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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012

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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

COMMEMORATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF FENWAY PARK, HOME OF THE

BOSTON RED SOX

     Introduced By: Representatives Kennedy, Fox, Mattiello, E Coderre, and Baldelli-Hunt

     Date Introduced: March 28, 2012

     Referred To: House read and passed

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     WHEREAS, Historic Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox and beloved by Red

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Sox fans and baseball lovers throughout the world for its quaint intimacy, its world famous Green

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Monster, and for the seamless fit between its architecture and the surrounding urban landscape, is

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celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2012. This celebration will be observed by the Boston Red

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Sox, their millions of fans, and by traditional baseball and architecture lovers across the country

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and globe; and

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     WHEREAS, Fenway Park opened in 1912 and is the oldest Major League Baseball Park

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still in use. Built for the then-princely sum of $650,000, its asymmetrical design stemmed from

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the need to position the park against the contours of the bustling and dense “Fenway-Kenmore”

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neighborhood of Boston. Its architecture resulted in a small capacity for a major league baseball

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park and its many endearing features, such as the short Pesky Pole down the right field line and

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the “Triangle” in deep Center Field. Fenway Park’s lack of much foul territory brings the

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spectators very close to the action and helps give it its reputation as a “hitters park,” because most

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foul balls hit by a batter land in the stands, out of the grasp of the fielders, thus affording hitters

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extra swings at the plate; and

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     WHEREAS, Fenway Park’s most prominent, famous, and beloved feature is the Green

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Monster in the left field. Only approximately 310 to 315 feet down the line, and alleged to be

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even shorter by rival teams, this feature is instantly recognizable to baseball fans anywhere in the

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world when watching a game from Fenway Park on television. A common experience for just

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about every youngster on his or her first trip to Fenway Park is to gasp in amazement at the

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wonder of the Green Monster when climbing the stairs and seeing the park in person; and

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     WHEREAS, Perhaps the most famous moment in the rich history of Fenway Park and

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Major League Baseball was Carlton Fisk’s historic home run to win game six of the 1975 World

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Series, which kept the Red Sox alive and forced a game 7 against the Cincinnati Reds. In the 12th

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inning of game six, arguably the greatest game in baseball history, with the score tied, Carlton

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Fisk hit a long fly ball down the left field line and toward the Green Monster. In dramatic fashion,

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he hopped down the base line willing the ball fair with his arms, hands, hips, and every other part

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of his body. To the rapturous joy of every Red Sox fan in the world, the ball hit the foul pole, now

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called the “Fisk Foul Pole,” was ruled fair, and the Red Sox won the game. This event was

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witnessed by countless millions on national television and the image of Fisk directing the ball fair

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against the background of the Green Monster is one of the most famous moments and enduring

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images in American sports history; and

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     WHEREAS, Fenway Park is the one of the last two original Major League Baseball parks

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in existence, along with Wrigley Field, that has had so many of the early baseball greats play on

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its field. Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Mickey Cochrane,

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Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Al Kaline, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and countless

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other stars have played baseball on this historic ground. It’s the place where the greatest hitter in

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baseball history, Ted Williams, became the last player to compile a batting average over .400, in

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1941. It’s the place that has a lone red seat in the right field bleachers to commemorate a 520-foot

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blast Ted Williams hit on June 9, 1946. It’s the place where Ted Williams, in his last at bat ever,

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in dramatic fashion, hit a home run; and

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     WHEREAS, Fenway Park is also home of the “Impossible Dream,” the famous 1967

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season when the Red Sox, after a decade of horrible baseball and almost total futility, shocked the

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baseball world and won the American League Pennant. Led by Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski

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and his Triple Crown season, Jim Lonborg, winner of the Cy Young Award, and other beloved

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Red Sox players like Rico Petrocelli, George Scott, and Tony Conigliaro, the Red Sox won

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arguably the greatest and most thrilling pennant race in baseball history. Fittingly, the Red Sox

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won the pennant on the last day of the regular season at home against the pennant contending

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Minnesota Twins, aided by the strong pitching of Jim Lonborg, and the clutch hitting of 1967

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American League Most Valuable Player, Carl Yastrzemski; and

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     WHEREAS, After eighty-six years of heartbreak and not winning a world championship,

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the Red Sox in 2004 finally exorcised the “Curse of the Bambino” and won their first World

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Series since 1918. The Red Sox had to defeat their hated historic rival, the New York Yankees,

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on their way to World Series victory. The Red Sox became the first team in baseball history to

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come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best of seven series and win the series. In game 4 at Fenway,

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the Red Sox were facing elimination, down 4-3 in the ninth inning, when they dramatically forced

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the game into extra innings and won the game in the 12th inning when David Ortiz hit a two-run

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homer. Game five incredibly went 14 innings and was won once again by the clutch David Ortiz

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with a single. In game six at Yankee Stadium the Red Sox and their depleted pitching staff had to

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turn to the injured Curt Schilling to force a game seven. Pitching in pain with a bleeding right

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ankle throughout the game, Schilling turned in one of the gutsiest pitching performances in

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baseball history, holding the explosive Yankee offense to one run over seven innings, and getting

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the Red Sox to game 7. In game 7 the Red Sox completed their historic comeback led by Derek

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Lowe’s strong pitching and Johnny Damon’s two home runs, including a Grand slam, to win 10-3

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and earn the right to play the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. The 2004 World Series was

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far less dramatic as the Red Sox swept the Cardinals and won their first world championship

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since 1918; and

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     WHEREAS, The Red Sox thankfully did not wait another eighty-six years to win another

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World Series. This time it took only three years. The 2007 Red Sox went 96-66 in the regular

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season, tying the Cleveland Indians for the best record in baseball and edging out the New York

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Yankees for the divisional title by two games. The Red Sox swept the Angels 3-0 in the first

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round of the playoffs, and then in the second round against the Cleveland Indians, once again

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came back from behind, and won the American League Championship series. Down three games

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to one to the Indians and facing elimination in Cleveland in game 5, the Red Sox fought off

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elimination led by a masterful pitching performance by Josh Beckett. The Red Sox would win the

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last 3 games of the American League Championship Series by a combined score of 30-5 and win

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the series 4 games to 3. Once again, the Championship series proved to be the more dramatic set

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of games, as the Red Sox went on to sweep the Colorado Rockies and win the 2007 World Series

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title; and

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     WHEREAS, Fenway Park is a magical place where the improbable and impossible

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frequently occur. It holds a special place in the hearts of all Red Sox fans and is a distinguished

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part of baseball lore. May Fenway Park have another 100 years as the home of the Boston Red

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Sox and as a special place where baseball is played the way it was meant to be played; now,

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therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

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Providence Plantations hereby commemorates the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, home of our

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beloved Boston Red Sox; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Boston Red Sox owners John Henry, Tom

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Werner, and Larry Lucchino.

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