Kevin Millar and Pedro Martinez served as toastmasters for the 100th birthday celebration of Fenway Park. (AP)

Pedro Martinez once again brought a jolt of electricity to Fenway Park with his presence, as his entry onto the field through the tunnel in center field drew one of the most emotional reactions of the day from the crowd, with the three-time Cy Young winner returning the affection by pointing to several parts of the park to express his affection for the place of his most lasting baseball memories.

Few players have ever had the affair with Fenway Park that Martinez did. Indeed, as Martinez noted, he is one of the few Red Sox stars who left town as a free agent yet continued to be a beloved figure in the city and region.

“I don’t want to curse this — and I don’t think I can anymore, because I’m not going to be playing anymore, and my love for Boston is always going to be in my heart,” Martinez prefaced. “I might be the only player that has gone away from Boston and still had the same support from the fans. Gone and being here, has the same support I got. I’m very privileged to the be that player that was never booed and never left a sour grape in Boston.”

That being the case, the pitcher’s affinity for Boston and for Fenway Park remains undampened, as fresh now as it was during the seven seasons he spent with the Sox from 1998-2004. The Sox recognized that in selecting Martinez (along with Kevin Millar, another member of the iconic 2004 team that claimed the first Red Sox World Series in 86 years) to deliver the pre-game toast to Fenway Park. After the toast, Martinez described the magic that he feels inside of the ballpark that celebrated its 100th birthday on Friday.

“My feeling is unique toward Fenway, unique toward the city, unique in every aspect. Fenway has a way that you can’t find it anywhere else,” said Martinez. “You might find [it in] Chicago, with a little bit of tradition. But when it comes to Fenway, there’s nothing you can compare it to. I have been in many other fields and I have been all around the leagues, played in the National League, too. Even the old Yankee Stadium, there’s nothing that can be compared to Fenway. It must be the closeness that the stadium gives you. If you messed it up, you’re going to hear it. They’re going to let you know. And you can hear it. The same way when you do something good for Boston, you’re going to hear it and they’re going to embrace you. You’re going to feel, sometimes, people breathing close to you. That’s how close they are to you at Fenway. Fenway’s the only stadium that can give you that. Fenway becomes a unique place, and it should remain that way.” Read the rest of this entry »

Fenway Park in 1946 (AP)

It is an extraordinary day in the life of a ballpark, as Fenway Park prepares to become the first American sports venue to observe its 100th birthday. It is a day when an address and a building will relegate to parentheses the two big league teams with the largest payrolls (the Yankees and Red Sox).

“It’s the baseball land of Oz,” Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said of the ballpark that he now calls home. “People dream about this place.”

Valentine recalled how, when he visited Fenway as the manager of the Rangers (in the ’80s and early ’90s) and again with the Mets (who came to Fenway for interleague games between 1997-2002, when Valentine was their skipper) that Fenway Park felt “old.” No longer, he suggested. The park has undergone renewal and feels vital, no more so than on Thursday, when over 54,000 fans came to the open house to wander through the park and connect with its many nooks and crannies.

“I would say that this ballpark has created as many memories for people in this area and around the world as any venue in the world,” said Valentine. “Today, there’ll be a memory created for me and everybody else who’s here today.”

As for the nuts and bolts of the Red Sox roster…

– The Red Sox gave some thought to having Jon Lester start on Sunday, which would have been the scheduled day for Daniel Bard to start. However, the Sox are going to stick with Bard as the scheduled starter for Sunday night (a day with heavy rain in the forecast) with Lester slated for Monday. A couple factors weigh into that. Part of the equation is the desire to keep Bard on a regular starter’s routine as he adjusts to his new role. More significant, however, was the fact that Lester required 80 pitches for just two-plus innings in his most recent start on Tuesday, and the Sox wanted him to have an extra day of rest.

