Crawford, Beckett, Valentine and Foolishness!

Posted on January 4, 2012 by fenwaypark100

 Last winter, the Red Sox signed this man, Carl Crawford and agreed to pay him $142,000,000 if he would play baseball for them.

Everyone was very happy around Fenway Park.

 

 

The people who root for this team in Tampa, were not as happy.

 

 

 

That is until Carl started to make these kinds of faces,

 

As the season progressed Carl made more and more of these kinds of faces because things were not going so well.

In fact things went so poorly for Carl and his new team that his manager got fired.

Terry Francona’s Red Sox were 8-0 in two World Series.

This led to the hiring of this man, Bobby Valentine and he went to the same place in Fenway Park where Carl Crawford and everyone were smiling last year. And now he was smiling. That must be Fenway’s happy place.

 This is where it gets a little dicey. You see when Bobby V was at his last job broadcasting for ESPN, he said some things about Carl’s struggles that did not endear him to Mr. Crawford. So he was not smiling to learn that Bobby V was his new boss.

While in that TV booth, Bobby V had a few things to say about this man too. He is Josh Beckett.

 Bobby V suggested that Josh might want to pick up the pace a bit on the mound because he takes a week and a half between pitches. I made that up but he is veeeeeeeeeeeery, shall we say, deliberate. Well that made Josh make this face.

And then when he found out that Bobby V was his new boss, he did this!

 Now it is up to Bobby V to make nice, nice with these two unhappy campers. He called them on the phone and Josh yelled at him for about 15 minutes and then, according to Bobby V, they did in fact make up. But Carl has not returned his phone call. But again, according to Bobby, he did “talk to Carl through his agent”, huh?

 Enter these guys, a sports radio station in Boston. Now these people are zany, obnoxious, overbearing, amusing and can be entertaining. Last week I was in Boston. What was going on in Boston was: the Patriots were preparing for the last football game of the year in which a win would give them top seed for the playoffs, the Celtics opened their season and the Bruins are in the midst of defending their Stanley Cup. Yet everyday, EVERYDAY they were talking about Carl Crawford not returning Bobby V’s phone call! And now Bobby is flying, on a plane, to meet Carl, and Josh at their homes in Texas, I assume to make nice, nice.

Well a word of advice for Mr. Crawford, these people,

appear a bit annoyed with you right now, so I suggest that you make nice, nice with your new boss or in lieu of that, hit .350 in April. That is sure to keep them from turning into this,

 

              And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, January 4, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.” Mark Twain

Posted on January 3, 2012 by fenwaypark100

The Red Sox team of 1911 were 78-75 and finished in third place 24 games behind Connie Mack’s World Champion Philadelphia Athletics. They were the youngest team in the league and if they were going to have a legitimate shot at the 1912 pennant, they were going to have to catch some this,

 And put it in this,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well as luck would have it, they caught it alright, but not only once, but twice! That’s right twice. The first was with a guy named Hugh Bedient and the second with Thomas Joseph “Buck” O’Brien.

 

 

 

First, “Buck” O’Brien. A local kid from Brockton Mass a city about 30 miles southwest of Fenway Park, O’Brien had sparkled in the minor leagues winning, 18, 20 and 26 games in successive years. He was 5-1 with the Red Sox in 1911 and when he arrived for spring training in Hot Springs Arkansas in 1912, he was 30 years old and the oldest member of the pitching staff.

Some of the 1912 Red Sox in Hot Springs in, left to right, Olaf Hendrickson, Larry Gardner, “Buck” O’Brien, Heinie Wagner, Steve Yerkes and Hugh Bradley.

O’Brien’s lightning came in the form of a “spitball” of which he had great command and what “Buck” did in the 1912 season was go 20-13 with a 2.58 ERA. He threw 275 innings and 25 complete games and when Fenway Park was finally opened on April 20, 1912, it was “Buck” who was on the mound.

 History will forever record that it was Thomas Joseph “Buck” O’Brien of Brockton Massachusetts who threw the first pitch in the history of Fenway Park.

 Hugh Carpenter Bedient was a rookie in 1912. He had gained some notoriety when on July 25, 1908 while pitching for the Falconers a semi-pro team in New York, he struck out 42 men in a 23 inning complete game win.

 Bedient went 20-9 for the Red Sox as a rookie, a record that becomes even more impressive when you take into account the fact that he did not make his first start until May 4th of 1912.

