Take Me Out To Fenway Stadium

I admit I am not a big sports fan, but this past weekend was a holiday for two reasons - Easter and the Red Sox game opener.  For those tried and true Sox fans, if you weren't inside Fenway cheering on your  team and bashing the Yankees whenever possible, you were probably somewhere on Lansdowne St., at a local bar or watching the game on TV.  I must admit I am not one of those fans - but before you curse my name and leave my blog let me be clear - I wasn't cheering on the Yankees either. (I was however hoping to hear the fly over, but I guess I don't live close enough - boo.)

I pass the stadium on almost a daily basis, but it took a visit from my parents to get me to check out Fenway.  I must say that if you have only seen the stadium from the outside or on TV, you should definitely check it out.  While the tour does not give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the stadium (it would be really cool if it did) you do learn a lot of fun facts and walk around the stadium without the game day crowds.  For you diehard fans, you probably already know these, but here are some fun tidbits of information I learned from my tour.  

- The initials TAY (Tom Yawkey) and JRY (Jean Yawkey) appear in Morse code on the scoreboard.
- Fenway Stadium has one of the last hand-operated scoreboard.
- In 2012 the stadium will be able to apply to be a historical landmark - no more renovations after this happens.
- The tour also mentioned a ton of ways one can win tickets to a game.  However I must apologize because I can't remember them....but I do recall counting up the number of email addresses I had access to in order to enter a lottery.
(If you have any other fun facts please share - you never know when random facts will be useful.

Touring Fenway gave me a greater appreciation for the stadium.  Besides learning about the stadium's history and of course some Red Sox history, it was neat being inside.   I have always been amazed that such a famous ballpark is located smack dab in the middle of a busy city, but once inside I felt like I was in a different world.  The noise of the city drifts away and I could only imagine what it is like seeing a game. (That is now on my list of things I must do in Boston - it was there before, now it is now higher on that list).

If you plan to go on a tour, make sure to visit the stadium's website to get all the details.  Two key things - get there early since the tickets are first come first serve AND tour tickets are sold from Yawkey Way Story right across from Fenway.  (I had problems with this last one - difficulty finding where the tour started - hopefully you will have an easier time.)