by one. No worries"
I had a bad feeling, despite the kid's optimism.
My bad feeling panned out, as soon as the next inning. A Jeter error allowed for two runs, on a Gomez double and another run came in on Ciriaco's (arrrgh, I hate that guy) single which gave the Sox the lead, 5-3, but the worst was yet to come.
In the top of the seventh Andruw Jones homered to pull the Yankees back to within one, but the bottom of the inning was when the roof fell in on us. It started with a Gonzalez double, a Sweeney triple, a Gomez double, a Ciriaco (there's that name again, ugh) double, Ciriaco stole third and came in on a Russel Martin throwing error to make the score 9-4 before the inning, mercifully, came to an end.
By this time we were cranky, unhappy and crabby. Even Emily, who came down to see if we had spontaneously combusted yet, couldn't make me smile. Neither could Jen, who sent a text asking if we were enjoying the game now. Thankfully, a Fenway tradition happened to come along at just the right time. The opening chords to "Sweet Caroline" started and Ryan and I sang, danced and swayed back and forth with everyone in our section to the music.
In the ninth, the Yankees made some noise when Eric Chavez hit one out to make it 9-5, but that was as close as they got and the game ended in a loss. To add insult to injury, a drunken Red Sox fan decided it would be OK to give Ryan crap. Apparently, he didn't know who he was dealing with.
"Hey, little man, this should make you think twice about coming up here dressed like that.", he slurred.
"Not really. Maybe I'll do it all again tomorrow", Ryan shot back.
"How do you like losing?", the drunk asked.
"How do you like last place?", Ryan wanted to know.
"Is that how your kid talks to people?", he questioned me.
"Only when they start in on him first", I responded, putting Ryan behind me.
At that point, the drunk's friend came over, apologized for his buddy's behavior and told us that he enjoyed watching us, watch the game. We talked for a moment, while another friend ushered the drunk out, and the gentleman told us that he hoped we had a good Fenway experience, despite the final score and his friend. I assured him we did, we shook hands and went our separate ways.
"Let's get going", I said.
"Uno's, for dessert. I'm hungry", was Ryan's response.
"Of course you are. Let's go."
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Red Sox 9, Yankees 5
Doubront (W) 9-4
Hughes (L) 9-7
Post Game
We met up with everyone at Uno's, had some food and drink, said goodnight to Emily and Brian (who came back just in time for dessert) and took off for the "T" ride home. Before leaving, however, Emily and I, with Nicole's blessing decided that we were going to become "baseball husband and wife" for the rest of the tour. She and Nik figured why not, they're good friends, she loves baseball and the Yankees and Nik refuses to go to any Yankees' games with me, because she says I'm too intense. Nicole loved the idea, as it meant she would get to see her friend more and have someone to sit between us during Yankees' games.
The only downside of the ride home was that we got stuck for an hour, waiting for a train to take us to our home station. Everyone was exhausted...except for Ryan, who was bouncing off walls thanks to the late night dessert. At midnight, we realized that it was now Heather's birthday. So, we serenaded her with a chorus of "Happy Birthday To You" in the train station while other people looked on and laughed. Finally, we got back to Jen's where the four of us crashed, again as far away from "Uncle" Mike's snoring as possible. I don't remember ever falling asleep so fast.
Sunday Wrap Up
Sunday came waaaay too fast. We couldn't figure figure out where our whole weekend went, it seemed like it was just Thursday and we were pulling into Jen's apartment. I got up, showered, packed, took the stuff to the car and waited for Ryan and Mike to awaken. I sat around for a bit with Jen, thanking her for her hospitality and for a great weekend. It was so nice to be able to stay in a home, as opposed to a hotel, she really made it feel like our home and I'll never be able to repay her for that. She treated Ryan as if he were her own and I know that whenever she is around, good times will follow. After Mike and Ryan got up and cleaned up, it was time to get going. However, there were more baseball stops we had to make before heading home.
First, we had to head back to Fenway, there were two statues that I needed to get pictures with. The first is "The Teammates" statue, which stands at the corner of Ipswich and Van Ness streets, by Gate B, which is a memorial to the friendship of Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doer and Johnny Pesky. Cast all in bronze, this work is a homage to the friendship forged over the years of these iconic Red Sox players. It's inspiration comes from the book of the same name, written by David Halberstam about the final trip made by the three, to see the dying Ted Williams one last time. It's a must read, and visit, for any true fan of the game and will bring a tear to your eyes before you are through.