 The 22-year-old rookie was the pitching star of the World Series going 1-0 with a 0.50 ERA in 18 innings pitched. He outdueled Christy Mathewson for a 2-1 win in game five and in the deciding match-up he battled “Matty” again and stayed with him for seven innings in a game eventually won by the Red Sox.

Both O’Brien and Bedient would be out of baseball by the end of the 1915 season. O’Brien’s lightning dissipated as the league simply figured out his spitter, for Bedient the end came in the form of a shoulder injury. However, the pages of Fenway Park history will forever tell the tales of two pitchers who in the inaugural year of “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark”, caught lightning in a bottle and used it to help propel the Red Sox to their greatest season in their history!

               And so it was at this time in Fenway Park history, winter 1912.

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“I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.” ~Anaïs Nin

Posted on January 1, 2012 by fenwaypark100

Happy New Year! Welcome to the 100th year of Fenway Park!

Yawkey Way

The old entrance to the business office when Yawkey Way was Jersey Street.

The backdrop to the players parking lot on the corner of, well, you figure it out.

The west end of Van Ness Street. The logos represent the seven World Series won by the Red Sox: 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 2004 and 2007.

The east end of Van Ness Street the numbers are the retired numbers which also occupy the right field facade inside the ball park. They are 1 (Bobby Doerr), 4 (Joe Cronin), 6 (Johnny Pesky), 8 (Carl Yastrzemski), 9 (Ted Williams), 14 (Jim Rice), 27 (Carlton Fisk) and the blue 42 (Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson his number is retired in perpetuity throughout all of major league baseball.)

The far eastern end of Van Ness Street.

Landsdowne Street from far behind the centerfield bleachers.

Landsdowne Street from under the Green Monstah seats! “The Pru” stands guard.

The original brick on Yawkey Way!

She will turn a century this year, 100 years old and she is more beautiful than ever. Now I understand what the poet meant when he said true beauty never fades but grows even more beautiful through time! 

Happy New Year to one and all and may each day be a “planning, a sanctioning, a molding” of your life.

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, January 1, 2012.

 

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“Another Auld Lang Syne.” Dan Fogelberg

Posted on December 31, 2011 by fenwaypark100

We stand on the threshold of yet another year and before 2011 slipped away, I decided to make a visit to one of my lifes true loves!

I took my camera to check in on the old girl and see how she was doing. Afterall she is about to celebrate her 100th birthday you know. There was a bite in the morning air and the sky was that ominous gray that is Boston winter. The wind nibbled at my face but all about me I could hear the whispers of spring.

I could hear its whisper in the voice of the woman from Australia who saw me taking photos on Yawkey Way and paused, shot a few of her own and said simply, “Isn’t this cool?”

I could hear it in the memory of a drizzly October morn of nearly a decade ago when I gathered with my daughter and 3,000,000 others on the streets outside of Fenway; to say thank you to a band of self-proclaimed “idiots” who brought a joy which reverberated down from and through the ages.

I heard it through the wind in a tear filled voice of a 43-year-old man they call “Yaz” who poured his heart out to the Fenway Faithful when he said goodbye in the same manner he had poured his heart on to the field everyday for 23 years.

I heard it past the limbs, creaking in the bluster, in the grateful expressions of a giant of a man who watched his number unveiled allowing Jim Rice to take his place among the immortals.

I heard it in the voices of the families from Montreal, Tallahassee, Italy and the couple from Amsterdam who all came to Fenway in the dead of winter and took photos of and with Ted Williams, his teammates and the kid from the Jimmy Fund.

 And above all I heard it in the echo of my heart and a cacophony of memories of the most enchanting of years when I went with my father to Fenway and watched our Impossible Dream Red Sox capture the American League pennant on the seasons last day! Ah, 1967 truly the most magical, the most mystical the most wonderful year of them all! And I am forevermore amazed at all that year has given me.

Tomorrow I will board a plane and return to the land of sun and sand leaving behind the promise of Spring. On this, the most bittersweet day of the year, I wish for each of you the hope that is that promise.

         And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, the years last, of 2011.

 

 

 

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“You can write him down as one of the two models of ballplaying grace.” Grantland Rice

Posted on December 30, 2011 by fenwaypark100

Tris Speaker was the best player on the Boston Red Sox team of 1912. In fact, in 1912, he was the best player in the league. In fact, Tristram E Speaker was Fenway Park’s first full-blown superstar! In fact, Tris Speaker was a better all around baseball player than Ty Cobb! That’s right, it may seem blasphemous to say that being that Cobb has the best lifetime batting average in history, but Speaker was not that far behind him offensively and defensively Speaker had no match. There are some who will argue his match has yet to be met as a defensive centerfielder! 

