Talk:Fenway Park

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Contents 1 "Pesky’s Pole" 2 Pudge's Pole vs. Fisk's Pole 3 View from the top 4 No mention of the distance from Home Plate to the Pitcher's Mound? 5 Right Field Roof Seats 6 Joseph A. Boucher 7 Cameras in Fenway 8 New Photos 9 Nickname Reference 10 New York Times

[edit] "Pesky’s Pole"

I do not know why the last sentence that keeps getting deleted by various people is put back (bold is the disputed phrasing):

In similar fashion, Mark Bellhorn hit what proved to be the game-winning homer in Game 1 of the 2004 World Series off that pole's (miked) screen, and TV announcer Tim McCarver said the resulting twang was "the worst sound I ever heard."

First, the pole was miked for the TV audience, it is not piped into the stadium to my knowlege and typically is not miked during the season. Second, the sound was extraordinary only at the time people were watching the game, I highly doubt that you could find many people who even remember the sound especially of Red Sox fans. Thirdly, I did hear the sound and I don't think that the sound was very special. Fourth, just because some TV announcer said that its the worst sound he's heard (which I highly doubt) does not hold water for being an important feature/event of Fenway Park. Assawyer 09:44, October 26, 2005 (UTC)

• Whether that fact is interesting or not is merely a matter of your opinion, which overrides all others. Wahkeenah 14:50, 26 October 2005 (UTC)
• You are correct, but I do not think the information about the sound of the pole is interesting. I also do not think others, except you, think it is a notable fact. Merely using the words of Tim McCarver to give your opinion more "credibility" does not make it an interesting fact. Assawyer 15:24, 26 October 2005 (UTC)
• My quoting McCarver was only intended as illustration, not to push a viewpoint, in fact I was rooting for the Red Sox and thought the sound was awesome. Meanwhile, although "Pesky's Pole" is a part of Fenway lore, I challenge you to show me the poll (!) numbers on how many think "Fisk's Pole" is "interesting" (aside from Mrs. Fisk, that is). Wahkeenah 15:48, 26 October 2005 (UTC)
• "Fisk's Pole" is interesting fact for two reasons:

1. Fenway Park named it after Carlton Fisk, a hall of famer, thus it is a specific feature of the park which is used to describe the left field foul pole.

1. In the paragraph about the pole it states that in the 12th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series against the Reds, Fisk hit a pitch down the left field line. "Fisk ... famously jumped and waved his arms as if to somehow will the ball fair. It ricocheted off the foul pole, winning the game for the Red Sox and sending the series to a seventh..."

Thus, the pole is named in memory of an important Red Sox who was involved in a memorable TV and photographic moment when the game was tied and the Red Sox needed to win the game to send it to Game 7. I hope that clears things up for you. Assawyer 18:37, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

• I remember it well. I think it was Dick Stockton who made the call on TV: "If it stays fair it's gone! ... Home run!" It would be considerably more memorable if it had been Game 7. My favorite moment from Game 7 (which was a bummer otherwise) was when Curt Gowdy made the statement about the Red Sox that "Their future is ahead of them!" Meanwhile, if you don't think the shock of Bellhorn's homer and the screeching sound of the foul-pole screen make a good metaphor for what was happening to LaRussa's team (and not for the first time), then maybe you should take up Chartered Accountancy, where no right-brained thinking is required. Wahkeenah 18:58, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Pudge's Pole vs. Fisk's Pole

Does anyone know which one it actually is, if either? Also, I have to wonder about how Pesky and Fisk feel about the public constantly talking about their "poles". Seems kind of crude, if you ask me. d:) Wahkeenah 14:41, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

I put a ref to the Boston Globe article that says it's Fisk Pole. The Globe is a pretty common standard for New England sports info. The Google test isn't very helpful; 276 for "Fisk pole", 444 for "Fisk's pole", 278 for "Pudge pole", and 198 for "Pudge's pole". They're all too close to really be decisive, and most of those hits are informal blogs and bulletin boards. The wikipedia article on Carlton Fisk calls it the Fisk Pole, and I'll go along with the Boston Globe unless someone has an official source from the Sox that says otherwise. Kafziel 15:24, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

I would like to know if fans actually call it that, or if it's just a P.R. invention. Wahkeenah 15:29, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Seems like there are two camps: The "isn't that nice" group, and the "that's retarded and there's no way I'm calling it that" group. It will take some time for it to fully catch on, but I'm sure it took time with Pesky's pole, too. Kafziel 15:53, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Well, that raises the next question - does anybody beside the press call it the "Pesky pole"? The average fan would be about the age of Pesky's grandchildren. For that matter, I'm sure a lot of them don't recall Game 6 in 1975 either, although they would have seen it on video many times. Wahkeenah 16:02, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

I can't comment on what the locals say (I'm a New Yorker) but I've always heard it referred to as such. It's certainly more notable than "Williamsburg", "the Belly", or "Duffy's cliff". I think the name transcends age, though; Sox fans, like Yankee fans, have a long memory. Kafziel 17:09, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

I daresay all of them are press inventions. I'm not trying to say they aren't legitimate, just that the fans don't likely talk about them that much, it's just part of the "lore". Babe Ruth's pals all called him "George" or some variation, but he was still "Babe" to the public. I imagine Red Sox writers have some term for the Great Comeback of 2004, also, and I'm sure you Yankees fans have a different name for it. In any case, the last time the Red Sox had beaten the Yankees when it really counted was 1904, so it's clear that the Red Sox get the best of the Yankees at least once per century. Thus, fans of the Yankees have a long memory in a good way (26 championships or whatever it is), whereas the memories of Red Sox fans (and also Cubs fans, like me) are long in a way similar to that of citizens of the Confederacy... would like to forget, but just can't! Wahkeenah 17:43, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

