SB Nation Boston - Fenway Park 100th Anniversary: Red Sox Celebrate One Century At Fenway

Boston Red Sox Trade For OF Marlon Byrd

2012-04-21T16:16:13Z

According to Nick Cafardo from the Boston Globe, the Boston Red Sox are close to acquiring Marlon Byrd from the Chicago Cubs.

Source: Red Sox closing in on deal for Cubs OF Marlon Byrd.
— Nick Cafardo (@nickcafardo) April 21, 2012

The 34 year old outfielder is batting an abysmal .077 this season. However; his extremely low BABIP of .091 indicates he's been the victim of bad luck. The problem: he's swinging and missing at 12.7 percent of the pitches he sees, which would be a career high. His K% of 21.3 would also be Byrd's highest since his rookie season in 2002.

Fangraphs projects Byrd to hit .260 for the rest of the season, including 10 home runs and four stolen bases. In 119 games last season, he recorded a WAR of 2.0 with the Cubs.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page or our blog Over The Monster.

Fenway Park 100th Anniversary: Fans Remain Optimistic Despite Slow Start

2012-04-20T16:59:21Z

BOSTON - You wouldn't be able to tell that the Boston Red Sox were off to a 4-8 start by walking around Fenway Park just a few hours prior to first pitch on Friday.

No, today isn't about this year's struggles. It's about the storied history of the Red Sox, and more importantly, the 100th birthday of America's Most Beloved Ballpark, Fenway.

Brushing aside the poor start, Red Sox fans are pouring onto Yawkey Way and Lansdowne Street as they prepare to celebrate the centennial birthday of the magical ballpark.

Sure, the team's record so far isn't ideal, but some Red Sox fans are remaining optimistic.

"Its been disappointing so far, with their slow start, but who knows what's going to happen," said Jim Curran of Quincy, MA. "It's a great day here in Boston, good weather, you've got the celebration going on. I decided to come in and take my chances at getting a ticket."

Topping things off, the Red Sox will face the rival New York Yankees at 3:05 p.m. EST -- the same team they faced one hundred years ago at the same time in the inaugural game at Fenway. Could it be any better than that?

"It's perfect," said Curran. "I mean, who better to play than the Yankees, our biggest rival."

The Sox have a handful of special events planned for Friday's birthday bash, including two performances from the Boston Pops, a flyover and an attempt to break a world record.

I will be reporting live from Fenway Park throughout today's game. Check back for updates and follow me @GethinCoolbaugh on Twitter.

For more coverage of Fenway Park's 100th Anniversary, follow our StoryStream.

Fenway Park 100th Anniversary: Unfortunate Timing For A Great Celebration

2012-04-20T15:15:48Z

An occasion such as Fenway Park's centennial should be a fantastic celebration-one which brings joy to Red Sox fans the world 'round. Instead, on the back of a two week circus act by every level of the organization, the scene at Fenway seems likely to be tainted by desperation.

It's not just about the record, but that plays an important role. Less than a week ago, Sox fans could have lived with a 4-5 record--they had, after all, come from 1-5, and were even with their greatest competition.

Now, however, after three losses--the first frustrating, the second embarrassing, and the third discouraging--they will take their seats knowing that every win is vital. That a loss in the coming game to the New York Yankees would make the hole from which the team must climb even deeper than it already is.

Of course, no fan feels good after a loss, but in better times they can enter optimistic about their team's chances. When the standings aren't so dire, they can relax in the knowledge that even a loss is just one game down. And for a large portion of the fans--those who follow casually and tend to gather more the general state of the team from talking heads than the exact circumstances by watching every game-these circumstances might not have much of an impact.

For the fanatics, however, the true obsessives, there's no separating the festivities from the game, and that nervous feeling will distract from what should be a memorable occasion.

