The best fans in baseball? Certainly the best in Beantown. . .
After a much needed night off in Newburyport, MA, I made the short drive to Boston with expectations for my first ever visit to Fenway Park. Of course, when I arrived at Fenway I was unable to find a parking spot. So, I decided to drive around the block and try again. But, for those of you who have ever been to Boston (I hadn't), you know it isn't possible to simply go around the block and expect to come out in the same place you started. An hour and fifteen minutes later, I arrived at Fenway Park.
Fenway Park is the one of the oldest ballparks in the major leagues. When you walk up to the park, you get an overwhelming sense of the history associated with the park including the outdoor food stands and local merchants that have serviced baseball fans for decades. The smells around the stadium are wonderful, the streets are filled with fans, and hours before the game is scheduled to start, fans line up along the walls outside the various gates and fight to get in and watch batting practice and ask the ballplayers for autographs. Fenway has a whole culture outside of the ballpark as well as inside.
When you enter the stadium, you immediately understand why Fenway Park is special. The field is a beautiful combination of rich green grass and brown dirt surrounded by dark green walls and seats. In left field is the famed "Green Monster" a 35 foot high wall (unique in the major leagues) that has baffled hitters for years. In center field, the walls come together at such an intense angle that routine fly balls will bounce and ricochet in so many different directions that outfielders are left scrambling to retrieve a hit and throw it back into the infield. In right field, the foul pole is located only 310 feet from home plate, but the wall (only three or four fee high) loops around and continues for another farther out allowing players to hit home runs with ease down the right field line. When you sit in the stands, you feel as if you are on top of the players, participating in the game, and helping determine the outcome. It is a feeling that no modern ballpark provides.
When I arrived at Fenway Park, I had the opportunity to sit down with Lou Gorman, one of the greatest baseball executives in the recent history of the game. Mr. Gorman has been working in baseball for thirty-seven years and helped develop some of the greatest teams in recent memory. The one that stands out in my mind was his work with the New York Mets when, as Director of Baseball Operations, he helped acquire Doc Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Len Dykstra and most of the players that eventually won the 1986 World Series (ironically by defeating the team that Mr. Gorman then worked for, and still does, the Boston Red Sox).
Mr. Gorman and I spoke for a little over half and hour about a wide range of subjects. Mr. Gorman's main focus as a consultant for the Red Sox is to work with the daily operations of the club, the stadium, and to try and solve many of the problems that teams face as baseball changes through the years. We spent a great deal of time speaking about the prospects of a new stadium for Boston, to replace Fenway Park, and the overhwelming financial benefits that would come with it. He described, and drew charts for me explaining, how the cost of running a major league ballclub had tripled since the 1960's when he first started working, and how if the costs of baseball are not brought under control, teams will not be able to survive and the league will suffer.
Next I had a chance to inquire about Mr. Gorman's thoughts on inter-league play. He gave the most interesting answer of anyone I had spoken with to date about the subject. While he enjoyed the concept of the leagues playing eachother, and he acknowledged the financial benefits of the almost guaranteed sellouts for each game (the Red Sox play the Marlins and Braves in inter-league play), he said he hoped that inter-league play would soon be removed from the schedule and baseball be returned to normal. He said that while the fans enjoy it, and the players get an opportunity to visit new ballparks and face new opponents, because the standings and statistics are altered, the who game is thrown out of whack.
By the time we had finished, we had spoken about ballpark food (Mr. Gorman recently wrote a letter to a local food columnist explaining how Fenway Park, with its various restaurants and clubs -- in addition to the regular concessions -- is actually the busiest restaurant in all of Boston on any given night) and the managment of a major league club. He was very honest, very friendly, and extremely supportive of the trip. I was fortunate to have a few minutes to speak with one of the great minds in the game today.
As I was sitting in the stands, a woman from Virginia and three men (only one of which I really spoke with) took their seats behind where I was standing. They were talking about major league stadiums and which was the most attractive, fan friendly, etc. and I interrupted to put in my opinion and tell them about the trip. The man, who was a high-school classmate of Red Sox third baseman Tim Naerhing was in town for a wedding and was hoping to see his old pal and have a chance to say hello. The woman, also in town for the wedding was excited to be at Fenway and shared her thoughts with me about the different stadiums and how the baseball culture compared to Baltimore and other places she had visited. The conversation was cut short as rain began to fall and the fans watching batting practice were asked to find their seats so the game could begin. Batting practice ended before I made it to the bleachers and the game was ready to begin when I took my seat.
