The ballpark looks better than ever and you'll be happy to know there's no physical evidence of the 2003 World Series logo that was branded into the sod behind the plate on the afternoon of Oct. 16, just hours before the Sox and Yankees played Game 7 in the Bronx. An Opening Day logo has replaced the presumptuous emblem that certainly jinxed the Sox in New York last autumn. According to groundskeeper Dave Mellor, the sacrilegious sod was shredded days after the flameout in the Bronx. They could have at least rolled it up and sent it to Pinehurst, N.C., where Grady Little could have patched it into his backyard. And just think of what it would have fetched on eBay.
The Fenway field -- a blend of Kentucky blue grass and perennial rye -- looks pretty good, although players might get some green dye on the heels of their spikes. According to Mellor, the Fenway lawn froze 40 inches deep during the brutal winter.
There'll be no shortage of Sox legends on hand. The reclusive Carl Yastrzemski will join Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, Jim Lonborg, Johnny Pesky, Bruce Hurst, Dennis Eckersley, Luis Tiant, Rich Gedman, and others in pregame ceremonies. Look for 91-year-old Charlie Wagner to make the ceremonial "play ball" announcement. Fourteen-year-old John Castillo of the Perkins School for the Blind will sing the "The Star-Spangled Banner." Boston Irish tenor John McDermott will sing the Canadian anthem. Governor Mitt Romney will be drinking vanilla cokes in the lower boxes.
Fenway patrons will notice three significant changes in and around the ancient yard. Most obvious is the new right-field roof section that will seat 400 fans high atop the grandstand beyond the foul pole. The Shawmut Design and Construction Company started building the upstairs pavilion in December and they were up there when it was below zero in January. As a reward, the Sox are putting the workers in the new seats for today's game. The guys finally get to have a well-deserved beer.
