FENWAY PARK
Atmosphere:
You haven’t
been to a ballpark until you’ve visited Fenway Park
in Boston or Wrigley Field
in Chicago. The article today is about Fenway Park.
From
the point you reach Lansdowne St., VanNess St. or Yawkey Way you can smell, feel, see,
and hear baseball. You’ll immediately find a sea of red or white Red Sox
jersey’s with almost everyone wearing the traditional blue field Red Sox cap.
You’ll smell the scent of pizza, sausages, hot dogs and in some cases beer. You’ll hear vendors calling
out “Peanuts, sausages, soda here!!!” on every corner. Just this
year, the vendors selling programs were yelling, “You don’t know your Red Sox without my program!!” All the bars within 2-3 blocks of the park will have lines of 50-100 people waiting
to enter for their pregame drink. The sight of watching 10 – 40 fans standing
on Lansdowne Street waiting
for the batting practice homerun balls to clear the Green Monster is still a very unique sight. I’ve even done this myself, unsuccessful in my endeavor to catch a ball, but still very exciting
and fun.
The 3
elements of Fenway that I like and think are unique, are it’s location, history and fan involvement. Fenway
Park is integrated into
the neighborhood, with only it’s light towers higher than the surrounding buildings.
When I’ve shown visitors Fenway Park,
they can’t believe that it’s not an enormous looking facility, such as SBC field, the Astrodome, Metrodome, PNC
park, etc…
As any
fan approaches Fenway from any location you can just feel and tangibly see history.
It’s amazing to think current players are playing baseball in a
park that was built in the early 1900’s. If you approach from Lansdowne St. you’ll see the back
of the green monster and the famous left field foul pole that was hit by Carlton Fisk’s ball in the 1975 World Series. The fact that the green monster seats are now in place takes a bit of the ambiance
away from the green monster. There was always something special about seeing
the net that caught thousands of homeruns over the years.
If you
approach from VanNess St.
you’ll see the famous player parking lot, the same lot that players such as Pesky, Doerr and Williams used to Schilling,
Pedro and Nomar today. You’ll also see how the lot becomes a puzzle of
sorts. It takes skill and experience to fill that lot with about 30 cars, trucks
and hummers.
If you
enter down Yawkey Way, the
name alone represents Red Sox history. You’ll see the original red brick
fa硤e and original gates. The flags representing each of the Red Sox playoff
appearances hang from the second level of the park. If you step inside the will
call area, you’ll still see the ticket windows built into the red brick pillars.
Today those windows are no longer used.
Then
of course there’s the fans. As early as 3 hours before game time you’ll
see hundreds and hundreds of fans lining each gate. There’s all kinds of
pure baseball chatter. My wife and I will stop and listen and hear 4 different
conversations happening simultaneously. One day last August, here’s a sample
of what we heard. There was a father and son together(the son was wearing a home
white jersey and holding a glove) , and the father was telling his son all about the history of fenway. The boy was later picked to be the honorary bat boy before the game.
In front of us was an older couple, talking about how nice the weather was, and that particular day was perfect for
a summer baseball game. Then to our right and behind us were 2 families holding
separate conversations. One was about how the Red Sox will do in the playoffs. The
second was about how the Yankees always seem to stay ahead of the Sox, even when they’re not playing well.
Once
inside, there is nothing like the atmosphere RedSox fans create once the game begins.
We are intense, we love our players and more importantly good effort. If
there’s any sign of bad effort, that player will be heckled and booed off the field.
When the Sox win Red Sox fans are the best and when we’re losing, watch out.
The Sox fans can create an electricity at the game unlike any other ballpark I’ve ever visited. In early April, fans are on their feet from the 1st inning, throughout the game and always for
the final out.
Food:
Fenway Park food is expensive. It’s about $3.75 for a hotdog and $4.00
for a soda. Beer is easily $5.00 at a minimum.
I recommend eating the grilled chicken, hamburgers, or chicken and fry baskets.
All of those items are available in the right field and 3rd base concourses and are a better value. The baskets generally run about $7.00 a basket. My other recommendation is the hilltop steakhouse concession stand in right field. These steak tip or turkey tip subs are great, but now cost $8.75 each. That’s why I eat from the right field concourse area.
There
are plenty of food options on Yawkey Way. Karen and I will occasionally buy steak and cheese subs from there. There are plenty of beer stands and tables as well as Luis Tiant’s Cuban sandwich
stand.
There
is a new food concourse on the 3rd base side, but I’ve only walked through there. There is plenty of new space to congregate. The food looks
to be the same as the rest of the park.
One downfall
about Fenway is that you cannot bring in your own food. I use baseball boxes
to carry snacks in, because nobody ever checks each box. At one point last season
you could bring in sandwiches through the VanNess St. gate, but the RedSox really didn’t advertise that and I haven’t seen it done once in 4 games
this year.