The food at Fenway Park is legendary, whether you are eating a Fenway Frank or one of the many different hot sandwiches offered by the vendors both in and outside of the stadium. In addition to the regular fare of hot dogs, peanuts, pretzels, etc.. there is chinese food, souvlaki, pizza (which apparently is better than some of the chain pizzas offered in other stadiums) and much, much more.
The pretzel I purchased had been sitting in the heating over for a while, reducing some of its quality, but otherwise I was quite impressed. Overall, the pretzel was soft, warm, tasty, and was large enough to be filling, but not too large as to make you ill. The stadium offered hot mustard which complemented the pretzel nicely and made for a taste sensation not found in most other ballparks.
As for the rest of the food, one of the fans I was sitting with in the bleachers was kind enough to eat a Fenway Frank and report to me on its quality. He enjoyed the hot dog, which was quite large and plump from a distance, but remarked that it really needed ketchup (which the vendor did not supply as he walked around the stands). The same fan, along with his group of friends, seemed unimpressed by the peanuts they purchased (eventually offering them to another fan in the section -- a complete stranger) but drank a considerable amount of beer (with some enjoyment and few complaints). And finally, both Frozen Yogurt (98% fat free for the health conscious fan) and Cotton Candy (chock full of vitamins and minerals) were very popular -- although mostly with the kids.
I was joined at the game by a close friend of mine, David Hughes, who drove all the way from Maine to be a part of the Great American Baseball Trip. David had never been to a Major League Baseball game and was very interested in every aspect of the game and the stadium. Sitting around us were three very diverse groups of fans, all of whom were very interested in the game. The first, a father and his two sons, had attended the mid-afternoon clinic performed by the Red Sox (sponsored by the Boston Globe) and were provided tickets free of charge by the Globe. The second group, all seemingly college students or recent graduates, were local Bostonians and die-hard fans (despite only occasional visits to the park). I spent most of my time speaking with these folks, and they provided me with a local perspective on th game, the stadium (the greatest ever -- "it will never be torn down), the food, and the people around us. The final group brought together a local Bostonian and his out-of-town guests, who had never been to a baseball game before in their lives. Throughout most of the game, we shared our thoughts on the rules and plays that were taking place on the field and I did my best to help explain baseball to the visitors.
As for the rest of our sections, well, the fans at Fenway Park are legendary as well. The crowd is very diverse in terms of a economic status, but almost entirely white. Each has an opinion about the game and the teams on the field, which they share willingly with varying degrees of Boston accent. And, they all take the opportunity of their visit to the ballpark to enjoy beer and other baseball foods and try to alter the outcome of the game. Rumor has it, that on a hot summer night, you should not be surprised to find brawls taking place in the bleachers between home town fans and visitors. Unfortunately, on this night, there were no incidents and only three appearances of beach balls -- a ritual that seems to have originated in the bleachers at Fenway.
As for the game, it was over early. The Red Sox committed four errors in the first three innings and the Tigers jumped all over them to score ten runs. Late in the game, the Red Sox did make a run and bring the score back to 10-6, but that is how it ended, with the fans focusing more on the beer and the beachballs as the night got increasingly later.
To their credit, the fans in the bleachers were extremely focused on the game, critical of the players when warranted, and involved throughout. The stadium was beautiful and magical (especially when the sun was setting over the Green Monster), and the organization was friendly and supportive in the face of an extremely stressfulstressful day. If you get the chance to visit Fenway Park in your lifetime, make sure you go early so you can walk around and enjoy the neighborhood, and then buy a seat in the bleachers -- it may not be the best seat in the house, but it may be the best seat in baseball.
![](images/david.jpeg")
alt="David Hughes and I in the bleachers at Fenway"
David Hughes and I in the bleachers at Fenway Park in Boston.
alt="The sign behind home plate at Fenway Park -- has
been greating fans who enter the stadium for decades"
The sign behind home plate at Fenway Park -- has been greating fans who enter the stadium for decades"
alt="A view of Fenway Park from the bleachers"
A view of Fenway Park from the bleachers.
