Boston Red Sox

Inside the Green Monster

Twitter FenwayOn Wednesday May 21, 2014, I had the opportunity to connect with history in a way that many Red Sox fans can only dream of: I spent 1 inning inside the Green Monster scoreboard. What did it look like inside?

What does the view onto the field look like?

In this post you will learn about the history of the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, and see what it looks like inside the Green Monster scoreboard.

 

Boston_Americans_Baseball_Team,_1902.jpgBrief History of the Boston Red Sox

The history of the Boston Red Sox begins in 1901.

The team comprised 1 of the 8 original teams of the American League.* However, at their start the Red Sox did not play as the Red Sox, but as the Boston Americans—the Boston team in the American League.

In 1903, the Boston Americans won the first World Series by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5 games to 3 games.

In 1904, John I. Taylor purchased the Boston Americans. After a dismal 1907 season, Taylor changed the uniforms and name of the team.

In 1908, the team began wearing white uniforms with red stockings. Taylor renamed his team “Red Stockings,” after the red socks the team wore.

Later, Taylor shortened the name to “Red Sox.”

 

Huntington Ave Base Ball Grounds.pngBrief History of Fenway Park

Between 1901 and 1911, the Red Sox played at the Huntington Avenue Base Ball Grounds.

The grounds seated approximately 9,000 fans and 1,000 additional fans could stand behind ropes in foul territory and the outfield.

The Red Sox’s lease on the Huntington Avenue Grounds was set to expire at the end of the 1911 season. Rather than renew the lease, Taylor built his team a new ballpark on land that he had purchased in Boston’s Fenway.

The Red Sox played their first game in Fenway Park on April 20, 1912 against the New York Highlanders; in 1913 the Highlanders changed their name to the “New York Yankees.”

 

Green_Monster 1914Brief History of the Green Monster

Taylor disliked the unenclosed expanses of the Huntington Avenue Grounds because it allowed fans to watch a game without paying. Taylor fixed this flaw when he built his new park.

In 1912, Fenway Park featured a wall across its outfield to prevent fans from watching a game without buying a ticket. This wall still remains but it has changed since 1912.

Built of wood, the original wall burned down in 1934. Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey replaced the wooden wall with a tin wall.

Yawkey sold advertisements along the Fenway wall until 1947, when he painted the wall green and installed a manual scoreboard at its bottom. This green wall became known as the Green Monster.

In 1976, Yawkey replaced the tin wall with a hard plastic wall--this is the wall that stands today, although in 2003, the New England Sports Ventures ownership group modified the monster by adding seats on top of it.

 

What Does it Look Like Inside the Green Monster Scoreboard?

Inside the Green Monster scoreboard you will find a narrow space that contains a lot of history.

 

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*The original 16 teams of baseball:

American League: Chicago White Stockings, Boston Americans, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, Cleveland Bluebirds, and Milwaukee Brewers.

National League: Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Brooklyn Superbas, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Beaneaters, Chicago Orphans, New York Giants, and Cincinnati Reds.

Boston Strong: From Marathon Bombings to World Series Champions

BostonMy partner Tim and I witnessed a historic event on Wednesday October 30, 2013. For the first time in 95 years, the Boston Red Sox won a World Series at Fenway Park. As season ticket holders we were fortunate enough to have tickets. The photos you see below are a bit fuzzy, but the images they depict will remain crisp in our minds for a long time. We basked in the Sox’ victorious moment until just after 12:30am. However, the significance of the moment did not hit us until we began our walk home.

The Boston Police Department closed Boylston Street. Fans who did not watch the game from inside Fenway Park stood just outside the barricades placed on both sides of the street. On the street-side of the barricades stood a continuous line of officers from the Boston Police Department, the MBTA Transit Police, and the Massachusetts State Police all clad in reflective yellow vests and jackets.

Tim and I braced ourselves as we made our way off Boylston Street and into the large crowd assembled on the outskirts of the Fens Park. I am glad we were vigilant, but our care was unnecessary. The joyous crowd proved orderly with people hugging and soliciting high-fives from friends and fellow fans.

As we exited the mob and walked down Westland Avenue, the sights, sounds, and significance of the evening began to register. Boston Police officers stood at every intersection along Westland, from Hemenway Street to Massachusetts Avenue. Helicopters circled overhead. As we passed the Whole Foods the memories hit me. My mind flashed back to April 15, 2013.

Fenway-Park-to-Massachusetts-Ave---Google-Maps

After watching the Red Sox win their Patriot’s Day game, Tim and I walked from Fenway Park to the Whole Foods. Although we had discussed walking to the Marathon finish line, we opted to avoid the crowd and do some much needed grocery shopping. Groceries in hand we made our way down Westland Ave to Massachusetts Avenue. All seemed normal until it was not.

People started crying, police officers started yelling, then the sirens began to wail and the helicopters took flight. April 15, 2013 had started as a fantastic day, but it did not end that way.

The atmosphere and mood on the night of October 30/31, 2013 shared similarities to the afternoon of April 15, but was thankfully very different. Police officers stood on guard, but happily responded to our salutations of “Thank You” and “Happy World Series.” The helicopters flying overhead sounded just as they did on April 15, but the car horns sounded different. The sound of the horns bounced off nearby buildings, but they did not express the urgency and panic they had on April 15. Instead they resonated jubilation.

The Cardinals put up a great fight, but as a fan and a Bostonian I am happy that the Red Sox bested them. Boston needed this championship more than the residents of the city or New England knew. It may sound strange, but the mood of the city has changed. For the first time since the morning of April 15, 2013, Boston feels like a lighter, happier place.

 

Slideshow

Tim and I took these photos during Game 6. [slidely src=http://slide.ly/view/e392ef9c6f20a0aee9ebb36ce071c30e]

 

Video of Last Out

Tim took this video with our camera. It is shaky, but gives you a feel for what it was like to sit in the stands. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P6LorEJWK8[/youtube]

What Do You Think?

Did you like the inclusion of video, music, and photos in this post? Would you like to see more one or more of the media types in the future?

Did you follow the World Series? If so, share your memories with a comment.