Sox baby

[Kurn]

As someone who has been to 21 major league ballparks, nothing can make Fenway lose its allure faster than a trip to some of the newer parks (Baltimore, SF and Cleveland cometo mind as 3 of the best).

The mystique of Fenway is kept alive by people who attend one game there per year.

Of course, what out-of-area fans can't know before they arrive is that at Fenway (like all Boston sports arenas) you can't get a beer at your seat. They haven't sold beer in the stands in Boston/Foxboro in almost 30 years. You can buy beer, but you have to leave your seat and go down to the concession area.

Another reality of Fenway is that before the Impossible Dream season, attendance was in the pits and most locals (correctly) considered the park a dump. Yawkey had taken out options on land out Newton and had every intention of building a new park by 1970. Then comes the legendary 1967 season, the fans return and suddenly, what used to be a dump became quaint. Yawkey, being a smart businessmen, doesn't spend the money on a new park and we're left with seating that would be cramped for someone the size of Paris Hilton.

Couple that with $100 parking unless you have local knowledge of cheap neighborhood alternatives and you're left with only the "Wow, I'm at Fenway Park" factor, which if you attend a dozen or more games per year makes you wish for a Camden Yards type ballpark.

But, they're going to win it all this year and even if they don't, it'll still be football season and another championship for the Patriots, so everything's good.