The second statue, is a replica of Ted Williams placing his Red Sox cap on a little boy who is battling cancer. Williams always held a special place in his heart for children and his charity of choice was always The Jimmy Fund, which works tirelessly for children's cancer research.Williams made a tradition of visiting children at the Jimmy Fund Clinic of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In fact, in 1946, after the Red Sox clinched the pennant from Cleveland, Williams was criticized for failing to show at the team celebration, when in fact he was off visiting a sick child in the hospital instead. After taking our pictures at Fenway, we hopped back in the car and headed back down Commonwealth Avenue, in search of the lost ballpark of Boston.
The second statue, is a replica of Ted Williams placing his Red Sox cap on a little boy who is battling cancer. Williams always held a special place in his heart for children and his charity of choice was always The Jimmy Fund, which works tirelessly for children's cancer research.Williams made a tradition of visiting children at the Jimmy Fund Clinic of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In fact, in 1946, after the Red Sox clinched the pennant from Cleveland, Williams was criticized for failing to show at the team celebration, when in fact he was off visiting a sick child in the hospital instead. After taking our pictures at Fenway, we hopped back in the car and headed back down Commonwealth Avenue, in search of the lost ballpark of Boston.
Boston, like New York, was, at one time, the home to two major league teams. The Red Sox, in the American League, and the Braves, in the National League. In 1870, the Boston Red Stockings came into existence and remained named that until they changed to the Boston Red Caps and then the Beaneaters. In 1907 and 1911, they changed again, to the Doves and the Rustlers, respectively. In 1913, they permanently became the Braves, because their owner used an indian head as their symbol. The Braves resided in Boston until the end of the 1952 season, when they moved to Milwaukee and then in 1966 to Atlanta.
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| Braves Field |
The fences were continually moved at Braves Field, but the final dimensions were: Left field: 337; Left-center: 355; Center field: 370, Right-center: 355; Right field: 320.The first major league home run at Braves field was hit by Frank Snyder of the New York Giants, in 1922. After the Braves moved to Milwaukee, the stadium was sold to Boston University. In 1955 the university reconfigured the stands, knocked down everything except the pavilion grandstand and was used for football, soccer, field hockey and a track-and-field stadium. The stadium was originally called Boston University Field and eventually renamed Nickerson Field.
"To see Braves Field", I told him.
"I don't remember a baseball field down here", he said.
"I don't remember a baseball field down here", he said.
"That's because it's not here anymore. Well, most of it isn't", I told him.
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| Braves Field as it looks today |
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| Ryan and I at the site of Braves Field |
"Have you ever heard of Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Casey Stengle, Warren Spahn or Rogers Hornsby?", I asked.
"They all played here?"
"Not all at the same time and not all in their prime", I repled.
"Did they ever win a World Series?", Mike chimed in.
"Just one, in 1941", I told them both. "The biggest problem was the fact that Boston was a Red Sox town and they never drew the fans, which is why they moved to Milwaukee".
Today, the only parts of Braves Field that still stand are the outer wall and the ticket office, which became the BU police station. The rest of the stadium was replaced by dormitories and the Case Physical Education Center, which consists of Walter Brown Arena and Case Gym, along Babcock Street. A plaque in the courtyard tells the story.
Today, the only parts of Braves Field that still stand are the outer wall and the ticket office, which became the BU police station. The rest of the stadium was replaced by dormitories and the Case Physical Education Center, which consists of Walter Brown Arena and Case Gym, along Babcock Street. A plaque in the courtyard tells the story.
We took some pictures and quietly walked back to the car. Our Boston adventure had come to an end and it was time to go home. We had a great time with some fantastic friends and quite an adventure, even if the game didn't turn out as we would have liked.
"Daddy, you know the Yankees played four games here this week and won three of them?", Ryan asked.
"Yup, pretty good winning percentage, eh?", I said.
"Yeah, but you realize that the only game they lost was the one we were at?", he said.
"Unfortunately, that's how it worked this time.", I told him.
"I hate losing, especially to them. I guess we should have left The Babe and Billy some more beers." Ryan said, annoyance creeping into his voice.
"That's why we're not going to see many Yankees' games, kiddo. This is about the ball parks, the baseball and doing something special together. We don't want the final scores to upset us on the trip."
"Can we always pick a team to root for?", he asked.
"Ryan, did you have fun?", Mike asked. "After all, this is Red Sox Nation we're in, you know."
"Uncle Mike", Ryan said looking right at him, "You can love the city and hate the baseball team"
I just laughed, turned the car around and headed back down the Mass Pike, towards home.
Next Stop
July 20, 2012
Nationals Park
Washington D.C.
Atlanta Braves Vs Washington Nationals
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