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Title details for Fenway Park by John Powers - Available

Fenway Park

A Salute to the Coolest, Cruelest, Longest-Running Major League Baseball Stadium in America

by John Powers
Ron Driscoll
ebook
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Fenway Park. The name evokes a team and a sport that have become more synonymous with a city's identity than any stadium or arena in the country. Since opening in the same week of 1912 that the Titanic sank, the park's instantly recognizable confines have seen some of the most dramatic happenings in baseball history, including Carlton Fisk's "Is it fair?" home run in the 1975 World Series and Ted Williams's perfectly scripted long ball in his final at-bat. For 100 years, the Fenway faithful have been tested. They have known triumph and heartbreak, miracles and curses — well, one curse in particular — to such a degree that an entire nation of fans heaved a collective sigh of relief when Dave Roberts stole a base by a fingertip in 2004, triggering the most amazing comeback in the game's annals. To sit and watch a game at Fenway is to recognize that the pitcher is standing on the same mound where Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Babe Ruth pitched, that a hitter is in the same batter's box where Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron and Shoeless Joe Jackson dug in to take their swings. This is a ballpark that has embraced its odd construction quirks, including the bizarre triangle out in center field and the Green Monster that looms above the left fielder, and today — for better and for worse — it remains largely unchanged from the day it opened. In its long history, Fenway has hosted football, hockey, soccer, boxing, and so much more. It has provided a backdrop to hundreds of historic events having nothing to do with sports, including concerts, religious gatherings, and political rallies. It was the site of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's final campaign address, as well as visits by music luminaries from Stevie Wonder to Bruce Springsteen to the Rolling Stones. Through it all, the Boston Globe has been the consistent, respected chronicler of every important moment in park history. In fact, the newspaper played a remarkable role in Fenway's creation and evolution: the Taylor family — founders and longtime owners of the Globe — owned the ballclub in 1912, helped finance the new stadium, and renamed the team the "Red Sox". It is the Globe's insider perspective, combined with more than a century of exemplary journalism, that makes this book the definitive narrative history of both park and team, and a centennial collectors' item unlike any other. Its pages offer a level of detail that is unmatched, with exceptional writing and hundreds of rarely seen photographs and illustrations.
This is Fenway Park, the complete story, unfiltered and expertly told.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 6, 2012

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780762444908

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780762444908
      • File size: 24603 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 26, 2012
      More than just a sports fan's coffee-table book, this is a paean to what many consider the quintessential American ballpark. Fenway Park has been the home of the Boston Red Sox since 1912, and has played host to myriad firsts, lasts, highs, and lows, including Babe Ruth's first pitch and the final address of FDR's campaign. While providing an exhaustive centennial history of the home of the Green Monster, long-time fans Powers and Driscoll (current and former writers for the Boston Globe, respectively) supply plenty of personal passion and verve, and their love of the game and the park comes across beautifully in the excellent writing and numerous photos. The authors profile players, coaches, and even fans in the recurring "People of the Park" feature, while taking readers through the rich play-by-play of the stadium's timeline. From the park's construction, to the debut of night baseball in 1947, the club's lull in the '60s, their World Series win in 2004 that finally broke the "Curse of the Bambino," and up to today, this tribute has it all. Even Yankees fans will likely appreciate this impressive homage to America's favorite pastime and America's oldest ballpark. Illus.

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from February 1, 2012

      Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox since 1912, may be small, cramped, and uncomfortable, but it is arguably the most beloved ballpark in the country. This coffee-table book, commemorating the park's 100th anniversary, painstakingly re-creates its history, from planning and construction to its role in the surrounding neighborhood and its designation as a symbol of a bygone era. Powers (sports reporter, Boston Globe) and Driscoll (formerly, Boston Globe) explore the unique character of the field and the legendary Green Monster, nemesis of many would-be home-run hitters. With large-format, archival color and black-and-white photos, stories of memorable games, and interviews with past players, this is more than a book about a stadium; it's a testament to a city, a team, its fans, and the game itself. A treasure for all fans of baseball history, a must-have for Red Sox faithful.--M.M.

      Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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