tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75177816954342625402024-03-14T03:56:00.675-05:00HubTrotterBlogging about travel and history in Boston and beyondChristopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.comBlogger237125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-4720848604240886112015-07-07T10:03:00.004-05:002015-07-07T10:03:55.662-05:00STRONG BOY Audiobook Now Available<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkIoLtiUhXTnWq6xdft6ZwLDOTfuhM6YvutG6no8RTjhGcv5-HO8BzJRDEvxwWE_tp440AaJ6aqbyEGY3fUIzKgGdOWeQ8AJDGHj4TFzIEwo9qAV0jrnHF7QW38WGbZwIgYRnhODyXhmC/s1600/Strong+Boy+Audio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkIoLtiUhXTnWq6xdft6ZwLDOTfuhM6YvutG6no8RTjhGcv5-HO8BzJRDEvxwWE_tp440AaJ6aqbyEGY3fUIzKgGdOWeQ8AJDGHj4TFzIEwo9qAV0jrnHF7QW38WGbZwIgYRnhODyXhmC/s1600/Strong+Boy+Audio.jpg" /></a>Looking for a good summer read...er...listen? Good news. STRONG BOY: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOHN L. SULLIVAN, AMERICA'S FIRST SPORTS HERO is now available as an audiobook. </div>
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Approaching nineteenth-century sports and boxing with a twenty-first-century perspective, STRONG BOY brings to life John L. Sullivan, a man who was the gold standard of boxing for more than a decade and the first athlete to earn more than a million dollars. He had a big ego, big mouth, and bigger appetites. His womanizing, drunken escapades, and constant presence on the police blotter were a godsend to a burgeoning newspaper industry. The larger-than-life boxer embodied the American Dream for late nineteenth-century immigrants as he rose from Boston's Irish working class to become the most recognizable man in the nation. The "Boston Strong Boy," was our nation's first sports hero, and his name was not Babe Ruth. </div>
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STRONG BOY has been called "one of the best boxing books ever penned" by the Boston Globe and "a muscular, relentlessly detailed book" by the Wall Street Journal. </div>
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In addition to the paperback version, the audiobook version of STRONG BOY is available through Audible at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0106HVCY4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B0106HVCY4&link_code=as3&tag=hubtr-20&linkId=UV6LZY6EGRBQHKM2">Amazon</a> as well as <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strong-boy-christopher-klein/1113111100?ean=9781504615723">Barnes and Noble</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/strong-boy-life-times-john/id1011418194">iTunes</a> and <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781504615723">Indiebound</a>.</div>
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Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-16354795601646309672015-06-09T16:33:00.000-05:002015-06-09T16:33:12.301-05:00Summer Tours of Boston Light Resume July 5th<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7SfqjyGy428vqU37QEwcYmrGoDjIusqJZbbmGDBtqM0lfopyApblPE9Tpiv8FaL_SflqCnjqkNf1YivIupF2k-VSwDCg4XlvioLbKYRBKXaq6YD_U2tFPxs1o0VI3TnT8DPTkYDwJ3xu/s1600/bostonlight1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #222222; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7SfqjyGy428vqU37QEwcYmrGoDjIusqJZbbmGDBtqM0lfopyApblPE9Tpiv8FaL_SflqCnjqkNf1YivIupF2k-VSwDCg4XlvioLbKYRBKXaq6YD_U2tFPxs1o0VI3TnT8DPTkYDwJ3xu/s200/bostonlight1.jpg" width="200" /></a>Great news for history buffs and lighthouse lovers! Boston Harbor Island Alliance, the National Park Service and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary will resume ranger-led summer tours of Boston Light, the nation’s first and oldest lighthouse station, on July 5, 2015.</div>
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"We're excited to have the island re-opened this summer for visitors," said Sally Snowman, Keeper of Boston Light. "The Coast Guard invested $1.5 million for major repairs to restore Boston Light and her facilities this past year. Now the lighthouse experience is even more spectacular!"</div>