“Throwing 80 pitches in two innings, that’s like throwing 150 pitches in eight, or more. It might even be more strenuous,” said Valentine. “To have him throw a bullpen yesterday, I don’t think that was the proper thing to do. I think that extra day of rest is exactly what he needs at this time. It’s a combination. I think if it was a rainout, it would be a much bigger, easier situation.”

– Left-hander Andrew Miller, coming off an outing on Thursday in which he threw just 20 of 50 pitches for strikes, will remain in Triple-A Pawtucket. He will no longer work on scheduled days, but instead be used whenever PawSox manager Arnie Beyeler sees fit. Read the rest of this entry »

Fenway Sports Management announced Wednesday that the English soccer team Liverpool will play the Italian club AS Roma at Fenway Park on July 25 as a part of Liverpool’s preseason North American tour.

Liverpool is owned by Fenway Sports Group, and the group’s principal owner, John Henry, said he is excited about the opportunity for Liverpool to play at the iconic ballpark.

“During its 100-year history, Fenway Park has hosted some of the best in athletic competition, and a match between Liverpool and AS Roma — two of the world’s most well-known and respected clubs — is an appropriate way to help celebrate Fenway’s 100th anniversary and showcase our ballpark to an international audience,” Henry said in a press release.

Liverpool last traveled to the United States in 2004 for a tour that included games in Connecticut, New Jersey and Toronto. The club’s 2012 North American tour will begin in July and will last 12 days, with the team playing at least two matches in that time.

The match will be a part of Fenway’s 100th anniversary celebration. Tickets for the event go on sale April 28. More information can be found at lfctour.com.

For several years, the Red Sox have drafted talented, athletic high school players with potentially significant upside even in the face of what many consider to be strong commitments to fulfill college scholarships. Players who are considered unsignable by some organizations are not viewed in that fashion by the Sox for a couple of reasons.

The first is fairly obvious: Money. The Sox spend aggressively to sign players away from their college scholarship offers (whether in baseball or multiple sports) based on their view of what they can become. There is risk in that proposition (many never pan out), but there can also be a significant payoff when players like Ryan Kalish or Will Middlebrooks or Anthony Rizzo emerge as top prospects.

The second one, however, is a more distinctive sales pitch. The Sox, who often must compete not just with college baseball coaches but also, in the case of two-sport athletes, renowned college football coaches if they are to sell an 18-year-old on turning pro, dig in with their own recruiting pitch.

“We do have an awesome sales pitch, and that’s Fenway Park and the Boston Red Sox. We’re extremely fortunate to be in an organization where there’s a commitment to player development and scouting, but also the end product is the most storied ballpark in all of baseball and probably in all of sports – the Mecca,” Sox amateur scouting director Amiel Sawdaye noted early this year. “You walk into Fenway Park and you envision pitching on the mound or hitting a ball off the Monster, trying to reach the red seat in right field. Read the rest of this entry »

Zdeno Chara, Tim Thomas and the rest of the 2011 Stanley Cup champion Bruins were paraded around the warning track for 10 minutes prior to Sunday’s Red Sox game against the Brewers.

Chara and Thomas were on the lead duck boat of four that were in the processional that began by entering through the center field wall about 15 minutes before first pitch.

Chara was holding up the Stanley Cup for nearly the entire time during the procession around Fenway.

After making one round around Fenway, the players departed in the center field triangle and made their way to the infield with the Stanley Cup, in addition to the Eastern Conference trophy and the Conn Smythe trophy, earned by Thomas as the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoff run.

The pre-game ceremony was capped off by all members of the Bruins throwing simultaneous first pitches to the Red Sox players, who stood in a line from dugout to dugout behind home plate.

The Red Sox issued a press release announcing ticket prices for the 2011 season. The team said that ticket prices in 16 categories of seats would remain the same, while approximately 30 percent of seats will be increased by no more than $5 a ticket. Overall, the team announced, prices for tickets will rise by 2 percent, which the team described as the second-lowest increase of the last 16 years (trailing only 2009, when the team froze ticket prices).