Tris Speaker and Ty Cobb.

Born on the plains of Texas, he had three uncles who fought with the Confederacy in the Civil War. He taught himself to throw left-handed after twice breaking his right arm, being bucked off a steer. He hunted, he fished and is said to have taught Will Rogers how to throw a lariat.

After failed attempts to join a professional team, he paid his way to the Red Sox spring training site in Little Rock Arkansas in 1908 and in 1909 he became their regular centerfielder.

 Speaker hit .309 as a rookie and did not dip below .300 until 1919 when he hit .296. The 1910 season brought “Duffy” Lewis and Harry Hooper into the Red Sox outfield and for six seasons the three of them formed what some still call the greatest defensive outfield in history; anchored by Tris Speaker in center!

Lewis, Speaker and Hooper.

In 1912 he led the Red Sox to 105 wins, the American League pennant, and in the World Series deciding game, he tied it in the bottom of the tenth with a two out base hit. He received the “Chalmers Award” as the American League MVP.

After leading the Red Sox to another World Series title in 1915, he was traded to Cleveland just before the start of the 1916 season. A victim of a rift in the clubhouse that believe it or not, centered on religious differences; there was a catholic faction and a protestant faction. Owner Joseph Lannin was an Irish catholic and Tris was Cleveland bound.

He went on to secure his place in history as a player and player-manger with the Indians. As an outfielder he led the league in putouts seven times and assists three times. He still holds the record for outfield assists in a season with 35, he did it twice. And six times he led the league in double plays. At the plate; his .345 lifetime batting average is sixth all time, his 3,514 hits is fifth all time, his .428 on base percentage is 11th all time and his 792 career doubles tops the list! And if all that wasn’t enough, he was the first manager to platoon his lineup!

In 1937 he was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame but his Red Sox roots are not forgotten as he was a charter member of their hall of fame in 1995 and today his banner waves in honor on Van Ness Street outside of Fenway Park, 100 years after he was the MVP!

             And so it was at this time in Fenway Park history, winter 1911.

 

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” Joe Wood was one of the best pitchers I faced over my entire career.” Ty Cobb

Posted on December 29, 2011 by fenwaypark100

There is an axiom in baseball that is as old as the game itself and it is a simple one; great pitching will beat great hitting.” It is a mantra which continues to be uttered and that is simply because it is true. It was true then and it is true today, so it is then apropos that the first player of the 1912 Red Sox we meet, after the manager, is non other than “Smokey” Joe Wood, the ace of the 1912 staff!

Wood first joined the Red Sox as an 18-year-old in 1908 and by the time he was 21 he was the top pitcher on the Red Sox pitching staff. He won 23 games in 1911, the only starter with a winning record, and as it turned out that was but a prelude to brilliance, for brilliant is what Wood was in 1912.

First the simplicity of the numbers; he was 34-5 with a 1.91 ERA! Ponder that for a second, 34-5 with a 1.91 ERA!

Now let’s fill in a few more blanks, his winning percentage was .872. That is the highest winning percentage in history for a pitcher with the most amount of wins in a season and it is the sixth highest win total in the modern era (Since 1901). Since the inception of the American League in 1901, only fourteen pitchers have won 30+ games and they have done it 19 times, none with the complete dominance of Joe Wood in 1912. He led the league with 10 shutouts, only 28 pitchers have thrown 10 or more shutouts in a season. He completed 35 of his 38 starts, to lead the league and he made five relief appearances. He was 3-1 in the 1912 World Series including a win in relief in the championship game.

 

A shoulder injury derailed what would have been a hall of fame career, however despite that he still managed a 117-56 record in eight seasons with the Red Sox. He was purchased by the Indians in the winter of 1917 and when he simply could not pitch anymore, he converted to the outfield and enjoyed five successful seasons there. His best coming in 1922 when he hit .297 with eight home runs and 92 RBI.

 

Red Sox pitcher Bill Monbouquette and “Smokey” Joe share a moment in the Red Sox dugout at Fenway Park in 1962. The Red Sox celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1912 World Championship team. 

The most votes for the Hall of Fame Wood received was 18% in 1946. Although Cooperstown has eluded him, there are those who maintain that when he was healthy, there was nobody better, not Christy Mathewson, not Cy Young, not even Walter Johnson. He was a charter member of the Red Sox hall of fame, elected in 1995.

 One thing is certain; in 1912 “Smokey” Joe Wood had the greatest season any Red Sox pitcher ever experienced, it was true then and it’s true today…..100 years later!