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National Park Service Superintendent Giles Parker added, “Boston Light, which celebrates its 300th year in 2016, is the kind of place that captures the public’s imagination. When you look at the lighthouse, you understand the challenges of going to sea. You think about the people who have navigated their boats through darkness and stormy waters to find that reassuring beam to guide them into safe harbor. Our summer programs offer opportunities to explore the lighthouse and imagine the courage and sacrifice of the keepers and mariners who have passed through this harbor over the years.’’</div>
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The three-hour adventure begins with a 45-minute ranger-narrated tour through Boston Harbor, focused on its defining islands and the dramatic views of Boston’s skyline. Visitors will learn about the rich maritime history of the harbor islands and have opportunities to see two of the harbor’s other historic lighthouses – Long Island Head Light and The Graves Light. After a scenic ride, the ferry will dock at Little Brewster Island, home to historic Boston Light. There, visitors will have a chance to talk with the lighthouse keeper, hear stories of the families who've tended Boston Light over its almost 300-year history, and climb the tower’s 76 steps to see the only Fresnel lens in use in the Commonwealth today and the spectacular views of Massachusetts Bay and Boston's skyline.</div>
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Boston Light Tours begin on July 5 and run through October<sup> </sup>4. Tours will depart from the Boston Harbor Islands Welcome Center at 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Individual fares are: $41 for adults, $37 for seniors, students and active members of the military, and $30 for children, ages 3-11. Children under 3 are free. </div>
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“Boston Harbor Island Alliance is looking forward to bringing the program back after a one year hiatus," Boston Harbor Island Alliance president Phil Griffith said. "This trip is a must-see for all tourists visiting the Boston area, local area residents and lighthouse lovers.”</div>
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For more information and to purchase tickets for the Boston Light Tour, visit <a href="http://www.bostonharborislands.org/tour-lighthouse" target="_blank">http://www.<wbr></wbr>bostonharborislands.org/tour-<wbr></wbr>lighthouse</a>. Don't forget to bring along the ultimate companion to the islands, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1934598062/ref=as_sl_pd_tf_lc?tag=hubtr-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1934598062&adid=06PQMJSC4XB5D1XJ2YW6&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fhubtrotter.blogspot.com%2F">Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands</a>, the most comprehensive guidebook to the national park area. </div>
Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-28432919946757265792015-05-26T16:03:00.001-05:002015-05-26T16:03:54.680-05:00June 7 Book Signing and Beer Tasting in Portsmouth, NH
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">John L. Sullivan appreciated a good pint—well, any pint
for that matter—so I’m sure he’d be excited about a great afternoon of brews
and books that will be hosted by the Beara Irish Brewing Company in Portsmouth,
New Hampshire, on Sunday, June 7, from 2-4 PM.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sullivan's role as the country's first sports superstar
and Irish-American hero has faded a bit from our collective memory in recent
years, so I was particularly excited when I saw his image gracing the labels of
a great local brew, Beara Irish Brewing Company's O'Sullivan Stout. The brewery
has opened a new taproom on Route 1 in Portsmouth, and if you come in on June 7
you can sample the stout and the brewery’s other craft offerings, which I highly
recommend. I’ll also be there to sign copies of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Strong Boy: The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, called “one of
the best boxing books ever penned” by the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Boston
Globe</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">And if you have a dad who loves to drink beer and imbibe
sports and history, it’s a great two-fer for picking up some unique gifts!