Here is the complete release:

The Boston Red Sox today announced prices for tickets available to the general public at Fenway Park for the 2011 regular season, and for 2011 Spring Training games, with prices held at 2010 levels on most categories of tickets.

2011 regular season ticket prices will be held at 2010 price levels in 17 categories of Fenway Park tickets: Green Monster Seats; Budweiser Right Field Roof Deck; Pavilion Box; Left Field Pavilion Reserved; Right Field Box; Right Field Roof Box; Right Field Roof Terrace; Outfield Grandstand; Bleachers; Upper Bleachers; General Standing Room; Pavilion Standing Room; Coca-Cola Corner Pavilion Standing Room; Right Field Roof Box Standing Room; Right Field Roof Terrace Standing Room; Budweiser Right Field Roof Deck Standing Room and Green Monster Standing Room.

Approximately 30% of tickets, all of which are located in three prime infield ticket categories, will see a modest increase for the 2011 season, with no single price category increasing by more than $5. The overall average price increase for all tickets is 2%, which represents the lowest percentage increase over the past 16 seasons with the exception of the 2009 season when the team implemented a price freeze across the board in all ticket categories. In 2011, 63% of the tickets throughout Fenway Park will be $55 or less, with the lowest bleacher ticket price remaining at $12.

Designated prime infield seat locations within three categories of Fenway Park – the Field Box, Loge Box and Infield Grandstands – will undergo increases of $5, $4 and $3 respectively. Prices for more than 4,700 seats in those three sections will be held at 2010 levels.
2011 Spring Training Game prices for all tickets available to the general public will be held at 2010 levels. The Red Sox implemented an across the board freeze on all Spring Training ticket prices for games at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, FL, in 2009 and repeated the measure in 2010. 2011 marks the fifth time in six years that ticket prices for games at City of Palms Park have remained unchanged. The 2011 Spring Training schedule and ticket on-sale date will be announced in the coming weeks.

“We are extremely fortunate that Red Sox Nation continues to support this team year after year, and it is because of this tremendous and consistent support that we can continue to invest at significant levels in the ballclub and on the ballpark. As we look beyond 2010 to next season, we are committed to intensifying our efforts and focusing our resources to bring post-season baseball back to Fenway Park,” said Larry Lucchino, President/CEO. “This offseason we also enter the tenth and final year of major annual improvements to Fenway Park, which have been significantly supported over the years by ticket revenue. For that, we thank our fans for their key role in preserving and improving Fenway Park. The total, overall investment to preserve and protect Fenway Park over the last decade, approximately $285 million, has greatly enhanced the fan experience and will ensure Red Sox baseball can be played at Fenway Park for future generations.”

“The Boston Red Sox fans are the most loyal in all of Major League Baseball, and we are constantly mindful of this as we make decisions that will have an impact on the Club, Fenway Park, and our fans. After considerable evaluation, we decided to implement a small increase on a limited number of prime tickets for the 2011 season – the second lowest percentage increase over the past 16 seasons,” said Sam Kennedy, Executive Vice President/COO. “Over the last few years, we have taken steps to slow the growth of season ticket and individual game ticket prices in efforts to ensure the Fenway Park experience is a viable option for as many citizens of Red Sox Nation as possible.”

Distribution methods for Green Monster and Budweiser Deck tickets will be announced after the New Year, in accordance with past practice, and will be designed to make these popular seats available to as many different people as possible. Pricing for premium seating in 2011 will vary and be based on longer term contracts entered into several years ago. The Red Sox special discount programs for Active Duty Military and Clergy will continue unchanged in 2011.

Fans’ first opportunity to purchase tickets for the 2011 season will be the annual, all-day “Christmas at Fenway” presented by Stop & Shop on Saturday, December 11. Additional details for this traditional and popular holiday event will be released in the near future.