And might there even be some embarrassment mixed in? While Sox fans can look Terry Francona in the eye, they know very well their organization can't after the clubhouse leaks from October. And what of Theo Epstein's lost invitation? It's probably nothing more than a piece that slipped through the cracks, but after the circus act that has been the past two weeks, any negative mark just seems to compound upon the other recent mistakes and make the organization look a complete mess.

Had this celebration come a few years ago, there would be nothing holding back Fenway's birthday celebration from being everything it could be. However, when things are going the way they have for the Red Sox in the last eight months, every day now holds the potential to be the new low point.

I don't mean to be so harsh on the Red Sox as I've perhaps come across. This is, after all, an ownership group which brought two championships to a team that hadn't won in 86 years. They've made some bad decisions in recent years, but they've also been quite unfortunate too. Deals to John Lackey and Carl Crawford seemed questionable in the long-run, but their disaster in the short-run was just terrible luck for the team, and that this team started 4-8--a record they're absolutely better than in terms of talent--on the back of last September is just the worst possible outcomes when considering the narrative.

It's just an unfortunate time to be celebrating something so momentous. But anniversaries wait for no man.

Fenway Park Open House Draws 53,000

2012-04-20T12:20:14Z

The Red Sox have been enjoying full houses at paid games for nearly a decade now, so when Fenway Park opens its gates to the public for free, it's not terribly surprising that the fans packed the hallowed halls for the opportunity to walk the grounds the Red Sox play on.

While fans were of course limited to the warning track and dugouts--100,000 feet trampling the field would hardly be good for the condition of the grass--there were plenty of other attractions, with Dustin Pedroia, Daniel Bard, Darnell McDonald, Frank Malzone, John Tudor, Oil Can Boyd, and Bernie Carbo present to sign autographs for fans.

While Friday will host the official celebration, with all the ceremony and pageantry, Thursday was perhaps the purest celebration of Fenway Park and what it meant to all of us who watched Sox games from those seats as children.

On the other hand, Friday has Pedro Martinez, so maybe it wins after all.

Fenway Park 100th Anniversary: One Hundred Years, One Million Memories

2012-04-20T12:01:23Z

It's so much more than a ballpark. Generations of baseball fans have flocked through the turnstiles to watch their beloved Boston Red Sox play at Fenway Park, inarguably the greatest sporting venue in America, and quite possibly the world.

Fenway has been the site of so many emotions, from agony to joy, for so many people. Fenway has been there for it all, and on Friday, Red Sox fans will pour into America's Most Beloved Ballpark to commemorate the 100th birthday of baseball's own 99,000 square foot slice of heaven.

Today, we take time to say thank you. So, thank you, Fenway Park. And happy birthday.

How do you write a suitable story commemorating the greatest place on Earth? Simply put, you don't. All of the words in the dictionary couldn't accurately summarize what Fenway has meant to the city of Boston, not to mention the millions and millions of fans whose lives have been forever changed by this ballpark and the team that inhabits it. All the stories could fill a library.

We haven't even started to mention the players who became legends at Fenway, either. Ted Williams, Cy Young, Babe Ruth, Johnny Pesky, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, Mo Vaughn, Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Curt Schilling. So many greats, so little time.

And then there are the teams. The first three championship teams in 1912, 1915, 1916 and 1918. The Impossible Dream Team of 1967. The 2004 and 2007 World Series teams.

But it's so much more than that. Everybody has their own Fenway story. I've got plenty of them, and I'm sure you do too. Some people even have physical damage from Fenway (probably not many), like myself. There's a permanent indent in my knee from having to squeeze myself into those annoying-but-lovable wooden seats (I call it Fenway Knee). Ah, good times. Good times.

Of course, there were the bad times too. The selling of Babe Ruth, the 86-year championship gap. Bill Buckner. The Boston Massacre. And, yes, the collapse of 2011 (continued into the start of this season) and the fallout from it. Painful, for sure, but that's all part of the novel that is Fenway Park.