Seating:
The seating
at Fenway is absolutely horrible. Unless, you have a seat in the lower loge,
from the 3rd base line to the alley on the 1st base side or a seat in the bleachers, you’ll have
all sorts of obstructed views. Anything in the grandstand is tight and too smug
with poles in the way. If you’re over 6 foot tall or larger than a 36 waist
you will not be comfortable in the grandstand seating. I think Red Sox personnel
must eliminate the seats right behind poles or charge only $5 to sit there.
My wife
and I enjoy sitting in sections 32 or 33. This is one area that is a good and
fairly spacious grandstand seat that actually faces the 1st base line/homeplate, unlike most of the grandstand
seats that face the field right in front of you. These sections are also the
non-alcoholic sections of fenway. The staff consistently enforces this policy. This is truly a fan friendly area of the park.
I’ve
never sat on the green monster, but it seems that $90 to $110 per seat is a bit expensive to sit 37 feet high and anywhere
from 317 – 389 feet away from homplate. Any other ballpark would charge
anywhere from $18 – 45 to sit that far from homeplate. Also you’re
sitting on a piece of round steel instead of plastic, wood or leather.
Anywhere
on the right field or left field roof is a great seat. On a hot summer day or
night the breeze up there makes it very comfortable and of course there are no obstructions.
It is pretty spacious and open. There’s also something to be said
about seeing the Citgo sign and the Boston skyline to the east.
The prices
for seating are very high. You’ll pay as low as $10 per seat to sit about
550 feet away and could pay as much as $250 per seat to sit 50 feet from homeplate.
I would say that the average price that I pay comes out to $45 per seat per game.
Getting
a Ball:
I’ve
never been able to get a ball during a game at Fenway Park,
but I’ve come extremely close 4 times in 20 years. If you sit anywhere
in the loge seats, except behind home plate, you have a chance to have a foul ball hit to you.
If you sit in the grandstands along each baseline, except deep right field, you have a chance. The green monster seats, lower bleachers, and the bleacher seats near the centerfield television cameras
also are not only a good viewing point, but will provide opportunities to catch a few deep homeruns.
During
batting practice, anywhere from the dugouts down the lines are the best spots. Moreover,
if you ever come for batting practice and are seating anywhere past the dugout, pay attention.
I’ve seen many people get hit unexpectedly because they thought they were safe in the grandstands. It’s amazing how balls can deflect and bounce into peculiar locations.
Parking:
I have
2 recommendations for anyone coming to the game. The 1st is to take
the trolley/green line to Kenmore station or the Fenway station. I would recommend that at least once in your life to get off at Kenmore Square and walk over to the ballpark. There’s something fun and special about walking up Brookline
Ave., over the Masspike bridge, past the Cask N’Flagon and into the
area of the ballpark. The Fenway station is a little further away from the stadium,
but also less crowded.
My second
recommendation is to park on Beacon St. in Brookline. It’s all meter parking. In 9 years
I’ve only gotten 2 $25 tickets for an expired meter. One of those days
was a Monday afternoon game in September and the other a Friday afternoon game in August.
The walk could be anywhere from ? mile to ? of a mile, but it’s worth it for the price.
If you
really find it necessary to park close to the park, expect to pay $25 to $50. Most
lots don’t block your car in, but be conscience of that and ask the attendants before you pay.
Amenities:
At one
point, the bathrooms were absolutely nasty. Additionally, there were few in number,
and it was normal to always see long lines. While you still may see some lines
to use the facilities, management has expanded the number of rest rooms, including new family restrooms. They are also more spacious and generally cleaner than in the past.
Another
nice improvement was removing the gate separating the bleachers and right field seats. There is now an open concourse between
the bleachers and right field. That was an awesome improvement. There are currently more concession stands and more varieties of food than ever before.
They
offer more activities for kids, and I think having our mascot Wally around helps with that.
The fact that you can walk on Yawkey way to eat or do some shopping is nice as well.
The new signage marking the sections is also a great improvement. It took the Bruce Springsteen concert for the management to figure that out. The paint marking the row #’s still need improvement, but it’s manageable for now. Just be aware that some row #’s are marked on the seats at the end of the row and some row #’s
are marked on the cement steps.
Security/Staff/Gates:
The gates
open about 2 hours before gametime. You will be wanded with a metal detector
by personnel. No bags are allowed, however, if you’re a woman you generally
don’t have any problems. I have seen people get turned away because they
either had a bag or it was too big. Personally, I think Fenway security should
follow the MLB guidelines for bags. As long as it’s less than 16x16x8 it’s
allowed.
If you
choose to use Gate A to enter the park, you don’t have to wait with all the people standing on the street. Once the will call area opens up, you are also allowed to enter that area as well. There are 4 ticket turnstiles inside the will all area for everyone to use.
Your wait time to enter will shrink by about 10-15 minutes than waiting to enter from the outside. Generally the crowd is considerably smaller than the much larger group outside.