New Hi-Definition scoreboards are a key element of the Year X Fenway Park improvements. (ANC Sports)

The Red Sox announced their planned Year X Fenway Park Offseason Improvements, which will complete a 10-year cycle of “major, annual improvement projects” commenced when the current ownership group took over the team for the 2002 season. Most notably, the team will feature three new Hi-Definition video boards and scoring systems.

The Sox will also repair and waterproofing as well as the seat replacement of the Right Field lower seating bowl. Existing Dugout, Field Box and Loge Box seats will be replaced by new seats with cup holders on a new concrete base. Dugout and Field Box seats will also be padded.

“This is the last year of a ten-year series of improvements to Fenway Park that has given this venerable old ballpark new life,” Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino said in a press release. “With more seats and more standing room, wide open concourses, a reinforced structure, new and improved restroom facilities, and many more food and beverage options for our fans, Fenway Park remains vibrant and appealing leading up to its 100th Anniversary in 2012.”

Here is the full press release announcing the improvements:

RED SOX ANNOUNCE YEAR X FENWAY PARK IMPROVEMENTS

BOSTON, MA — The Boston Red Sox today announced Year X Fenway Park Improvements to “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.” Three new state-of-the-art High Definition video display and scoring systems, upgrades to the Gate D concourse including new and extended concession areas, and the repair, waterproofing and seat replacements of the lower seating bowl in Right Field highlight the 2011 list.

This off-season will mark the final year of major annual improvements to the ballpark, thus completing a ten-year plan. This year’s effort fulfills a pledge made by ownership upon acquisition of the club, and reaffirmed in 2005, to improve every facet of the ballpark, while preserving and protecting the ballpark for future generations. The improvements completed at Fenway Park over the past ten years have been designed to ensure that the park will remain structurally sound, and the home of the Boston Red Sox, for the next 30-40 years.

With a 2010-2011 off-season investment estimated at $40 million, the investment for the 10 year program is estimated to total approximately $285 million, the largest investment in the history of the almost 99-year old iconic ballpark.

“This is the last year of a ten-year series of improvements to Fenway Park that has given this venerable old ballpark new life,” said Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino. “With more seats and more standing room, wide open concourses, a reinforced structure, new and improved restroom facilities, and many more food and beverage options for our fans, Fenway Park remains vibrant and appealing leading up to its 100th Anniversary in 2012.”

New High Definition Video Display and Scoring Systems

Three new High Definition video display and scoring systems will be installed this off-season at Fenway Park and will represent a significant upgrade over the existing scoreboards. The Red Sox selected ANC Sports to install three new state-of-the-art Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision™ light emitting diode (LED) video screens.

The largest of the three screens, measuring approximately 38 feet high by 100 feet wide, will be the main video board in centerfield and replace the existing elements of the structure above the bleachers in centerfield, which was originally constructed prior to the 1976 season. This main scoreboard structure includes a 23 feet high by 30 feet wide video screen installed after the 1999 season, the black and white statistical display, 60 feet of LED ribbon and the static rotational sponsor signs. This screen will have the ability to provide approximately 3800 square feet of dynamic video capabilities in a variety of formats.

Driven by ANC’s patent-pending VisionSOFT™ operating system, the new main video screen above the centerfield bleachers will be able to mimic the look of the old rotational sponsor signs or dissolve into various formats such as full-screen live video, game action accompanied by real-time statistics, sponsor graphics partnered with the box scores or any combination of visuals and game information.

Two additional Diamond Vision displays will also be installed on either side of the main screen. The existing Bank of America hitters and pitchers board in left center field will turn into a 17 feet high by 100 feet wide video screen with a new illuminated Bank of America sign atop the board. A third video screen, 16 feet high by 30 feet wide, will connect the Ford and Dunkin Donuts sponsor signs above the bleachers in right field. These Diamond Vision video systems will prominently feature real-time information such as batter and pitcher stats, pitch speed and type, box scores, promotions, announcements, upcoming schedules and other messaging.