With all of the chaos surrounding the Red Sox in the last few months, it's easy to get caught up in the negativity. But that's not what this day is about. It's about celebrating all the great things the Red Sox have done at Fenway. Sure, the future is uncertain, but for now, let's put that behind us.

Join us, won't you, as we raise a toast to Fenway Park and fall in love with it all over again.

For more coverage of Fenway Park's 100th Anniversary, follow our StoryStream.

Fenway Park 100th Anniversary Celebration: Happy Birthday, Fenway

2012-04-20T11:00:52Z

Happy birthday, Fenway Park. America's Most Beloved Ballpark turned 100 years old on Friday, and the Boston Red Sox are throwing a big birthday bash for their magical ballpark.

The gates will open at 12:30 p.m. EST, with the festivities set to begin at 2 p.m. Oh, and did we mention that they're playing the New York Yankees at 3:05 p.m.? Not only is it the biggest rivalry in all of sports, but the Yanks' were the Red Sox' first opponent at Fenway one century ago with the same start time. Talk about special. Can it get any better?

Yes, it can. All living members of the Red Sox have been invited back to Fenway for an on field celebration before the game. In addition, Oscar-winning composer John Williams will be conducting the Boston Pops as they debut "Fanfare for Fenway," which is Williams' newest composition. Keith Lockhart will then conduct the Pops for the National Anthem and "Hymn to New England," followed by a flyby from the Air Force's Heritage Flight team.

Finally, the Red Sox will attempt to break a world record with a toast to Fenway Park. Fans will find grape juice drinks and cups beneath their seats (so you might not want to wear white), and will be asked to participate in a toast after the pregame ceremonies in effort to set the new world record for the largest toast at a single venue.

Gethin Coolbaugh, the editor of SB Nation Boston (otherwise known as myself), will be live at Fenway Park to cover all the fun. Follow @GethinCoolbaugh on Twitter for updates.

For more coverage of Fenway Park's 100th Anniversary, follow our StoryStream.

Terry Francona Now Plans To Attend Fenway Park's 100th Anniversary Celebration

2012-04-18T18:51:47Z

Former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona has put his personal feelings for the organization aside and now plans to attend the Red Sox's 100th anniversary celebration of Fenway Park on Friday afternoon.

Francona earlier said he intended to skip the event, but told ESPN on Wednesday that he believes he owes it to fans to make an appearance.

The former Red Sox skipper, who won the organization's first two World Series titles since 1918, was not retained following last season. A report in the Boston Globe shortly after he left painted him in a less-than-flattering light, and Francona felt the organization had taken parting shots at him.

"I'm sure they'll have a great event and I was part of a lot of that stuff there, but I just can't go back there and start hugging people and stuff without feeling a little bit hypocritical," Francona told the Globe last week.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Fenway Park 100th Anniversary Celebration: Jose Canseco Wants In

2012-04-13T19:21:58Z

Terry Francona may have turned down an invitation to attend the 100th anniversary celebration of Fenway Park on April 20, but there are still plenty of other people interested. Like Jose Canseco.

@JoseCanseco
Jose Canseco @redsox invite for 100th annniversary? would love to go
Apr 13 via web Favorite Retweet Reply

Should the Sox invite Canseco back to Fenway?

Before we go any further, it's not very likely. True, Canseco did play for the Red Sox during the 1995 and 1996 seasons. He wasn't bad, either. Canseco hit .306 with 24 home runs and 81 RBI in his first year in Boston and hit .289 with 28 long balls and 82 RBI the next. Still, there remains the whole steroid issue, which is something most fans don't take kindly to.

Again, it's unlikely. Canseco knows it, too. Maybe he'll be invited to the next celebration...

@JoseCanseco
Jose Canseco or maybe to your 150th annivesary
Apr 13 via web Favorite Retweet Reply

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Poll

Should Red Sox Invite Jose Canseco To Fenway Park 100th Anniversary?

Yes

51 votes

No

27 votes

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