12-R164
2012 -- H 8015
Enacted 03/28/12
H O U S E R E S
O L U T I O N
COMMEMORATING
THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF
Introduced
By: Representatives Kennedy, Fox, Mattiello,
Date Introduced: March 28, 2012
WHEREAS, Historic Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox and beloved by Red
Sox fans and baseball lovers throughout the world for
its quaint intimacy, its world famous Green
Monster, and for the seamless fit between its
architecture and the surrounding urban landscape, is
celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2012. This celebration will
be observed by the Boston Red
Sox, their millions of fans, and by traditional
baseball and architecture lovers across the country
and globe; and
WHEREAS,
still in use. Built for the then-princely sum of $650,000,
its asymmetrical design stemmed from
the need to position the park against the contours of the
bustling and dense “Fenway-Kenmore”
neighborhood of
park and its many endearing features, such as the short
Pesky Pole down the right field line and
the “Triangle” in deep Center Field.
spectators very close to the action and helps give it its
reputation as a “hitters park,” because most
foul balls hit by a batter land in the stands, out of the
grasp of the fielders, thus affording hitters
extra swings at the plate; and
WHEREAS,
Monster in the left field. Only approximately 310 to 315 feet down the line, and
alleged to be
even shorter by rival teams, this feature is instantly
recognizable to baseball fans anywhere in the
world when watching a game from
about every youngster on his or her first trip to
wonder of the Green Monster when climbing the stairs and
seeing the park in person; and
WHEREAS, Perhaps the
most famous moment in the rich history of
Major League Baseball was Carlton Fisk’s historic home
run to win game six of the 1975 World
Series, which kept the Red Sox alive
and forced a game 7 against the Cincinnati Reds. In the 12th
inning of game six, arguably the greatest game in baseball
history, with the score tied,
Fisk hit a long fly ball down the left field line and
toward the Green Monster. In dramatic fashion,
he hopped down the base line willing the ball fair with
his arms, hands, hips, and every other part
of his body. To the rapturous joy of every Red Sox fan
in the world, the ball hit the foul pole, now
called the “Fisk Foul Pole,” was ruled fair, and the Red Sox
won the game. This event was
witnessed by countless millions on national television and the
image of Fisk directing the ball fair
against the background of the Green Monster is one of the
most famous moments and enduring
images in American sports history; and
WHEREAS,
in existence, along with Wrigley Field, that has had so
many of the early baseball greats play on
its field. Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb,
Walter Johnson, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Mickey Cochrane,
Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio,
Bob Feller, Al Kaline, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and countless
other stars have played baseball on this historic ground.
It’s the place where the greatest hitter in
baseball history, Ted Williams, became the last player to
compile a batting average over .400, in
1941. It’s the place that has
a lone red seat in the right field bleachers to commemorate a 520-foot
blast Ted Williams hit on June 9, 1946. It’s the place
where Ted Williams, in his last at bat ever,
in dramatic fashion, hit a home run; and
WHEREAS,
season when the Red Sox, after a decade of horrible baseball
and almost total futility, shocked the
baseball world and won the American League Pennant. Led by
Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski
and his Triple Crown season, Jim Lonborg,
winner of the Cy Young Award, and other beloved
Red Sox players like Rico Petrocelli,
George Scott, and Tony Conigliaro, the Red Sox won
arguably the greatest and most thrilling pennant race in
baseball history. Fittingly, the Red Sox
won the pennant on the last day of the regular season at
home against the pennant contending
Minnesota Twins, aided by the strong pitching of Jim Lonborg, and the clutch hitting of 1967
American League Most Valuable Player, Carl Yastrzemski; and
WHEREAS, After
eighty-six years of heartbreak and not winning a world championship,
the Red Sox in 2004 finally exorcised the “Curse of the
Bambino” and won their first World
Series since 1918. The Red Sox had to defeat their hated historic rival,
the New York Yankees,
on their way to World Series victory. The Red Sox became
the first team in baseball history to
come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best of seven series and
win the series. In game 4 at Fenway,
the Red Sox were facing elimination, down 4-3 in the
ninth inning, when they dramatically forced
the game into extra innings and won the game in the 12th
inning when David Ortiz hit a two-run
homer. Game five incredibly went 14 innings and was won
once again by the clutch David Ortiz
with a single. In game six at Yankee Stadium the Red Sox
and their depleted pitching staff had to
turn to the injured Curt Schilling to force a game seven. Pitching
in pain with a bleeding right
ankle throughout the game, Schilling turned in one of the
gutsiest pitching performances in
baseball history, holding the explosive Yankee offense to one
run over seven innings, and getting
the Red Sox to game 7. In game 7 the Red Sox completed
their historic comeback led by Derek
Lowe’s strong pitching and Johnny Damon’s two home
runs, including a Grand slam, to win 10-3
and earn the right to play the St. Louis Cardinals in the
World Series. The 2004 World Series was
far less dramatic as the Red Sox swept the Cardinals and
won their first world championship
since 1918; and
WHEREAS, The Red Sox
thankfully did not wait another eighty-six years to win another
World Series. This time it took only three years. The 2007 Red Sox
went 96-66 in the regular
season, tying the Cleveland Indians for the best record in
baseball and edging out the
Yankees for the divisional title by
two games. The Red Sox swept the
Angels 3-0 in the first
round of the playoffs, and then in the second round against
the Cleveland Indians, once again
came back from behind, and won the American League
Championship series. Down three games
to one to the Indians and facing elimination in
elimination led by a masterful pitching performance by Josh
Beckett. The Red Sox would win the
last 3 games of the American League Championship Series by
a combined score of 30-5 and win
the series 4 games to 3. Once again, the Championship
series proved to be the more dramatic set
of games, as the Red Sox went on to sweep the Colorado
Rockies and win the 2007 World Series
title; and
WHEREAS,
frequently occur. It holds a special place in the hearts of all
Red Sox fans and is a distinguished
part of baseball lore. May
Sox and as a special place where baseball is played
the way it was meant to be played; now,
therefore be it
RESOLVED,
That this House of Representatives of the State of
Providence Plantations
hereby commemorates the 100th anniversary of
beloved Boston Red Sox; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized
and directed to
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Boston
Red Sox owners John Henry, Tom
Werner, and Larry Lucchino.
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LC02213
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