Father’s Day shopping doesn’t get any easier than this.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The Beara Irish Brewing Company is located at 2800
Lafayette Road in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Its web site is <a href="http://www.bearairishbrew.com/">www.bearairishbrew.com</a>. For more on
Strong Boy, visit <a href="http://www.strongboybook.com/">www.strongboybook.com</a>. </span></span><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-1630285203068953832015-03-09T14:29:00.001-05:002015-03-09T14:31:12.400-05:00STRONG BOY now available in paperback<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2M4GgvjMAzBBD3ro9aBRFmEbzTP8Ecx5mRjZxhjqdRzKZmmhVCax7Cz6UwCBMG4cmqsolDO-mg2hqcowGcw5suWmlHZLwwVbPwRvJd9hyBhheoZ5VRXtEUgJegvH26X3xIDNKCDsQrwV/s1600/photo+2-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2M4GgvjMAzBBD3ro9aBRFmEbzTP8Ecx5mRjZxhjqdRzKZmmhVCax7Cz6UwCBMG4cmqsolDO-mg2hqcowGcw5suWmlHZLwwVbPwRvJd9hyBhheoZ5VRXtEUgJegvH26X3xIDNKCDsQrwV/s1600/photo+2-2.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>STRONG BOY: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOHN L. SULLIVAN, AMERICA'S FIRST SPORTS HERO is now available in paperback. Same great content, half the price!</div>
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Happy to see this great review from the Boston Globe on the front cover: "From the first page to the last, Klein's prose retains its powers of enchantment and illumination. It is one of the best boxing books ever penned."</div>
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Approaching nineteenth-century sports and boxing with a twenty-first-century perspective, STRONG BOY brings to life John L. Sullivan, a man who was the gold standard of boxing for more than a decade and the first athlete to earn more than a million dollars. He had a big ego, big mouth, and bigger appetites. His womanizing, drunken escapades, and constant presence on the police blotter were a godsend to a burgeoning newspaper industry. The larger-than-life boxer embodied the American Dream for late nineteenth-century immigrants as he rose from Boston's Irish working class to become the most recognizable man in the nation. The "Boston Strong Boy," was our nation's first sports hero, and his name was not Babe Ruth.</div>
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If you have already purchased the hardcover version, congratulations! You now own a rare, out-of-print first edition. (Don't go spend it all at once.) If not, the paperback version of STRONG BOY is available from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0762788380/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0762788380&linkCode=as2&tag=hubtr-20&linkId=S3NZPQHQIPY7CCCJ" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strong-boy-christopher-klein/1113111100?ean=9780762781522" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>, and <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780762781522" target="_blank">Indiebound</a>.</div>
Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-80150910067467247352014-02-26T11:20:00.003-05:002014-02-26T14:06:02.612-05:00Upcoming "Strong Boy" Talks about John L. Sullivan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3BrZVeRdK4SmJ5P4Zq8GaZXAw-CtBtyE-KKvLHn6EWdSSHb4xnUcpbEI3Ghubkb34REoyarQaHw1jf9ZKY9WAsTzahthh_8CIVL8Bg3bPmp482Kf50yPkRipnVhS_TpBqKx8aX4jd761/s1600/photo-6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3BrZVeRdK4SmJ5P4Zq8GaZXAw-CtBtyE-KKvLHn6EWdSSHb4xnUcpbEI3Ghubkb34REoyarQaHw1jf9ZKY9WAsTzahthh_8CIVL8Bg3bPmp482Kf50yPkRipnVhS_TpBqKx8aX4jd761/s1600/photo-6.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
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What better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than learning more about one of the country's first Irish-American heroes? I'll be telling the colorful tale of the hard-hitting, hard-drinking Gilded Age boxer John L. Sullivan at a number of Boston-area institutions this March. Among the scheduled dates are the following:</div>
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March 6, 6 PM: Boston Public Library</div>
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March 8, 9:30 AM: The Irish Ancestral Research Association (Boston)</div>
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March 12, 7 PM: Medford Public Library</div>
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March 16, 2:30 PM: Stevens Memorial Library (North Andover)</div>
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March 18, 7 PM: Falmouth Historical Society and Museums on the Green</div>
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March 19, 7 PM: Thomas Crane Public Library (Quincy)</div>
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March 27, 6:30 PM: South End Historical Society</div>
