My Fenway Frank and other Notes

My first Fenway Frank.

 The first thing I noticed about the Fenway Frank was the bun.  On first glance, it looks similar to the way Mom served hot dogs, placed in the center of a folded slice of white bread.  Where was my bun?

 After further review, it was clear there was a thicker bottom or center to support the dog.  It was my first New England style split-top hot dog roll.  The sides of the bun (notice the right side) have the same taste and texture of bread.  

 I wasn't confident it would hold up to condiments so I played it safe with mustard.  It was good but I think its fame comes from it longevity.  Good but underwhelming.

The legendary Citgo sign.

More iconic than the Red Sox or Fenway itself is the Citgo sign.

Growing up a sports fan in Wisconsin during the 1970s before the advent of cable television, most Major League games I saw were on TV, either the NBC game of the week on Saturday or ABC's Monday Night Baseball (started after Monday Night Football was a big hit).  The Red Sox were frequently one of the teams featured because they had a strong team and a national following.

Multiple times each inning the network would go to its camera behind home plate or the first base; showing viewers at home the huge Citgo sign looming over the Green Monster (Fenway Park's left field wall, photo lower left).

Press box view of left field.

 According to its Wikipedia page, the 60-foot square sign dates to 1940, updated with the current logo in 1965.  At first there was a Citgo gas station on the ground level of the building topped with the sign, but the sign outlived it.

 I was in high school in 1979 when the Boston Mayor ordered it turned off to conserve energy and remember Citgo's decision four years later to dismantle the sign.  That angered fans more than a bad call by an umpire.

 

It was refurbished in 1983 and again in 2010 when energy efficient L.E.D. lights were installed and the sign reinforced to withstand winds and extreme temperatures.

Walking toward the light.

After dark, the white lights turn on, one row at a time from the top down, then the red tri-mark and CITGO light up and flash.  Then it goes dark and starts over.  The sign turns off at midnight.  It's a large night light if you live in apartment or stay in a hotel room facing it.

We didn't have a view of the sign Saturday in our seats behind third.  The photo (upper right) is from our seats Friday behind first, partially blocked by a large, modern scoreboard.

There are ten players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame who spent most of their career as a member of the Red Sox.  Babe Ruth played for Boston but was infamously traded to the New York Yankees in 1920 after six seasons with the Red Sox.

 

Ted Williams

 Ted Williams played for Boston in left field from 1939 to 1960 with interruptions from 1943 to 45 to fight in World War II and again during the 1952 and 1953 seasons to serve during the Korean conflict.  

 Williams, the last player to hit .400 over a full season (1941), is known as "the greatest hitter whoever lived."

 

502' from home.

  June 9, 1946 Williams hit the longest home run ever in Fenway Park.  The red seat (photo right) is 502-feet from home plate.  Our tour guide allowed that winds were blowing to right that day; it is still an incredible feat and a very long shot.

The Pesky Pole marks fair/foul

 The Pesky Pole stands 302-feet from home plate in Fenway, some people claim it is only 295-feet away.  It's named for the long-time Red Sox player who worked for the club as a player, coach, broadcaster, and in the front office for 61 years.

 

 Johnny Pesky wasn't known for power but it was after his career the pole was given his name by a former teammate and broadcast partner who said the only way he could hit a homer was to wrap it around the pole.

 

World Series signed balls.

Perhaps the most extraordinary thing we saw at Fenway was in the "Rooters" club - a restaurant/bar at the top of the right field stands - which houses a collection of signed baseballs from every World Series winner since 1920. 

The collector loaned the collection to the Red Sox to share with fans.  It's the only collection of its kind.

More than footballs or basketballs, signed baseballs are perfect to capture history or an autograph.

In this collection, many of which were signed by all members of the team, the one signed by Babe Ruth (see below) and the rest of the 1927 New York Yankees is the most awe-inspiring.  Boston fans probably prefer ones from their championships in 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018.

 

I don't expect to make a return trip to Fenway Park but was glad our oldest son and I spent a weekend there.  The games, the history, and the shared experience created a lifetime of memories.

 

All photos by David Mossner either July 29 or 30, 2022.

 

Signed by Babe Ruth and the rest of the 1927 New York Yankees.