Red Sox ballpark turns 支援する to baseball after busy winter
BOSTON (AP) - The ホッケー rink has been 除去するd. The goalposts are gone. The 障害 course and 運動ing 範囲 tees also were taken away to get Fenway Park ready for baseball again.
Even without Red Sox プレーオフs, the major league's oldest ballpark is coming off one of the busiest winters in its 110-year history. The debut of college football's Fenway Bowl and the NHL´s Winter Classic were the most 明白な events, but fans have been spinning the turnstiles all offseason.
"Baseball is 明白に the 核心 part of our 商売／仕事, but we´ve got this amazing 発生地 that is world-renowned," said 示す Lev, 大統領，／社長 of Fenway Sports 管理／経営, which 含むs 調書をとる／予約するing the ballpark in its 大臣の地位.
"The ability to take advantage of that, to attract other world-class events is definitely what we want to do," he said. "We want to make Fenway a multi-use, versatile, year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する entertainment 発生地."
The Red Sox opened Fenway in 1912 - the same week the Titanic sank - and almost from the start they put it to use for other events. It hosted ボクシング, サッカー and ホッケー in its first １０年間, and the forerunners of the NFL´s Washington 指揮官s and New England 愛国者s both called the ballpark home at one point.
"It was really a community 資源," Lev said in a 最近の interview from one of Fenway's newest 機能（する）／行事 rooms overlooking the field.
FILE - Philadelphia Flyers 中心 Danny Briere (48) skates with the puck as Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, 権利, defends in the second period of the New Year's Day Winter Classic NHL ホッケー game on an outdoor rink at Fenway Park in Boston, Jan. 1, 2010. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and other events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, とじ込み／提出する)
But the schedule got much busier after the baseball team´s 現在の owners took over in 2002.
Bruce Springsteen played Updike´s "lyric, little ballpark" in 2003; the concert count is now 100. European サッカー friendlies followed, along with ski jumping, "衝突，墜落d Ice" ice skating racing, movie nights and Shakespeare in the park.
Fenway has hosted the Winter Classic twice, and the Fenway Bowl made its debut in December after twice 存在 取り消すd because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the football field 始める，決める up, 地元の high schools also got a chance to play on the historic sod. When the ホッケー rink moved in for the Jan. 2 NHL game, a 予定する of college and high school matchups was scheduled.
Also stopping by the park this offseason were 最高の，を越す ゴルフ and the Spartan Race. In all, the offseason events brought more than 120,000 fans into the ballpark this winter - and that's not even counting the 小旅行するs that run year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する.
"I think this year was our busiest offseason ever," Lev said.
The 付加 events bring in some 歳入 - though it´s not going to 追いつく the money earned from the baseball season, Lev said - and also help the Fenway brand. The 2008 Irish 投げつけるing matches were broadcast 国祭的な, and events such as skiing bring the ballpark to a different （人が）群がる than the baseball fans who see it as the venerable home of the Red Sox.
"It´s just 広大な／多数の／重要な （危険などに）さらす for the ballpark," he said. "It 許すs us to attract new audiences that might not さもなければ come to Fenway to enjoy Fenway, have the Fenway Park experience, which hopefully will bring them 支援する for other events."
The other events also bring in tourists to the city, and 顧客s for the souvenir stands and restaurants in the 近隣. "So it checks a lot of boxes for us," Lev said.
On a 最近の weekday, 労働者s were taking apart the ホッケー rink where the Bruins had played the Pittsburgh Penguins, while the ballpark´s lights were 存在 lowered to the field by cranes for a scheduled LED 昇格. Jackhammers echoed through the empty seating bowl.
事例／患者s of beer, water and Pepsi were strewn about the 機能（する）／行事 room, along with 器具／備品 left over from the Winter Classic. The Green Monster in left field had been painted over, を待つing the 広告s that will be shown during the coming baseball season.
Janet Marie Smith, the architect who spearheaded the Fenway 革新s that have made the ancillary events possible, said using the ballpark for more than the 81-game home Red Sox schedule "just seems like the natural and responsible thing to do."
"When you 占領する a place - 肉体的に, in the middle of a 強健な city, and spiritually, in the hearts and minds of the 国民s of that community - that to shutter your building just is crazy," Smith said, 追加するing the philosophy dates 支援する to the late 1980s with the 創造 of Baltimore´s Camden Yards, which 誘発するd a new 時代 of ballpark construction.