          And so it was at this time in Fenway Park history, the winter of 1911.

 

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Let Us Begin…..Garland “Jake” Stahl

Posted on December 27, 2011 by fenwaypark100

The construction of the  new Fenway Park actually took a break during the holidays of 1911. I thought this might be a good time to introduce the Red Sox of 1912 and get to know them a bit. So drum roll if you please…..Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the 1912 Boston Red Sox as they looked in spring training in Hot Springs Arkansas!

They are: Bottom row, left to right: 1. Steve Yerkes 2. Jack Lewis 3. Duffy Lewis 4. Larry Pape 5. Fred Anderson 6. Eddie Cicotte 7. Tris Speaker 8. Jake Stahl, manager 9. Hick Cady 10. Pinch Thomas 11. Smokey Joe Wood 12. Charley Hall 13. Olaf Henriksen 14. Buck O’Brien 15. Les Numamaker.
Top row, right to left: 16. Quirk 17. Shinn 18. Goodman 19. Jack Bushelman 20. Hugh Bedient 21. Larry Gardner 22. Heinie Wagner 23. Marty Krug 24. Clyde Engle 25. Hugh Bradley 26. Dutch Leonard 27. Bill Carrigan 28. Ray Collins 29. Casey Hagerman

This was their top man. He is Garland “Jake” Stahl and he was the first manager to carry a line up card to home plate at Fenway Park. He also played the bulk of first base as well.

The 33-year-old player manager was the oldest man on the team and he was on his second tenure with the Red Sox, having made his debut with them in 1903. At 6’2″ and 195 lbs, Stahl was one of the early “sluggers” in the American League having led the junior circuit with 10 home runs in 1910. In fact he was so intimidating, he was often thrown at and led the league being plunked, twice.

Stahl had eight hits in the 1912 World Series.

He piloted the Red Sox to their best season in history as they won 105 games in their inaugural Fenway season and went on to win their second World Series; starting a stretch of success that baseball had never seen.

A rift opened up between Stahl and owner Jimmy McAleer during the 1913 season which divided the team into factions; with Bill Carrigan, Duffy Lewis and Heinie Wagner siding with McAleer and Tris Speaker, “Smokey” Joe Wood and Larry Gardner in the managers corner.

Cy Young, Stahl, Bill Carrigan (the man who replaced Stahl) and “Nuf Ced” McGreevey.

The owner won this battle, (don’t they always) and Stahl was replaced with Bill Carrigan half way through the 1913 season. Stahl retired and went on to a very successful banking career and served in the air bombing division in France in WW I. Unfortunately a “nervous breakdown”  in 1920 led to hospitalization during which he contracted tuberculosis which took him in 1922.

His place in Fenway Park history is forever insured as the first Red Sox manager to pilot a team in the confines of what has become “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark”.

             And so it was at this time in Fenway Park history, winter 1911

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A Story of Christmas…..

Posted on December 25, 2011 by fenwaypark100

In the shadow of Fenway Park, there a score or more of restraunts. Elizabeth is a waitress in one of them.

Last week a large family came in to celebrate the engagement of one of the daughters. Shortly into the meal, the betrothed young man came to Elizabeth and handed her his credit card saying “be sure to get me the check please.” “Of course” she replied as she took it, swiped it and got it set to go.

A while into the meal, the betrothed daughter came to Elizabeth and handed her, her credit card. “you’re all set”, Elizabeth said, “your fiance took care of it.” ” I know” replied the woman, “this is for the elderly couple sitting next to us….. We have so enjoyed them and they’ve been married for 60 years and are still in love, and give yourself a 25% tip.”

The family finished first, bid adieu and shortly thereafter the elderly couple asked for their check. ” You’re all set” Elizabeth told them, the engaged couple paid for your dinner.” Tears came to the eyes of the woman as she asked Elizabeth, “did you get a tip”? “Everything is all set” she reiterated, “you have a Merry Christmas.” As the woman was dabbing her eyes her husband reached across the table and tenderly took her hand, “let’s go payoff someone’s layaway at Target.” The woman smiled and they got up, wished Elizabeth a Merry Christmas. The man helped her put on her coat, took her hand and they left.

And so it is this Christmas morn…..Pass it on

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“All I want for Christmas is you” Mariah Carey

Posted on December 23, 2011 by fenwaypark100

And so this is Christmas…..

 and for all of you who have a “you”, revel with them in Christmas joy. For those of you who are without a special “you” revel with your blessings in Christmas joy. And for those of you who have a “you” and time and/or circumstance keep you apart, revel in the Christmas joy of what you have shared and what awaits.

