Boston’s Fenway Park is Major League Baseball’s Glorious Cathedral

I have been involved in sports in one way or another for six decades.

Since I am rounding the bend and heading for home, I wanted to knock one off my bucket list before departing God’s great earth. Being a baseball aficionado, I wanted to visit Boston’s famed Fenway Park and, just as important, witness Major League Baseball’s top rivalry – a Red Sox vs. (New York) Yankees game.

So, my two sons and future daughter-in-law flew to Beantown for a full-fledged Father’s Day weekend. We crammed quite a bit into three days: a Paul Simon concert inside the Boch Center’s Wang Theater, walked the Freedom Trail, took a Duck Boat Tour of the city, dined at Cheer’s, where they are still mourning the loss of George Wendt, visited the Boston Tea Party Museum, toured Fenway Park, and much more.

And, of course, taking in a Sunday afternoon baseball game on a sunny 75-degree day at Fenway Park against the dreaded Bronx Bombers. Though generations have come and gone, Fenway Park remains, much like it did the day it opened on April 20, 1912. It predates Chicago’s Wrigley Field by two years. The area around Wrigley Field is dubbed Wrigleyville and features a multitude of bars and restaurants and souvenir shops

The area around Fenway Park is called Fenway/Kenmore. It's a vibrant residential and commercial area. Throughout the neighborhood are brownstone townhouses, brick walk-ups, and five-to six-story apartment buildings, typically constructed between 1880 and 1930. Small, independently-owned shops are scattered throughout. Major commercial developments are in Kenmore Square and along Brookline Avenue, Beacon Street, Boylston Street, and Huntington Avenue. Over the last 20 years almost every residential building in Kenmore has been purchased by Boston University and turned into dorms, especially in the Audubon Circle area between Beacon Street and Commonwealth Avenue.

Fenway Park is bordered by Brookline Avenue, Yawkey Way (formerly Jersey Street), Lansdowne Street, and Van Ness Street. Jersey Street is an extension of the Fenway Park concourse during Red Sox home games and other special events. This public street is blocked off to traffic three hours before game time, and reopens to ticketed Red Sox game patrons once the ballpark officially opens. You'll find concessions, live music, family entertainment, the official Red Sox Team Store, and more.

We toured the stadium on the day prior to the game and it was amazingly priced and well worth it. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about Red Sox and Fenway Park history during the hour-long excursion.

Fenway is known for its quirky features, the most famous of which is the 37-foot 2-inch left field wall known as the “Green Monster.” When I was a kid, we simply called the monstosity “The Wall.”

The seats on top of the Green Monster were built in 2003. The Boston brass added 269 seats atop the Green Monster that year, along with other renovations like the big concourse. In a ballpark known for its unique architecture, the Green Monster ladder stands out as a particularly quirky part of the Fenway complexion. With its bottom run hanging 14 feet off the ground, the ladder was once used by members of the grounds crew to collect home runs hit during batting practice and games from the net that stood above the left-field wall.

Even after the seats were added in place of the net, the Red Sox received permission from Major League Baseball to leave the ladder in place as a special homage to Fenway’s past. To the delight of some and the consternation of others, the ladder is considered a part of fair territory, causing occasional unexpected ricochets of fly balls and line drives over the years. There is no ground rule regarding a ball hitting the ladder.

The foul pole in right field is named after one of the most beloved figures in team history in Johnny Pesky. The foul pole is named the Pesky Pole in his honor. Straightaway right field at Fenway actually spaces out to 380 feet. The pole, however, is tucked in the corner and is much easier for hitters to aim at – measuring a mere 302 feet from home plate. I found it amusing that Pesky, a veteran of 1,270 Major League games, hit only 17 career home runs and just six at Fenway Park. Despite his lack of power, it is fitting that a piece of Fenway Park is named after Pesky, who was one of the great ambassadors in Red Sox history.

Centerfield measures 390 feet, but juts out deeper (420 feet) in deep center near the Red Sox bullpen. It is there where former Major League Al Luplow, a native of Zilwaukee, made an unbelievable catch of a Dick Williams line drive blast while playing centerfield for the Cleveland Indians. Luplow, known for his speed and gutsy play, dove to make the catch and wound up landing in the bullpen (still hanging onto the ball).

There’s an area behind the Green Monster that features a rooftop garden. As part of the club's ongoing commitment to climate consciousness, Fenway Park's carbon footprint has been reduced through environmentally forward construction features and initiatives, including Fenway Farms, a 5,000 square foot rooftop garden built in 2015 that pioneered what was possible within the walls of a century-old ballpark. Over 4,000 lbs. of produce and herbs are harvested at Fenway Farms each season.

Luxury suites were anything but. They offer a decent view of the field, but were tiny. Suites at Midland’s Dow Diamond are roughly double the size of the suites in Fenway Park.

There was food aplenty. Sure, you can purchase the traditional Fenway Frank, but the concessions offer much, much more. Try these delicacies out for size: Boston Crème Pie, Burrito Bowls, Tacos and Elote (Mexican Street Corn), Cheesesteak, Churros, Clam Chowder, Cuban Sandwich – El Tiante, Dumplings, Fried Dough, Grilled Cheese Sandwich & Pimento Cheese Dip, Grillo’s Pickles, King’s Hawaiian Sandwich, Luke’s Lobster Roll, Crab Roll, and Lobster Bisque, and a Soup Bread Bowl.

Samuel Adams is the National Beer of Boston. If that’s not your cup of tea (brew), there’s always Allagash White, Angry Orchard, Bell’s Oberon, Blue Moon, Blueshine Lemonade, Budweiser and Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona, Copper Cane Wines by the glass or bottle, Dogfish Head, Fiddlehead IPA, Goslings Dark ‘N Stormy, Harpoon IPA, High Noon, Ipswich Ale, Jack’s Abby House Lager, Jameson Orange Spritz, Ketel One Lemonade Vodka, Kona Big Wave, Long Drink, Lord Hobo 617 IPA, Michelob Ultra, Mighty Squirrel Cloud Candy, Miller Lite, Modelo, Narragansett Lager, Sip of Sunshine, Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & Vodka, Truly Spiked Seltzer, Twisted Tea, Wachusett Blueberry, and an assortment of wins and mixed drinks.

Fenway Park is known for its unique musical traditions. Besides the traditional “National Anthem” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” the most famous are Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” which is played during the middle of the eighth inning, and “Dirty Water,” a vintage 1966 song sung by The Standells and is played after a Red Sox victory. The other notable tune is “Tessie” by the Dropkick Murphys.

At the game we attended, we had great seats – box seats about 12 rows behind the Red Sox dugout. I actually enjoyed sitting next to a New York Yankees fan, who I conversed with through the entire game. I made sure to thank him for letting us have All-Star second baseman Gleyber Torres. In an unusually low-scoring game, the Red Sox blanked the Yankees 2-0 to finish off a three-game sweep of the Bronx Bombers. Aaron Judge had a miserable game with three strikeouts while also grounding into a double play.