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Archive for September 22nd, 2008

Sep 22 2008

Boston Fans can Learn From New Yorkers

Published by mattyo51 under sports Edit This

fenwayparkpole.jpg

The Yankees played their last game ever at Yankee Stadium Sunday night. It was a historic night filled with hall of fame interviews and highlights from almost a century of games involving one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. While I think I understand what that building means to New Yorkers and baseball lovers alike, I couldn’t care less. It was a building people, and the team that plays there, sucks this year. Yes, you caught me, I’m a Redsox fan. I understand this may taint my vision into the intricate thoughts of Tony from the Bronx who “Loves the freak’n Pin Stripes”, but my lack of caring has nothing to do with the Yankees or their fans, and everything to do with jealousy.

Fenway Park is the worst place to watch an event this side of Olympic Stadium. I am stuck in a town full of nostalgia for a place that held no winning teams for 86 years. This isn’t “The House that Ruth Built”, it’s the house of Luis Rivera’s .186 batting average.  Should my 230 pound rump have to fit into a seat designed and molded for an average human in 1912 because of some history?  It’s uncomfortable, obstructed, expensive and small, yet people pretend to love it because it’s always been there. Yankee Stadium was none of these things yet New Yorkers aren’t rioting in the streets because of a venue change, even though it’s rumored that some motivation from ownership was to have less seats in the new stadium allowing more sell-outs and higher ticket prices.

Fenway’s capacity hovers around 36,000, while Yankee Stadium could hold just under 55,000 people.  It’s the most expensive ticket in baseball and if you decide to drive to the game, Yankee Stadium had a giant parking lot, while Fenway has privately owned lots that only accept platinum cards. There are seats in Fenway where you cannot see the field, (I’ll let that resonate a bit) and the majority of bleacher seats actually aim you toward Pesky’s Pole adding a next day chiropractor’s visit to the game-day bill.

Boston fans should take note of the willingness to change of Yankee fans. I know it hurts, but in the end it will feel so good. Imagine; your behind, sitting in a seat without getting stuck on the armrests; actually seeing the game from your seat; or, even the off chance that you won’t need to sell off stock to take in a ball game.

Boston, I know it’s hard. I know you still feel a connection to the days of  Tony Pena and Jack Clark, but we need to move on. The new owners don’t want to stay, they’re just afraid of a public out-lash. They are afraid that society’s least rational sports fans outside of U.K. Soccer Nuts will react irrationally, and  we can’t blame them. As a community we need to implore them to make our butts comfortable and keep our collective spine out of harms way.

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