The Boston Red Sox celebrated what was once an unthinkable feat, Fenway Park's 100th celebration in a near-hour long pregame ceremony yesterday afternoon. Many pundits (with Bill Simmons, Ted Sarandis, being among them), and current Boston mayor Ton Menino were in favor of replacing the legendary field with a new park after former CEO John Harrington said in 1999 that it was not worth fixing up. But that was before a new ownership group led by John W. Henry, Larry Lucchino and Tom Werner took over 10 years ago and spent hundreds of millions of dollars into renovating and making it the #1 tourist attraction in Boston that it continues to be to this day.
On the day of April 20, 1912, at 3:00 p.m. EST, the Red Sox played the New York Highlanders (who would become the Yankees a year later) at Fenway for the first time. They won that game. Yesterday, however, they started the game at exactly the same time 100 years ago but lost 6-2. Still, the memories of yesterday will be the star-studded ceremony of this small but significant landmark.
There were performances by famed maestros John Williams and Keith Lockhart, a ceremonial first pitch thrown out by Menino in honor of the first mayor to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on this day 100 years back, John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, and was joined for the pitch by two great-grandchildren, Caroline Kennedy (JFK's daughter), and Tom Fitzgerald.
But the real thrill and tearjerker for some came when over 200 former, recently and long retired Red Sox players came out of the center field tunnel in uniform to salute Red Sox Nation one more time. Some were in wheelchairs like Sox greats Johnny Pesky (92 years young) and Bobby Doerr, while others like Mike Lowell, Pedro Martinez, and Jason Varitek look like they could still play—and the way the Sox are struggling, that wouldn't be such a bad idea right now.
Disappointingly, Curt Schilling didn't make it, and neither did former GM Theo Epstein, two vital contributors to Boston's most recent two World Series titles in 2004 and 2007. But the biggest cheers went to other Sox heroes in those championship runs, a very excited Pedro and former manager Terry Francona, who initially turned away the invitation to this celebration due to the smearing some in the organization did to him in the Boston media in the offseason (and the lack of the front office to get to the bottom of it). But Francona said he showed up for the fans, and that was a very wise choice, as he got a standing ovation and chants of "Tito, Tito!."
Article comments
1 - Victor Lana
The Red Sox organization is a class act, and this proves it all the way. What great history and great players. It got me ticked off listening to sports radio here in New York, making a big deal about the Yankees winning and downplaying the significance of this moment. I hope they can turn the season around starting today against those "damn" Yankees.
2 - Charlie Doherty
I hope so too Vic. Thanks!
3 - David Bowling
I estimate that I have attended close to 100 games at Fenway Park. When I was in college back in the 1970s, it cost $1.00 to sit in the bleachers. Here's hoping for another hundred.
4 - Dr. Joseph S. Maresca
I don't think that tickets were that cheap even in Yankee Stadium.
5 - JG
Many good memories at Fenway. And yes, $2.00 bleacher tickets in the early 80's was a treat!