By: Mark Harriman, Senior Editor
BOSTON (April 19) – No matter your stance on Fenway Park -save it forever or knock it down yesterday- you can’t deny that tomorrow is a special day in Boston.
In case you haven’t heard the constant flogging by the resident Red Sox and its captive NESN -as well as the ubiquitous merch being hawked by bricks and mortar and cyber retailers alike, Fenway Park will be feated tomorrow on the 100th anniversary of the first game played within its quirky walls.
No team in Major League Baseball has spent more consecutive time in its own ball park. And none still standing can claim the mantel of reaching its centennial.Sorry Mr. Wrigley. Your ivy covered shrine will have to wait two more years to join Fenway in this milestone.
Sure there have been iconic parks which were older. The Polo Grounds (1890), Tiger Stadium (1909), Shibe Park (1909) and Sportsman’s Park (1882) became grande dames, but all fell to the wrecking ball prior to become centenarians.
Wrigley Field in Chicago -home of the hapless Cubs- was built in 1914 as a Federal League park and is the second oldest home field in the MLB stable. You have to leap frog from 1914 Chicago to 1962 and Cahvez Ravine (Dodger Stadium) to find the third oldest stadium in use by an MLB team.
1962? There are Chevys still rolling in Havana that are fresher than that.
As the Red Sox brass celebrate the most rarest event in MLB history to date, you can’t deny that the old barn has a great deal of history to tell. So the staff here at the Boston Sports Desk are asking you to share your own experiences at Fenway Park -good, bad or ugly.
Was your first game in the ballyard a memorable one? Did you witness a special moment or care to share your thoughts on Fenway’s continued use? Send along your thoughts to the staff via comments on this news posting or on our facebook page. We only ask that you keep it short and keep it clean.
