The Future of Fenway Park

[Gringo]

I'm curious about how people feel about the continuing renovations and tweaking of Fenway, as well as the idea of a new ballpark.

 

I think ultimately, a new ballpark is inevitable, and probably necessary. The club is so linked with the Fenway neighborhood, so ideally, the ballpark would be built near or on the present site. If they tear down Fenway and build on the present site, that would require at least 2 years of home games being played elsewhere, and where would that be? Gillette is the most plausible answer.

 

If they build outside the Fenway area, the waterfront would be the best location, in my opinion. Great downtown location, skyline view, etc.

 

I would not want to see a carbon copy replica Fenway Park, but an entirely different ballpark. No need for a Green Monster, unusual dimensions, etc. I think they'd do well to keep it retro, like Camden Yards, but altogether new, inside and out.

 

The new Yankee (hehe) Stadium is just a boring facsimile of the old one, so it has no identity of it's own. I wouldn't want that to happen here. We'd have to break with the old and forge a new identity for a new, different looking ballpark, including the name. "Pride Park" is a name I like. Hopefully they don't do a corporate name.

 

If they plan on staying put indefinitely, but still want to increase capacity, they should consider adding a second tier of seats above the bleacher seats. They could easily get another 6,000 seats if they did that.

[Reck]

Yeah a new ballpark is badly needed. Fenway Park Stadium is just way outdated.

 

Just dont go the Mets route. That stadium is ridiculously big.

[3rdManOut]

You know a while ago when this issue came up I was soooo against making a new ball park for the Sox. Then they started adding to Fenway and I didnt really love that either. At first I hated the fact that they put seats on the Green Monster but I have grown to like it now.

Now I do think that maybe they should build a new park. I know it would be bigger so the FO would be happy about that because more people mean more money for them. I feel if they are going to do another park though that it should at least keep the Green Monster. I feel thats what seperates us from all the others.

[SoxSport]

Agreed. Time for a new ballpark. Bigger, and outside of Boston. They could make a bundle selling the Fenway real estate, though the market sucks right now.

 

It's a shame they can't buy Landsdowne st (Williams Way, now?). That would do it. The stores across the street won't sell. They are trapped on that tiny space.

[SoxSport]

If they plan on staying put indefinitely' date=' but still want to increase capacity, they should consider adding a second tier of seats above the bleacher seats. They could easily get another 6,000 seats if they did that.[/quote']

 

Must be a problem doing that with the swamp underneath. Seems that's the logical thing to do.

[3rdManOut]

The last time there was any major talk about this there was serious discussion on building in the West End area.

[jacksonianmarch]

I am a standard big guy. I'm 6'2", and weigh in the 240+ range. I'm a touch overweight but not a fatass by any means. And the seats at Fenway suck ass. I watched games now in Arizona and Philly and the seats there are meant for 2011 asses. You actually fit in the seats. Fenway isnt just small in number, it's small in space too. If they cared about the fans, they'd stop shovelling the s*** about the nostalgia of Fenway and build a new stadium

[3rdManOut]

I am a standard big guy. I'm 6'2"' date=' and weigh in the 240+ range. I'm a touch overweight but not a fatass by any means. And the seats at Fenway suck ass. I watched games now in Arizona and Philly and the seats there are meant for 2011 asses. You actually fit in the seats. Fenway isnt just small in number, it's small in space too. If they cared about the fans, they'd stop shovelling the s*** about the nostalgia of Fenway and build a new stadium[/quote']

 

I totally agree with you on that one. Im not really big. Thin, 5-8 and about maybe 160. The seats have been the same since what, maybe day one of opening day in 1912? Just a guess but those seats are feakin tiny and the leg room is non-existant. Saying you feel squished at Fenway is a major understatement. Also the bleechers are not "real bleechers" so to speak under the big black score board. Maybe if they found a way to just increase the size of the seats then things would be ok. Just sayin. :dunno:

[CySox]

I love Fenway Park and I hope they keep it around as long as possible. I've been to 4 other parks in person and seen all of them on TV or in pics, and I think Fenway is by far the coolest park in all of baseball. So what the seats are old, sit on your jacket. No leg room? Stand up whenever something good happens and cheer and stretch in between innings. Plus the unusual dimensions give us a distinct home field advantage over other teams because our outfielders know the park better than any visitor would. And even if the Sox build a new stadium, they should find a way to keep Fenway around as a sort of museum and exhibition game ballpark.

[jacksonianmarch]

Fenway is a historic landmark. It cannot be torn down

[3rdManOut]

To tell you the trueth I dont think they will move Fenway Park at all. Last time I checked, FO plans on staying there for a very very long time. Pluse Bostonians wouldnt allow it to happen.

[La Munson]

Fenway's Fenway, it's pretty cool knowing this is the same place where my extended family went to to see games all the way back to the 1910s. So much history here, simply destroying it would feel so wrong.

 

Everything about it is just so iconic, I would feel like I was watching a Road Game every day if they built a completely new park. It's a good park in it's own right anyway, even if the seats do suck ass.

[a700hitter]

Agreed. Time for a new ballpark. Bigger, and outside of Boston. They could make a bundle selling the Fenway real estate, though the market sucks right now.

 

It's a shame they can't buy Landsdowne st (Williams Way, now?). That would do it. The stores across the street won't sell. They are trapped on that tiny space.

Hey, they haven't even installed my brick yet. A new stadium can wait.

