Fenway Park in Boston remains as I left her: one of the Meccas of baseball; a special place to watch a game. If you can only make it to a handful of ballparks in your lifetime, Fenway should be on your list. New, state-of-the-art stadiums are all the rage, and I'm enjoying them so far on my trip, but there's something to be said for history. For nostalgia. As much as I'm not a fan of the Red Sox, and as much as I complain about the park's short porches in left and right field, baseball needs Fenway Park to endure. And she will. And that's a good thing.
Okay, this next bit is going to be painful to write, so give me a few seconds to compose myself.
...
Thanks. I'm ready now.
Here goes: the Fenway Park experience is that much better because of Red Sox fans. Yes, because of, and not in spite of, the "Massholes." There, I said it. Now, I'm not sure what things were like pre-World Series titles, before Boston started spending billions, and before they began keeping up with the Yankeeses. But Red Sox fans, while certainly annoying, are nothing if not passionate. And after being one of only 10,071 at Progressive Field in Cleveland last week, it was a welcome experience to be surrounded by almost quadruple that amount of fans Thursday night. Baseball is alive and well in Boston. Not that it was ever in doubt, but the game is always better to watch in person when it's played in front of a full house; in front of a crowd that's into the game, living and dying with each pitch. And on a Thursday evening in April at Fenway Park there wasn't an empty seat in the building.
Beautiful Beantown
My bus from Manhattan dropped me at Boston's South Station, in the city's financial district. With a few hours to kill before first pitch, I decided to partake in a Boston walking tour on my way to 4 Yawkey Way. Through the financial district and Chinatown, I ended up on Boylston St., one of Boston's main east-west arteries. It didn't disappoint. Shopping and dining options line each side of the street. Walking west, I passed Boston Common, the city's beautiful downtown park, and famous Copley Square. Finally, past Prudential Centre, where if you've got time, stop for a meal at Legal Sea Foods. Memories from my 2007 visit are fond.
It took about 45 minutes until, after making a right and walking along Ipswich St., I finally made it to Fenway. My Boston baseball experience was enhanced by walking around the park before the game, on Landsdowne St., Yawkey Way, and Van Ness St. It's there that I found a sea of people in Red sox jerseys, and heard chants of "Let's go Red Sox!" Not to mention an array of eating and drinking options.
My suggestion: Bleacher Bar, actually located inside Fenway Park, in centre field. I entered the bar off Landsdowne St., and the watering hole's selling point is that it's got a garage door that opens onto the field. At 4:15 pm Thursday afternoon, I peered through the door's fence and saw the Red Sox on the field, getting in some pregame work. Based on their 8-11 record, they need it. Harpoon India Pale Ale, proudly brewed in Boston since 1986, was the beverage of choice. Lots of it. A cup, not a pint, ran me $5.
A Hamiltonian in Boston
What I'm enjoying most on #TBRTOAL is meeting so many amazing people along the way. Earlier in the week, a displaced Hamiltonian now studying at Harvard, Manu, was in touch over e-mail. A reader of Sports And The City, Manu offered to buy me a beer while I was in his new hometown. So I took him up on his offer.
Manu and I shared beers (more Harpoon IPA for me), $1 Fenway Franks, and depressing Toronto sports stories (see Rask, Tuukka) at The Lower Depths, north of Fenway Park on Commonwealth Avenue. A short walk from the ballpark, it's another street where you've got a wide range of pre and post game beverage options.
Fantastic Fenway
I spent the first half of Thursday night's game firmly planted in my $28 seat in centre field. I blame the Harpoon IPA. But what a view: Pesky's Pole, the Green Monster, the scoreboard in said wall; let's just say I was soaking it all up.
The concourse is unlike any other concourse you'll ever visit. Old school. Remember: Fenway will celebrate 100 years in 2012. If your seats are in the lower bowl, there aren't gates leading to each and every section. A tunnel leads you into the lower bowl, and you walk along a path at the top of the lower bowl to your section. Trust me: you'll know that the stadium's a very old one.
I spent the second half of the game at the Budweiser Right Field Roof Deck, which offered a pristine view of the entire field. A slice of pizza cost me $4.25, and 12 ounces of Bud a shocking $7.25; " the worst beer value in baseball." Your lesson of the day: don't drink at Fenway.
Massholes No More?
William C. Rhoden wrote in Wednesday's New York Times that "something is different in Boston, and it has to do with the Red Sox. Boston fans celebrated two World Series championships in the past decade, but they lost something in the exchange: an edge, a chip on their shoulder, a passion; eternal agitation and a running feud with the baseball gods."
I'd beg to differ. From my chats with Red Sox fans at the Budweiser Right Field Roof Deck, they've still got their passion, they've still got a chip on their shoulder, and, while perhaps not eternally agitated by their team anymore, they certainly agitate everyone else.
I, tongue-in-cheek but not so tongue-in-cheek, asked Derek, one of a group of Sox fans enjoying the game next to me, if he knew how annoying he and the "Red Sox Nation" actually were. Thankfully, Derek was honest.
"I think we do [know] We've got to be annoying. We've got to enjoy while we're on top. Wouldn't you? Because we don't know how long the good times are going to last, and because we can't forget how much suffering this city went through."
Derek made some good points. I'd love to be an annoying Toronto sports fan, and not just because I'm irrationally optimistic. One day.
Oh Yeah, The Game
The Baseball Road Trip Of A Lifetime is quickly becoming The Texas Rangers Baseball Road Trip Of A Lifetime. I've essentially been following the Rangers through the northeast, and saw them in action for the third time Thursday night.
C.J. Wilson didn't throw a no-hitter, like I asked, but he did manage to shutout the Red Sox over six and two-third innings. In what was a largely uneventful affair, Texas came out on top 3-0.
Boston. It's a must for any baseball fan. And it was a pleasure. Especially Sweet Caroline in the 8th inning.
Next up: Washington, D.C. to see the Expos in action, and the Baltimore OriLOLes.