Fenway illustrated, circa 1946
From SABR member Larry Granillo at Baseball Prospectus on April 13, 2012:
In honor of the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park next Friday – a day that will assuredly be glossed over by the general baseball media for its lack of national appeal – I present to you this artist’s rendition of the famous Boston landmark from 1946. This image comes from a series of drawings made by Boston Globe cartoonist Gene Mack and republished in 1946-47 Sporting News issues. In the series, Mack drew his interpretation of each of the 14 major league ballparks in use at the time, with notable moments, landmarks, and other stadium ephemera highlighted throughout the illustration.
Mack’s drawing of Fenway Park is beautiful, giving us a great look at what it was like to attend a Red Sox game when Ted Williams was still in his twenties. Even better, it’s a look at the kind of casual history whose light might be bright enough to shine for 30 or 40 years before dimming and fading out of memory. Maybe some historians might still be able to tell you about Joe Cronin‘s between-innings rituals, Megaphone Lolly, or even Fats Fothergill rolling down Duffy’s Cliff, but the moments clearly captured the public’s imagination in 1946 more than they do today.
Look around the illustration. Up in the bleachers there’s the description of Ted Williams’ famous 502-foot home run to the rightfield (and memorable shots off Red Ruffing and Ellis Kinder).
View the illustration and read the full article here: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16463
Originally published: April 13, 2012. Last Updated: April 13, 2012.