Royals Gain Split Before They Split

Boston is always a travel highlight on the Royals schedule, especially since we went in late May after the weather had warmed up. Win a couple, lose a couple. Winning a series would have been great, but a split at Fenway is solid. Now that the Metrodome no longer houses the Minnesota Twins, Fenway is MLB’s most formidable home-field advantage…for my money.

Two years ago, I gave you a tour of Fenway Park. A few images from our 2010 visit.

 

 

 

…..Fenway will always be cozy. Don Free’s perch high above the field, and the broadcasters. 

 

 When you broadcast here you are right on top of home plate. Notice Frank White and Joel Goldberg making a cameo blog appearance on the monitor, inbetween Denny and Bob. Frank coached for the Red Sox for three years.

 

One perk of my job is going down to the field to do a postgame interview. On this night, with the Royals ahead, I find an empty seat to watch the final three outs before heading onto the field.

 

This is Copley Square in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. It’s a park that’s close to our hotel and is in full bloom with the Farmers’ Market open for the summer and fall. History surrounds you in Boston.

 

 

The obligatory photo of the Green Monster before a game. 37 feet high. Looks so innocent but it can wreak havoc on a baseball game.

 

 

 This is Wally the Green Monster. Fortunately he didn’t wreak havoc with me.

 …..Before every game Manager Ned Yost meets with reporters (after games also). Answering questions from the media is a huge part of the job of manager. Dick Kaegel, Bob Dutton, Ryan Lefebvre, Joel Goldberg and Royals V.P. Mike Swanson get the latest from the skipper.

 

This is Yawkee Way, within the gates of the ballpark, but right outside the stadium itself. It has much of the flavor of the what the Royals have in their Outfield Experience.

 

One of the reasons the Red Sox and Yankees have such a financial advantage over the rest of the clubs is the highly profitable networks they own. for the Red Sox it’s the New England Sports Network (NESN). They televise the games (as well as the Boston Bruins hockey games, among other events). If you wondered where Peter Gammons went, since he’s not with ESPN anymore, he’s working for NESN, among others. They do their pregame shows from Yawkey Way.

 

 

These are some of the the Duck Boats for the “Duck Tours” around the city of Boston. They’re good on land and in the water. As Yogi Berra once said “He hits from both sides of the plate. He’s amphibious.”

 

 

 Once the Royals arrived back home, it was time for the pitchers to do some hitting. Interleague play means pitchers batting in nine upcoming road games. Here a guy who loves to hit, Zack Greinke, takes his hacks.