Recap of my trips to Cooperstown & Fenway this week

Written by Mike Mariano

Sunday, 16 August 2009 05:26

Let’s talk Boston first because it was first time in the city and at the ballpark. I had very high expectations for Boston and it exceeded them all. The city was clean and cool and had a sweet old school look and feel to it. Just walking around the city was entertaining enough. I ate at a Sports Bar named “The Fours” which was a classic Boston sports bar and the food, atmosphere and decor were all fantastic. I also enjoyed how there isn’t just a bar on every street, there might be 3 bars on every corner. How the hell do they all stay in business?

As for Fenway, it totally blew me away. Recently, I’ve spent the majority of my baseball viewing time in new, modern stadiums. Citizen’s Bank, Nationals Park, PNC Park, New Yankee Stadium – all stunning and beautiful parks. However, Fenway topped them all and it’s not close. The atmosphere around the park was great, it was like a Red Sox oasis packed into the city with people buzzing all day long. Most importantly, it emphasized the baseball game. The replay and info screens weren’t obnoxious. There were no hot dog shooting mascots. No spinny bat races. Nothing, but baseball. And it was refreshing. I’m not saying I hate those things and no stadium should have them, but I sure as hell didn’t miss them.

The stadium itself balances classic baseball with a modern touch in perfect harmony. There were flat screens and a cushioned seating in some areas that complemented the manual scoreboard and lack of upper deck seamlessly. The Green Monster is awesome in person and I was lucky enough to see 3 homers sneak out over it. My seats were dead center, as far as you could go up, under the scoreboard, and pointing directly towards the right field foul poll and they’re were still awesome seats. The tickets weren’t dirt cheap but it’s a worthwhile price to pay to go to a sold out game and be part of a wildly passionate crowd (yeah I’m talking to you Washington). Back to the seats, it is so strange that so many of them don’t point towards home plate. They point all over the field and you have to turn your body to see the action. Just another thing you take for granted in the new billion dollar stadiums.

I went to Cooperstown last year and as it never does, it didn’t disappoint this time around either. I could walk the museum every day and still enjoy it every time. The shops get a little repetitive, but you can always find something unique you didn’t see last time. This time I found a bin of $5 fitted hats. Blew my mind. Also, the local brewers make some great baseball themed beers. Some tasting better than others. If you’re in the area, I’d say go for the Cooperstown Brewery Benchwarmer Porter and stay away from the Old Slugger Pale Ale.