Fenway for First-Timers

Spring in Boston means one thing: baseball season. For non-natives, the Red Sox game ritual is a pre-graduation rite of passage. Don’t know how it works? Here’s a guide for Fenway Park first-timers who want to avoid looking like a pink hat (in baseball speak: a fair-weather poser Sox fan).

First of all, anyone who goes to a game at Fenway should know some basic Sox history. Founded in 1901, the Boston Red Sox enjoyed several World Series Titles during their early years. After an 86-year dry period under The Curse of the Bambino—brought on by selling Babe Ruth to chief rivals, the New York Yankees­—the Sox finally found victory with World Series Championship wins in 2004 and 2007. Fenway Park, the home field, is known for the Green Monster, the highest left field wall in Major League Baseball.

The season is pretty much sold out by now, so forget the box office. Unused tickets are released incrementally, so if you show up to Fenway in the early afternoon for a night game and wait in line, you can usually get some seats. If you don’t have an entire day to burn, however, then the best bet for your pocketbook is Craigslist.com, but if you prefer a guaranteed purchase, fans recommend StubHub.com as a slightly pricier alternative.

Though bleachers offer the best deals, he next step up, the grandstand, is overpriced and suffers from obstructed views. Beware of Section 1: you’ll be shaded by the Budweiser sign, but all its massive support beams will be in the way.

For those of you more interested in catching a fly baller than a fly ball, keep an eye out for third baseman and George Clooney doppelganger Mike A. Lowell. To get near the team’s most eligible bachelor, center fielder Jacoby M. Ellsbury, try the low-numbered bleachers for a great view of his bottom of the ninth.

The day of the game, don’t bother going MBTA to get from Harvard to Fenway; You can take the M2 bus for free. You’ll have to Green Line it or take a cab coming back. Gates open two hours before game time. Go early and you can watch batting practice and snag some baseballs. Hang around the dugout and you might get an autograph. BYO sharpie.

Alternatively, you can head to landmark bar The Cask & Flagon to pre-game. Alcohol smuggling is (not-so-strictly) prohibited in the ballpark, so plan accordingly. Food is always expensive, but you can get your hot dogs cheaper on Landsdowne Street just outside the park, and once you’re inside, you can still go out to Yawkey Way for seconds. Do it right and get a lot of toppings on there. Delicious.

Once it’s game time, make sure you’re ready to yell. Fenway’s different from most other stadium; it’s intense and always sold-out. Don’t bring a book. That said, keep your comments positive. Insult the visiting team and you can make some very angry enemies. Backpedal and you risk receiving a harsh scolding from drunken Red Sox fans. Make sure to memorize Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” so you can belt it in the eighth inning. And if you don’t know any of the players’ names, just yell out “Go Rocco!” at some point and you’ll pass for a Fenway regular.

Finally, don’t bring your glove if you’re over 10. The grief won’t be worth the help it might provide in the unlikely event that a ball heads your way.

Now take yourself out to the ballgame. Your friends are going to be green (monsters) with envy.