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<ul>
<li>Learn how Sullivan’s incredible career and oversized personality launched America’s modern sporting obsession</li>
<li>Travel back in time to the extravagant Gilded Age to witness the birth of America’s celebrity culture</li>
<li>Discover how Sullivan’s power and self-confidence transformed him into an idol for a generation of Irish-Americans emasculated in the wake of the horrific potato famine that gripped their homeland</li>
<li>Grab a ringside seat to Sullivan’s epic brawls, such as his 75-round bout with Jake Kilrain, and his battles outside the ring with the law, a troubled marriage, and raging alcoholism</li>
<li>Explore how Sullivan revolutionized boxing from outlawed bare-knuckle fighting into the gloved spectacle we know today</li>
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A full list of events can be found on the <a href="http://www.strongboybook.com/" target="_blank">Strong Boy web site</a>. I'll be bringing flat John L. in tow. He's bundled up for the winter weather and ready to go.</div>
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Hope to see you there!</div>
Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-68416126664105241652013-09-26T22:15:00.000-05:002013-09-26T22:19:57.013-05:00How John L. Sullivan Changed America<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He was America’s first sports superstar. He was the gold standard of his sport for more than a decade. He was the first athlete to earn more than a million dollars. His rise from the working-class city streets epitomized the American Dream. He had a big ego, big mouth, and bigger appetites. He ate and drank with reckless abandon. He was loud and vulgar. His womanizing, drunken escapades, and constant police-blotter presence were godsends to a burgeoning newspaper industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He wasn’t Babe Ruth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He was John L. Sullivan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Nearly four decades before Ruth donned a baseball uniform, Sullivan ruled as heavyweight champion from 1882 to 1892. Born to Irish-American parents who fled the horrible potato famine that gnawed away at Ireland, the larger-than-life boxer rose from a working-class Boston neighborhood to become the most recognizable man in America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuNFQtk5090TdAWCp2CdQpwCcvFHrf6a22jet0oqxlsaqi2vCx-qjUrAUwJamE_R25_25Sf7hYHYY4nwKmmp9HAoF8hhuajfYn_8l8vtkQ08Q-C-tXaTiIgtFIkWPPAlgL2wCq8Zzdt8/s1600/08_Strong_Boy.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuNFQtk5090TdAWCp2CdQpwCcvFHrf6a22jet0oqxlsaqi2vCx-qjUrAUwJamE_R25_25Sf7hYHYY4nwKmmp9HAoF8hhuajfYn_8l8vtkQ08Q-C-tXaTiIgtFIkWPPAlgL2wCq8Zzdt8/s320/08_Strong_Boy.tiff" style="cursor: move;" width="235" /></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Far from being a bygone, sepia-toned relic, Sullivan’s story is a familiar one. Everything we know of modern sports—the hype machine, the press coverage, the hero worship by fans, the pitfalls of celebrity, the endorsements, the greed and ungodly sums of money, the gambling, the intersection of show business and athletics, and the gossip—all appear in Sullivan’s tale. The man known as the “Boston Strong Boy” starred in theatrical productions, sought political office, owned his own bar, and shilled products for advertisers, activities that all seem commonplace for athletes today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">John L. Sullivan’s left his imprint on American culture in three significant ways:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1. John L. Sullivan was the first American sports hero.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If sports are America’s secular faith, Sullivan is not only among the pantheon of athletic gods, he is our Zeus. His decade-long reign coincided with the birth of American mass media, and his oversized personality gave birth to America’s celebrity obsession with athletes. Long before athletes’ private lives became fodder for TMZ, Deadspin, and ESPN, there was Sullivan’s dirty laundry being aired in Richard K. Fox’s <i>National Police Gazette</i> and Joseph Pulitzer’s <i>New York World</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2. John L. Sullivan was the first Irish-American idol.