Fenway opens its doors to fans

BOSTON – Red Sox fans who may have never gotten a chance to sit in the Green Monster seats, walk on the outfield dirt, or meet a past or present Boston player had an opportunity to do just that at Fenway Park on Thursday.Team management is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fenway, once described by writer John Updike as a “lyric little bandbox of a ballpark.” One day before the 100-year anniversary of the first Red Sox game played at Fenway, Sox ownership welcomed fans into the park for a free, daylong open house.A festive mood permeated the ballpark as organ and stereo music streamed through it, images of past great players and moments appeared on the JumboTron, and people paused for photographs with cardboard cutouts of Sox members past and present. One cutout, showing former Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky of Swampscott in batting stance, stood in an apropos position: near the “Pesky Pole.”On the other side of the ballpark, fans walked past the “Fisk Pole,” where, during Game Six of the 1975 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, former Sox catcher Carlton Fisk took Reds pitcher Pat Darcy deep, seemingly willing the ball fair for a game-winning home run. The Boston pitcher who got the win in that game, Rick Wise, was appropriately one of many former and current Sox players signing autographs (others included Wise’s ex-teammate Bill Lee and 2007 World Series MVP Mike Lowell), and footage of Fisk’s homer was among the moments shown on the JumboTron.Visitors could also enjoy the view from the Green Monster seats, from which one can see the entire infield, the netting behind home plate and the on-deck circles. Plaques marked epic home runs hit nearby, including a 2001 blast by ex-Sox slugger Manny Ramirez listed at 501 feet. (At least one plaque honored a non-sports event, a speech by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.) Also available for public viewing was the “red seat” commemorating the spot where Sox great Ted Williams, the last man to hit above .400 for a single season, launched a 502-foot home run, one of 521 in the Hall of Famer’s career.At ground level, a seemingly endless stream of fans circled the park, examining features such as the manicured outfield grass, the smooth dirt along the outfield, and padded walls that might make it less dangerous for a player to reach over them to catch a ball. Fans could also peer into the bullpens that, alas, have gotten their share of use lately.The seats not that far behind home plate provided an ideal location for lunch from one of the many vending stands at the park. Beyond right field lay two more recent Boston landmarks, the Hancock Tower and Prudential Center, while off in center the JumboTron flashed more images (including, oddly enough, the same ballpark fans were sitting in). The home-run tarp provided some shade on a sunny day. And leaving the ballpark, one was grateful the Red Sox put fans on the guest list for the “Party of the Century.”Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].