Thoughts About Attending a Game at Fenway Park in Boston

Recently I attended a baseball game at the beautiful, venerable, 103 year old Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a great experience.

The atmosphere there is incredible; the field so lush and green, not to mention the famed “Green Monster,” the high wall, so close in left field.

I thought about the colors, the passionate fans, the bad Red Sox record this season, offset exponentially by their three 21st century titles, after an 86 year drought.

One need only walk around the park to see the great players who wore a Red Sox uniform, among them Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski for their entire major league careers.

Such greats as Cy Young and Babe Ruth, the most famous pitcher and batter in baseball history are remembered with flags carrying their names, along with Lefty Grove, Jimmy Foxx and others. Incredibly, Ruth was great hitting and pitching: the lesser known pitching aspect with the Red Sox, much of it in Fenway Park, which opened in 1912.

The game I saw was a (5-1) Detroit Tigers win against the Red Sox became an afterthought, the fact they clashed in a 6 game ALCS won by the Red Sox just two years back, en route to that third 21st century title, is far more important.

Memories: one game playoffs for an entity, 30 years apart (for the 1948 pennant and 1978 AL East) each a Red Sox loss, featuring an opposing shortstop’s home run exploits (Cleveland Indians’Lou Boudreau then NY Yankees’ Bucky Dent thirty years later).

One great player from all three Red Sox 21st century crowns, David Ortiz remains. I cheered his at bats, recalling his clutch exploits in 2004 keying the end to the 86 year Red Sox title drought.

I wish there were more players to hail and that those things so beautiful in baseball, illustrated so well at a place such as Fenway Park, could be more evident today.

At the very least, for one day some of that good feeling about baseball came back. Thank you, Fenway Park.