[3rdManOut]

Hey' date=' they haven't even installed my brick yet. A new stadium can wait.[/quote']

 

Ohhhh yeah, I forgot about the individual bricks!!!!!

[VA Sox Fan]

Not a new discussion at all. It's been discussed over and over and over. And no matter what any of us thinks/feels, it's not gonna happen. Next subject......

[jung]

I actually think Sox management is pretty happy where they are. A good part of that sold out string is based on the Sox ability to squeeze out additional seat availability at exactly the rate they want to which keeps their advanced ticket sales very high. I wonder if there is any other team in baseball that generates so much of its ticket revenue before a pitch is ever thrown. From a pure business perspective it is just too sweet a deal to give up.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

They better not do a damn thing to Fenway before I go.

[WhiskeyBreath]

I actually think Sox management is pretty happy where they are. A good part of that sold out string is based on the Sox ability to squeeze out additional seat availability at exactly the rate they want to which keeps their advanced ticket sales very high. I wonder if there is any other team in baseball that generates so much of its ticket revenue before a pitch is ever thrown. From a pure business perspective it is just too sweet a deal to give up.

 

The sellout streak is a joke. It's not legit.

[WhiskeyBreath]

They better not do a damn thing to Fenway before I go.

 

I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. If you plan on going in the next 20+ years or so you will be fine. They have no intentions of doing anything.

[3rdManOut]

Actually you know what they could really do away with, is all the advertisements on the Green Monster. It doesn't look right. They can keep the Jimmy Fund sign up though, thats important.

[SoxSport]

Actually you know what they could really do away with' date=' is all the advertisements on the Green Monster. It doesn't look right. They can keep the Jimmy Fund sign up though, thats important.[/quote']

 

The funny thing is the old Park in the early 1900s had even more advertising signs all over the place in the outfield. It was when Yawkey bought the team and revamped the Park in the early 1930s that the signs were removed.

[3rdManOut]

The funny thing is the old Park in the early 1900s had even more advertising signs all over the place in the outfield. It was when Yawkey bought the team and revamped the Park in the early 1930s that the signs were removed.

 

Oh I know what you mean. I have seen those pictures many times. Back then I know it was very normal to have that. I figured maybe in this time and age it would be distracting to the batter. Then again I know that during day games they section off a small part at the end of the bleachers to prevent that. Its always interesting to me how the park changes every season even if its really tiny.

[Gringo]

Not a new discussion at all. It's been discussed over and over and over. And no matter what any of us thinks/feels' date=' it's not gonna happen. Next subject......[/quote']

 

Well, it's a new discussion for me, cuz I just joined this forum!

 

And I think it WILL happen, (new ballpark) it's just a question of when. Fenway won't stand forever. I give it 20 more years, max.

[redsoxbeatz]

You can't tear down Fenway. That would suck. It's a Boston Landmark. It has an awesone name. If they build a new one it'll be like, "Capital One Park" or "Honey Nut Cheerios Park" something stupid.

[a700hitter]

The sellout streak is a joke. It's not legit.

I have heard this before, but what is not legitimate about it? Are they doing some funny business with ticket brokers and scalpers?

[3rdManOut]

Well, it's a new discussion for me, cuz I just joined this forum!

 

And I think it WILL happen, (new ballpark) it's just a question of when. Fenway won't stand forever. I give it 20 more years, max.

 

I read somewhere that Fenway has another 50 years (at least) to go before the question of really doing something about it is brought up again.

 

You can't tear down Fenway. That would suck. It's a Boston Landmark. It has an awesone name. If they build a new one it'll be like' date=' "Capital One Park" or "Honey Nut Cheerios Park" something stupid.[/quote']

 

Oh God dont get me started on possible new names for a ball park in this area. Lets see here.....

 

Bay State Stadium

West End Park

John Hancock Stadium

Charles River Field

Muddy River Park

 

Hell I dont know.......:dunno:

[WhiskeyBreath]

I have heard this before' date=' but what is not legitimate about it? Are they doing some funny business with ticket brokers and scalpers?[/quote']

 

Ace Ticket. Technically all of the seats are sold, but that's because Ace Ticket has purchased them. Sometimes the broker doesn't resell the ticket and it winds up in the garbage.

[a700hitter]

Ace Ticket. Technically all of the seats are sold' date=' but that's because Ace Ticket has purchased them. Sometimes the broker doesn't resell the ticket and it winds up in the garbage.[/quote']But the tickets are sold, so it's not a scam. There aren't too many empty seats in the place, so Ace must be dumping them at the end to street scalpers for a low price.

 

In the years before Stub Hub and online purchases, the Box Office personnel at some stadiums would run scams with the ticket scalpers. On a day when you knew that the place would be half full, the Box Office would tell you that they they only had Bleachers or Outfield seats. Twenty-five feet away, a couple of dirtbags had fist-fulls of Box seats that they were selling for double the face value. They sold what they could, returned the unsold tickets to the Box Office, and they split the profit. One time at Shea Stadium, the Sunday before the 1994 strike, a scalper tried to sell me 4 Box seats for double the face value. I told him that they would only have about 25,000 fans at the game and I'd buy from the Box Office. He told me. They won't have anything good. He was right. The best available seat was in fair territory in RF. He was in on the scam. The attendance was 28k that day. Shea held 55k+.

[mvp 78]

Recently, I've felt that they really need to move on and build something new. Fenway should remain open as a museum and for exhibitions though.

 

I love Fenway, but seeing a game there is brutal.

[redsoxrules]

Well, that wont happen for as long as Henry and co are running it .