I have some thoughts, wishes and hopes for this Fenway Park Christmas, first for the Ghost of Christmas Past,

a simple thank you for the moments of joy this wonderful place has brought to me. All those special times I have been part of the Fenway Faithful and been a witness to history. And all begun by that first trip, to Fenway holding my daddy’s hand, thanks Dad!

For the Ghost of Christmas Present,

That in the 2012 season the song Dirty Water plays at the end of 60 Fenway Park Games. That will mean that if the Red Sox win 46 games on the road, they will win 106 games and set a new team record which was established in 1912, how about that!?!

That Luis Clemente Tiant will take his rightful place in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame while he still lives and breathes. Then “El Tiante’s” number 23 could take its rightful place on Fenway’s right field facade.

That baseball does away with: interleague play, the DH and the unbalanced schedule. Oh and I wouldn’t mind being present at Fenway for a no-hitter either.

For the Ghost of Christmas Future,

That the museum quality of the outside of Fenway Park continues to flourish and grow. More bronze for those “extra special” players, Yastrzemski and Rice come to mind and then someday Pedro as well. Maybe even the Babe hurling a pitch in a Red Sox uniform.

That my grandchildren will take their kids to Fenway Park and tell them that their great-great-grandfather and their great grandfather went to games there.

And above all,

That those grandchildren will always view the world with the wonder their eyes behold on this Christmas morn.

A very Merry Christmas to all……

            And so it is on this Christmas Day in Fenway Park history, 2011.

 

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“The curse is done, it’s over, Ted’s going to chase it away.” Franc Talarico to a Boston TV reporter on April 16, 2004

Posted on December 23, 2011 by fenwaypark100

Christmas morning came for me on Friday April 16, 2004 as I stood on Van Ness Street and chuckled to myself watching the gathering of dignitaries ready to participate in this historic event.

Hank Evanish (benefactor), Franc Talarico (sculptur) and Red Sox owner Larry Lucchino chat before the ceremonies.

Once again, Franc’s graciousness had me along for the ride. He had taken to introducing me as his “consultant” and as time passes I am increasingly humbled and will be grateful evermore by that thought.

Franc made his way through the crowd meeting new folks and renewing acquaintances.

Franc talking with Dave McCarthy (center) the executive director of the Ted Williams Museum and Bobby Doerr.

He was interviewed by a Boston TV reporter and I was amused when he pronounced that “the curse was over”! He actually said that!  He said Ted was going to chase it away! Now I was never one to buy into all that curse nonsense for two basic reasons; one, it was nonsense and second, I couldn’t see the likes of Babe Ruth with his heart and love for the game, cursing anyone or anything. However, it was interesting and amusing that Franc, recognized the pall which seemed to hang over Fenway and on that chilly April morn in 2004 proclaimed it over. And the funny part is, we all know what happened six months later!

Everyone gathered as the time for the unveiling drew near. Several people spoke and Franc was introduced to the crowd.

Franc is applauded by from left to right, Larry Luchinno, Mayor Tom Menino, Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky.

The statue was unveiled by  Hank Evanish, the man who set everything in motion, Johnny Pesky, Mayor Menino and Bobby Doerr.

Franc, Larry Luchinno (behind him), Hank, Johnny Pesky, the Mayor and Bobby Doerr, minutes after the statue was unveiled.

And it was not long before the people began to observe and mingle.

The Red Sox played the Yankees that night and pummeled them. Eight years later Ted joined himself on Van Ness Street as “The Teammates” statue was unveiled celebrating the very special relationship of Ted, Johnny Pesky, Dom Dimaggio and Bobby Doerr.

When Fenway Park celebrates its 100th birthday in April, it will mark the eighth anniversary of the unveiling of the Ted Williams Jimmy Fund statue.

For eight years, Ted has been standing watch over Fenway and when all is said and done, that is as it should be. For through the litany of the games very best who have called Fenway Park home: from Speaker and Ruth, to Grove and Foxx, to Yastrzemski, Fisk and Rice and into today Ted Williams is the once and forever face of the Boston Red Sox. He now stands forevermore with his teammates and his kids, his Jimmy Fund kids! And all due to the vision and generosity of Hank Evanish and the heart, mind and hands of Franc Talarico.

 

Hank, Ted and Franc.

                 And so it was on this date in Fenway Park history, April 16, 2004. 

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