The official name is the "Fisk Foul Pole" as officially recognized by the Boston Red Sox. [1] I will change the official name in the article and those can add any informal names along with the official name if it is warranted. --Assawyer 21:33, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Bingo! Now, what's the official name, if any for the "Pesky Pole"? Wahkeenah 22:33, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] View from the top

User:Sean 86 just posted a picture showing the view from the top of the Green Monster. It's interesting in its own way, but I think the huge white tarp over the infield is a little bit jarring. I have a very similar picture, here, that is considerably less sharp but shows a bit more of the stadium and shows the infield. At that size I think the sharp focus is negligible, but I didn't think it would be right to replace his pic with my pic on my own, so I thought I would leave it to the community to decide. Kafziel 01:37, 4 May 2006 (UTC) By the way, I do think Sean86's picture and a section about dealing with rain would be a good addition to the baseball article.

[edit] No mention of the distance from Home Plate to the Pitcher's Mound?

I thought this distance was different for Fenway. User:192.156.110.34 13:41, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

• 60 feet 6 inches, like every other baseball field. It better be, anyway. Although I'm sure many Red Sox pitchers have wished it were shorter. Wahkeenah 16:45, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

It is 60' 6" according to the MLB Rule Book:

1.07 The pitcher’s plate shall be a rectangular slab of whitened rubber, 24 inches by 6 inches. It shall be set in the ground as shown in Diagrams 1 and 2, so that the distance between the pitcher’s plate and home base (the rear point of home plate) shall be 60 feet, 6 inches.

--Assawyer 00:22, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Right Field Roof Seats

As a Fenway Frequenter, I know no one calls them the "Budweiser" Seats. They are called "Right Field Roof" on the tickets, on the website and by the fans.

[edit] Joseph A. Boucher

I've always heard that Boucher, a construction engineer from Albany, switched allegiance from the Yankees to the Red Sox after Williams hit him in the head? Can this be verified?

That is part of a story that is told to people while on the fenway park tour when they explain the lone red seat in the bleachers so i am not sure how much of the story is true if at all

[edit] Cameras in Fenway

Hi... does anyone know if they allow you to bring a camera into Fenway? I've got an 8mpx camera, and I'll be going there soon, and, if I can, will take pictures and upload them here. But I don't want to waste time having to bring it back to the hotel and then miss the 1st inning... aido2002 10:35, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

As far as I know, every Major League park permits cameras, as long as you're not recording and/or re-broadcasting the game. If you're just taking souvenir-type shots for yourself, you're fine. Don't bring tripods or bulky stuff, but I don't think you'll have a problem. I was just there last weekend, and they didn't say anything about mine. Also, if you get there early, you'll have a better shot at getting access to the lower levels near the field. Close to game time, and during, the ushers get pretty strict about needing a ticket to be down in those sections. Have fun. -- dakern74 (talk) 15:06, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

Thanks a lot. I have to get there at least two hours early, to pick up my tickets, so I'll be be able to get plenty of great shots. aido2002 00:25, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] New Photos

As I said I would in the previous post, I went to Fenway and got losts of great photos... the best of which I uploaded to Flickr, www.flickr.com/photos/aido2002, with a CC Artibution-Share Alike liscense. Feel free to look at hem, upload those I haven't, but be sure to atribute me. :) aido2002 06:53, 10 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Nickname Reference

I just added a reference to support the nickname of "America's Most Beloved Ballpark", since a {{fact}} tag was added to it recently. I'm not sure the reference is really necessary, since a bit of Google searching turns up little to no references to the phrase that don't refer to Fenway Park. If anyone can find anything a bit more official than the one I listed, feel free - the phrase is used multiple times on the Red Sox official site, but it's not really an official statement of "this is the nickname of the park" anywhere. Seems good enough to me, though. —Krellis 00:44, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Agreed I didn't believe that needed to be sourced at all because it is a slogan, not a claim. In any event, good job. -- No Guru 01:18, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

It's strictly advertising hype. I could make a good case for both Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium. Wahkeenah 05:05, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Actually, it is a claim, and fans of nearly every other team would disagree. Moreso, a link to the Red Sox's website that uses it as marketing speak does not satisfy a citation. Wrigley Field is "The Friendly Confines" not "The Most Friendly Confines." Surely there is another nickname that Red Sox fans use to refer to Fenway Park that is not a marketing slogan? — Linnwood 17:53, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

"The Friendly Confines" is a phrase coined by Ernie Banks, which has grown into a marketing hype of its own (following up on "Beautiful Wrigley Field", which was an "official" team slogan used for ads in the 40s, 50s and 60s), yet I have seldom heard actual Cubs fans call it that, so maybe it's about as equally "valid" as the Red Sox's claim. It's about as valid as calling the Braves "America's Team", when in reality, the Yankees probably have more fans than any other ball club. Meanwhile, I expect what most Boston fans call Fenway is "the ballpahk". Wahkeenah 20:03, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] New York Times

The template about the New York Times company and its corporate information at the bottom is a little weird. (There is no reference in the text of the article that the Times Co. owns part of the park or the Red Sox.) Even weirder is that another asset of the the Times Company listed is "Metro Boston" (linking to a geography article about greater Boston and its suburbs.) I speculate that it actually means the Boston edition of the "Metro" newspaper. Or perhaps it is all vandalism.18.56.0.43 06:19, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

Not vandalism. The New York Times owns 17 percent of the holding company that owns the Red Sox and Fenway Park [2]. Dave6 ^talk 06:36, 23 February 2007 (UTC)