The security
personnel is generally very nice and friendly. I’ve only met one rude person,
in August of 2002 and I have never seen that person since. The ushers on the
other hand are a different story. I would say I only know of 4 ushers that are
really accommodating and friendly. 2 of them are in the right field near box 90, 1 is in section 32 and 1 is right behind homeplate. This
is an example of how negative the ushers are. Just last week, opening day in
fact, I heard usher #532 behind homeplate complaining to his colleague that they now had to wear nametags so people who want
to complain about them could give their supervisors a name. I also heard him
complain about the new signage because he says he already knew it all and there was no need for it. I think the average usher must be over 55 years of age. While
I admire their loyalty, I think it’s time to get some new and younger blood in there.
The security staff, concession stand workers, and ambassadors are very customer service friendly and accommodating. I think one reason for that is their younger ages and their accepting of a new and
positive change at Fenway
Park.
Miscellaneous:
Here
are some other things you might notice at Fenway. You might ask what the ladder
on the green monster is for. That is no longer needed, but was used by the grounds
crew to retrieve baseballs hit into the new hanging on the top of the wall.
The manual
scoreboard in the green monster is manned by 2-3 individuals for each game. The
scoreboard also has the names of Tom and Jean Yawkey inscribed in morse code in between the American league scores.
There’s
a red seat in the bleachers about 40 rows back. This is the spot where Ted Williams
home run ball hit many years ago. This is representative of the longest homerun
hit at Fenway Park.
Fenway Park still uses an organ to play music. They mix current CD’s
with the organ. During every 7th inning stretch you’ll sing
along to “Take me out to the Ballgame” accompanied with the music from the organ.
Collecting
Autographs:
This
is my pride and joy. I’ve collected over 400 autographs the past couple
of years and at least 150 of them were at Fenway. Here are my tips:
1. Get
to the stadium when the park opens.
2. If
you go to the RedSox side(1st baseline), go near the tarp. The players
like that buffer and players might sign for fans there as they come off the field from batting practice. Also, if you wait there until Nomar comes out about 20-25 minutes before the game, he has always signed
there. If you are waiting for Nomar don’t lose your spot because you’ll
never get it back.
3. If
you go to the Visitor side (3rd baseline)you have 4 options. One is to go right down to the on deck circle. I’ve been very lucky here. I’ve
gotten Rafael Palmeiro, Mark Teixeira, Torri Hunter among others in that spot. Just
beware that at that location, the grounds crew tractors are usually in the way. Option
2 would be to stand by the dugout. I would recommend that location for people
with balls. There I’ve gotten Eric Chavez, Carlos Delgado among others. Option 3 is to stand at the wall that jets out to left field. I’ve gotten Barry Zito, Chris Woodward, David Eckstein among others there. Also, you’ll have great opportunities to get batting practice balls hit your way standing there. Option 4 is to be ready to move to all locations.
It is generally easy to move around from location to location. Just don’t
expect to keep a spot. I have moved around and had some luck doing that as well.
After
the game you have a couple of options. If you want to fight for space with about
50-100 other Redsox fans you can stand by their parking lot and hand players items through the slots in the fence. I’ve gotten Derek Lowe, Nomar Garciaparra, Ricky Henderson among many others doing this. This space will get really tight and squished. I don’t
recommend this for kids, because I’ve seen some get hurt in the crush of people.
If you
are trying to acquire visiting players, you may see some leave by gate D(the tour entrance).
They will walk right out and down Yawkey Way. Just make sure you know who the players are without their
uniforms. I’ve been able to meet David Eckstein, Barry Zito, Frank Catalanotto
among others here. Occasionally you’ll see some RedSox players leave this
way. Last week Bronson Arroyo left out this gate.
Another
option would be to arrive at the park about 4-5 hours early. I’ve met many
players this way and have had very good success. You must be patient and be aware
of approaching Cabs. You also have 2 places to stand. One is at Gate D. This isn’t bad because it’s
adjacent to the RedSox player lot. You can potentially run back and forth about
40 yards to acquire autographs. The other is the gate down on VanNess street. Players
can enter the stadium that way as well. I’ve never stood at VanNess Street, but I know of many people
who succeed down there.
The RedSox
have an area called autograph alley right inside the will call ticket turnstiles. For about an hour before gametime, past Red Sox legends will sign autographs at no
cost. I’ve met Johnny Pesky, Rico Petrocelli, Rick Miller and many more
at this location. Usually, the Fenway ambassadors will hand out picture cards
of the players signing.
Also,
you can meet Luis Tiant at his Cuban sandwich stand on Yawkey. He is generally
there before every game signing autographs at no cost. More importantly, you
do not need to purchase the food here to meet him. You may have to wait in the
food line to get to him, but there is still no cost.
That
is it for now. Next month, I’ll give you information about Camden Yards
in Baltimore. I’ll also give you tips about autograph etiquette.
