Game 7 of 122

Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park (vs New York Yankees):

With the kids out of school for fall break, we decided to take a mini-vacation to Boston….one of our favorite cities.  Of course any trip to Boston should include a game at Fenway Park.  Although we only saw one game at the park, we probably spent more hours there than a person typically spends for an entire 3-game serious.

Our vacation started on Friday afternoon with a Behind the Scenes tour of the stadium.  As a long-time Red Sox fan, this was very exciting….the kids liked most of it, but some of the history was a little boring for them.  I enjoyed getting to tour the various sections of the stadium, including the upper deck in right field, club-level behind home plate, atop the Green Monster (for you non-baseball fans, this refers to the large green wall in left field) and some of the lower level seats - the oldest in baseball.  The kids did enjoy learning about the 3 guys that work inside the Green Monster scoreboard every game and manually update all the scores from around the league.  Their favorite part though was a visit to the gift shop for Green Monster stuffed animals and hats so that we were properly dressed for the game!

It was back to Fenway on Friday evening for what we hoped would be a game, but rain showers made that unlikely.  After waiting out a 3 ½ hour rain delay, the game was finally postponed.  Ironically, the kids actually enjoyed this more than the real game because they got to dance in the aisles to the music (we were actually shown on the large screen TV in center field) and watch the grounds crew work feverishly to keep the rain off the field.  Luckily for us, our seats were under cover which made the long wait tolerable.  We also used this opportunity to walk around the stadium and take in a lot of the surroundings that we would normally not have been able to do.



Dancing in the rain



I can honestly say that Fenway park is a one-of-a-kind and a must see for any sports fan.  At the time of our visit, the park is 98 years old.  However, if you are looking to go to a game in which you will be guaranteed a good seat, Fenway is not the place.  If you are looking to visit a piece of history, Fenway is it.  As it turns out, we actually got to sit in the oldest seats – blue seats in the lower level, just under cover.  Fortunately for us, we were sitting with little kids, but if you happen to be packed in with all adults, this section could get pretty tight with these small wooden seats. 

In our free time during the rain delay, I was able to sit in a number of different seats to take in the views.  In many cases, you get the feeling of tunnel-vision and views of the field can often be obstructed by the upper decks or support poles.  It reminded me a lot of Wrigley Field in Chicago.  However, seats in the lower section, not under cover, offer great views of the entire field.  I’ve always wanted to watch a game in the Green Monster seats, but that might have to wait for another day and for now, I will have to settle for sitting in them during our tour.



Atop the Green Monster



The rest of our trip was filled with tourist activities – Boston Harbor for a cruise, New England Aquarium, Children’s Museum, USS Constitution, and Quincy Market.  Of course the highlight for the kids was probably the subway.

Our game was rescheduled for 9:00 PM on Saturday night, but actually didn’t start until much later because the first game ended up going into extra innings.  We couldn’t make it to the end because of some exhausted kids, but the Red Sox ended up winning in another extra inning game.  Although the Red Sox will not make the playoffs, it was a moral victory for them because they won 2 of the 3 games; thus forcing the Yankees to settle for the wild card and allowing the Tampa Bay Rays to win the American League East.

A-Rod vs. Dice-K

In summary, if you are a true fan of baseball, Fenway Park has to be on your list to visit; especially for any baseball historian.  You can just sense the history walking into the place.  I also recommend the tour.  The fact that it is in one of the best cities in the country (in my option) is a bonus.

This more than likely wraps up baseball for 2010 with 7 of 30 teams checked off the list….unless the opportunity for playoff tickets presents itself….anyone, anyone?

Record:  4-3.

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