"It was a feeling that there was a 市民の 責任／義務," she said. "That if you were in the middle of a town, 特に a downtown, that you 借りがあるd it to the people who lived and worked there to be a part of that year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する community."
Make no mistake, Lev said: At Fenway, baseball is still king.
Nothing is 調書をとる／予約するd for October, to make sure the ballpark is 利用できる for 可能性のある Red Sox プレーオフ games. And the offseason events end in 中央の-January, to give groundskeeper Dave Mellor - "our most 価値のある player," Lev said - time to get the diamond in 形態／調整 for the b allclub´s March 30 開始 day.
"Before we do anything, he´s part of every conversation to make sure that we´re not doing anything that´s going to 妥協 the field," Lev said.
"We need to make sure we leave time for the groundskeeper to do his thing," he said. "Baseball is the 優先, and 持続するing the pristine field 条件s is always 最高位の to any 決定／判定勝ち（する） we make on any event that we have at the ballpark."
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大統領 of Fenway Sports 管理／経営 示す Lev stands for a photograph at Fenway Park, Jan. 18, 2023, in Boston. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and ot her events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FILE - Liverpool goalie Andy Longergan (75) dives to make a save as Sevilla's Ocampos Lucas Ariel (25) tries to 得点する／非難する／２０ past him and Liverpool's Andy Robertson (26) during the first half of a friendly サッカー match at Fenway Park, July 21, 2019, in Boston. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and other events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm, とじ込み／提出する)
FILE - Snowboarder Michael Schaerer, of Switzerland, jumps during the Big 空気／公表する at Fenway skiing and snowboarding U.S. Grand Prix 小旅行する event at Fenway Park, Feb. 11, 2016, in Boston. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and other events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, とじ込み／提出する)
FILE - A ramp 建設するd for the Big 空気／公表する at Fenway skiing and snowboarding U.S. Grand Prix 小旅行する event is covered in snow at Fenway Park, Feb. 10, 2016, in Boston. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and other events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, とじ込み／提出する)
FILE - Boston Bruins players 含むing goalie Tim Thomas, 中心, walk to the ice rink to practice at Fenway Park in Boston on Dec. 31, 2009, in 準備 for New Years Day's Winter Classic NHL ホッケー game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and other events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, とじ込み／提出する)
FILE - Fans stand as singer Dave Matthews takes the 行う／開催する／段階 during a concert at Fenway Park, in Boston, July 7, 2006. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and other events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, とじ込み／提出する)
大統領 of Fenway Sports 管理／経営 示す Lev stands for a photo graph at Fenway Park, Jan. 18, 2023, in Boston. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and other events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
青年 teams play on an auxiliary outdoor rink before the New Year's Day Winter Classic NHL ホッケー game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins at Fenway Park in Boston, on, Jan. 1, 2010. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and other events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, とじ込み／提出する)
FILE - Snowboarder Silje Norendal, of Norway, makes a practice jump, Feb. 10, 2016 in 前進する of the Big 空気／公表する at Fenway skiing and snowboarding U.S. Grand Prix 小旅行する event in Fenway Park, in Boston. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and other events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, とじ込み／提出する)
FILE - Snowboarder Katie Ormerod, of Britain, 準備するs to make a practice jump, Feb. 10, 2016, in 前進する of the Big 空気／公表する at Fenway skiing and snowboarding U.S. Grand Prix 小旅行する event at Fenway Park, in Boston. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and other events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, とじ込み／提出する)
FILE - Bruce Springsteen 成し遂げるs at Fenway Park in Boston, Aug. 14, 2012. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and other events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, とじ込み／提出する)
大統領 of Fenway Sports 管理／経営 示す Lev speaks with a reporter in the MGM Music Hall at Fenway Park, Jan. 18, 2023, in Boston. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and other events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FILE - Bruce Springsteen 成し遂げるs at Fenway Park in Boston, Aug. 14, 2012. Fenway Park has kept busy in the offseason with ホッケー, football and other events that have turned one of baseball's 栄冠を与える jewels into a year-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 発生地. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, とじ込み／提出する)