“We are excited to partner with the Red Sox to enhance the fan experience at Fenway Park through our state-of-the-art signage technology,” said Jerry Cifarelli, President and Chief Executive Officer of ANC Sports Enterprises. “ANC’s revolutionary software system combined with Mitsubishi Electric’s Diamond Vision LED displays will entertain Red Sox fans with visuals as clear as their High Definition televisions at home while providing comprehensive and informative game information.”

All three signage positions will feature the Diamond Vision X8 Outdoor Video Screen. This state-of-the-art display features vibrant images through Mitsubishi Electric’s dynamic pixel processing which creates 8mm lines of resolution.

Other sports facilities where ANC Sports has installed Mitsubishi Electric High Definition video display systems include AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA; Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX; Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.; Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD; Turner Field in Atlanta, GA; U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, IL and Yankee Stadium in New York, NY.

Other Improvements Planned for 2011

Additional work being planned for this off-season includes the concrete repair, waterproofing, and seat replacements of the Right Field lower seating bowl originally constructed in 1933-34. This will mark the completion of the repair and waterproofing of the entire lower seating bowl, a project started with the Bleachers in 2007 and continued with the original 1912 bowl in 2008 and the 1933-34 Left Field seating bowl in 2009.

Existing Dugout, Field Box and Loge Box seats will be replaced by new seats with cup holders on a new concrete base. Dugout and Field Box seats will also be padded. As in previous years, Grandstand seats in Right Field will be refurbished and fitted with self-rising mechanisms that enable the seat to retract automatically once a patron stands up. This will allow for more room in the seating rows and improved mobility for fans entering or exiting the rows.

Other projects underway include new and expanded concession and merchandise stands in the Gate D area and a repaired and upgraded ground level concourse stretching from Gate D to Gate C that will include utility upgrades, new concrete concourse flooring and life safety improvements.

All off-season improvements were designed by D’Agostino Izzo & Quirk of Somerville, MA, and overseen by Ipswich Associates of Boston, MA, who will serve as the Program Manager. The concrete repair work will be completed by NER Construction of Wilmington, MA. The General Contractor for the off-season projects will be Walsh Brothers of Boston, MA.

Fenway Park Improvements 2002-2011:

Fenway Park has undergone a series of annual improvements since the New England Sports Ventures (NESV) purchased the team in 2002. The group assembled by John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino was the only candidate vying for ownership of the ballclub that proposed to save and improve Fenway Park, America’s oldest and smallest ballpark. The team has since focused on a series of improvements, with goals of increasing capacity by at least 10%; improving fan amenities such as concessions, restrooms and entry points; ADA accessibility and circulation including elevators and stairs; and, also improving the ballpark exterior with new year-round restaurants, wider sidewalks, street trees and lighting.

Most notable among these improvements are:

2002: New Dugout Seats; Yawkey Way Concourse.
2003: Green Monster Seats; Big Concourse; Expanded Dugout Seats; New Green Monster Manual Scoreboard.
2004: Right Field Roof Deck; Third Base Concourse.
2005: First Base Deck; ‘Game On’ Restaurant; New Playing Field
2006: EMC Club; State Street Pavilion Level; Renovated Private Suites; Distributed Sound System
2007: Steiner Third Base Deck; Renovated Private Suites
2008: Expansion of Seating on State Street Pavilion Level, Coca-Cola Corner; Concrete Repair and Waterproofing of Bleachers and new seats; ‘The Bleacher Bar’.
2009: Right Field Roof Box Expansion; Concrete Repair and Waterproofing of the original 1912 Seating Bowl and new seats; Repairs to the Jeano Building, including the replacement of its roof and restoration of the windows and doors; New Front Row Seats.
2010: Concrete Repair and Waterproofing of the 1933-34 left Field Lower Seating Bowl; New Home Plate Deck, Concession Stands and Restrooms.