The Little Engine That Could: Fenway's '09 Facelift And 2012 Midsummer Classic

On Thursday Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino confirmed the club's request to host the 2012 All-Star Game at Fenway Park.  2012 will mark the 100th anniversary of beantown's historical baseball epicenter.  The club made this announcement, along with the announcement of another round of renovations to the enchanted old park, in a media conference on Thursday.  Lucchino commented, "We have made a request to have another All-Star Game at Fenway Park in light of the upcoming 100th anniversary and the changes that have taken place."

The President and CEO also jokingly remarked, "That issue is resolved by the Commissioner's Office, above my pay grade."

This years renovations to the sacred park include: the addition of about 350 more seats, replacing and repairing the seats from first to third, add upper-deck seats down the first-base line, waterproofing the concrete under the lower deck sections.  Despite the addition of the 350 seats the legal capacity for the park will remain at 39,928, including employees who are working at the park, and a sellout crowd will be considered 37,750 for night games.

The waterproofing being done in the lower seating bowl is to that of new ballpark standards and the material itself has a 20-year warranty on it.  According to Janet Marie Smith, the Senior Vice President of Planning and Development for the Red Sox, the waterproofing is, "Being done to a standard that will take it another 35-50 years."

The seats in the lower seating bowl will be replace by more modern seats, resemblant to those of newer ballparks.  The current seats were built in the 1970[s and will be replaced by new seats with cushions and cup holders.

However those aren't the only seats that will be replaced, the 383 seats in the right field roof-box section will also be replaced.  "When we reviewed the plans for the right-field roof that we are disassembling now, we couldn't help but note with some irony that they were temporary drawings," Smith reported. "They were never intended to be there 25 years. No wonder the materials were folding at the corners. This is an important thing for us to be able to remedy."

In regards to this years renovations Lucchino commented, "We are in the eighth inning of a nine-inning game with respect to the enhancement and improvements to Fenway Park.  We have, since the first day our group was constituted, John Henry, Tom Werner and the leadership and our limited partnership as well have been dedicated to preserving, protecting and enhancing and prolonging the life of Fenway Park. This is year eight, or inning eight, depending on how you like to look at it, of this long-term effort."

Previous owners had planned on replacing Fenway Park with a new, more modern, stadium.  That priority shifted once the new ownership group of Henry, Lucchino and Werner took over in February of 2002.  The new group has remained focused on renovating the classic park, retaining all of it's history while modernizing it each year.  With the addition of the Green Monster seats, as well as new and improved luxury suites and expanded concourses, the group has been very successful staying true to their focus.

As for any thought of replacing the oldest and smallest ballpark in the majors, "We are committed to Fenway Park -- short-term, middle-term, long-term,"  Lucchino rebutted. "We're going to be here. No thought has been, or is being given, to a new ballpark. The thought is to complete the renovations and improvements of Fenway Park and then move on and make modest improvements from time to time on various issues going forward."

"I think it's the little engine that could, and it has proven to be that in the last several years in particular," Lucchino remarked. "We think it can continue to be as long as it is full of passionate Red Sox fans."