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The legendary spirit of the fighting Irish that was made flesh in Sullivan transformed him into a hero for tens of thousands of sons and daughters of the Emerald Isle who had felt emasculated in the wake of the Great Hunger. At a time when millions of Irish Americans sought respect in their new homeland, Sullivan earned it with his fists. His strength and self-confidence were elixirs for a people who had suffered from malignant shame after the famine, and it transformed him into an Irish-American idol. “Because he meant so much as a minority champion, he prefigured Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Billie Jean King and the many other athletes who became genuine heroes to the people they represented,” says illustrious sportswriter Frank Deford. “The Great John L. is as important a cultural figure as he was a sports idol.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3. John L. Sullivan modernized the sport of boxing.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The last of the bare-knuckle champions and the first of the gloved title-holders, Sullivan was a transcendent figure in boxing history. By insisting on fighting with gloves under the newly developed Marquis of Queensberry Rules, he revolutionized the sport from barbaric, outlawed bare-knuckle fighting into the gloved spectacle we know today. “The Boston Strong Boy” pulled boxing from the back woods onto the front pages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzUfeYhOn1PxJv8y-I9Ho5L7i8k682SSMTCd3ibNP8ZD9eFP5MYf2LaXEPAuQhGY2DGAq0KJqlqPWyXfPEIO9rReM1GmReOkd_Uebj-9uVbmRgZGZPHbuMv1Ksu_LepdXbzEO_E6Ih5I/s1600/Strong+Boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzUfeYhOn1PxJv8y-I9Ho5L7i8k682SSMTCd3ibNP8ZD9eFP5MYf2LaXEPAuQhGY2DGAq0KJqlqPWyXfPEIO9rReM1GmReOkd_Uebj-9uVbmRgZGZPHbuMv1Ksu_LepdXbzEO_E6Ih5I/s320/Strong+Boy.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="213" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My latest book, <i>Strong Boy,</i> tells the story of the self-made man who personified the power and excesses of the Gilded Age. In vivid detail, the 368-page book offers readers ringside seats for Sullivan’s epic brawls, such as his 75-round bout against Jake Kilrain and his cross-country barnstorming tour in which he literally challenged all of America to a fight. <i>Strong Boy</i> also chronicles Sullivan’s battles outside the ring with a troubled marriage, wild weight and fitness fluctuations, and raging alcoholism. While he struggled with personal demons, his life story is ultimately a redemptive one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Even those who aren't boxing fans will be entertained by Sullivan’s incredible exploits both inside and outside of the ring as they learn about America’s sports-obsessed culture, the seedy underbelly of Victorian society in the Gilded Age, and the rise of Irish America in the latter 1800s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While Sullivan is referred to in some quarters as the “Babe Ruth of boxing,” <i>Strong Boy</i> readers will discover that in truth, Ruth was the “John L. Sullivan of baseball.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Copies of <i>Strong Boy</i>, which will be available November 5, 2013, can be ordered online at <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780762781522" target="_blank">Indiebound</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strong-boy-christopher-klein/1113111100?ean=9780762781522">Barnes & Noble</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0762781521/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0762781521&linkCode=as2&tag=hubtr-20">Amazon</a>. For more on John L. Sullivan, visit the <i>Strong Boy</i> web site at <a href="http://www.strongboybook.com/">www.strongboybook.com</a> and keep watching this blog.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /><i>Photograph courtesy of Library of Congress</i></span></div>
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Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-2575411332626165182013-02-26T18:54:00.000-05:002013-09-06T08:07:10.852-05:00Charitable Irish Society Dinner on St. Patrick's Day<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Charitable Irish Society<br />To Host Annual Dinner<br />March 17 at Fairmont Copley Plaza<br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Event To Note Irish Significance In American Labor Movement</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Society Ranks As Oldest Irish Organization in The United States</span></b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Staged Boston's First St. Patrick's Day Celebration in 1737</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />BOSTON, MA -- <b>The Charitable Irish Society</b>, founded in Boston in <b>1737</b>, will hold its annual St. Patrick's Day Dinner on Sunday, <b>March 17</b>, at the <b>Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel</b> in Boston. Special guest speaker at the 6 p.m. dinner will be <b>John Sweeney</b>, President Emeritus of the <b>AFL-CIO</b>. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The son of Irish immigrants and union members, John Sweeney <span style="font-size: x-small;">is renowned for his life long dedication to improving the lives of American working people. </span>At the dinner, he <span style="font-size: x-small;">will address</span> the importance of the Irish in the American labor movement<span style="font-size: x-small;"> and <span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>100th anniversary of the Dublin General Strike.</b></span></span> Tickets for the dinner, priced at<b> $175 </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">are a</span>vailable by visiting <a href="http://www.charitableirishsociety.org/" target="_blank">http://www.<wbr></wbr>charitableirishsociety.org/</a> or calling <b><a href="tel:617%20330-1737" target="_blank" value="+16173301737">617 330-1737</a>.</b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /><br />Funds raised through the dinner will benefit the Society's <b>Silver Key Fund</b> which provides essential financial aid, housing assistance and employment opportunities to members of the local Irish community.<br /><br />Ranking as the <b>oldest Irish organization in North America</b>, the Society is credited with having organized the <b>first St. Patrick's Day celebration in Boston in 1737</b>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>A MISSION OF SUPPORT</b></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Since its inception, the Society has maintained a mission: to cultivate a spirit of unity and harmony among Irish residents and their descendants; to aid members of the local community by providing essential financial aid, housing assistance and employment opportunities; and to promote Irish culture in all its forms. As such, the Society regularly partners with a host of local organizations including the <b>Irish Immigration Center, the Irish Pastoral Centre, The Ancient Order of Hibernians, Cathedral Cares </b>and<b> Nativity Preparatory School.</b><br /><br />Commenting on the Society's commitment to community involvement, Society President<b> Paul McNamara</b> said, "By having the ability to respond quickly to a wide range of emergency needs, The Society fills a critical niche that many other charitable groups are not able to meet. We are proud to note that the Society is an entirely volunteer organization, with our Board working tirelessly to aid those who might otherwise have no means to receive vital assistance."<br /><br />He added, "The motto attached to our original founding articles is <b>'With Good Will, Doing Service.' </b>For the past 276 years, the Society has been dedicated to that responsibility -- providing service, whenever necessary, to Irish men and women, both here and in Ireland.<br /><br />Projects through history have included providing relief during the <b>Irish Potato Famine</b> and supporting the <b>Immigrant Aid Society of 1850</b>. More recent projects have involved offering financial assistance for critical medical care, assisting with handicapped accessible home conversions, and providing airfare assistance for travel to a parent's funeral in Ireland.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>NEW CITIZENS</b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Since 1996, the Society has played an integral role in<b> "Catch the Spirit-Citizenship,"</b> a program that encourages Irish residents to become United States citizens. Workshops covering all aspects of the application process are offered by volunteers from the Society, the Irish Immigration Center, and the Irish Pastoral Centre at sites in Brighton, Quincy, Dorchester and South Boston. The program has seen more than 1,000 citizenship applications processed and submitted to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, resulting in countless new American citizens.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>SOCIETY HISTORY</b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The history of the Society is deeply rooted in the history of Boston and the United States of America. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Boston’s Irish community stretches back to the early 18th century when considerable numbers of Ulster Presbyterians came to New England in search of economic opportunity as well as the religious and political freedom which the Penal Laws denied to dissenters and Roman Catholics alike. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Early Society Members</b></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A variety of merchants, tradesmen, lawyers, teachers, and artisans from Ulster founded the Charitable Irish Society in 1737 with the express purpose of assisting fellow Irish immigrants in the traumatic process of settling in an unfamiliar city and country.<br /><br />Noted among the Society's founders are:<br /><br />• Teacher, painter and engraver <b>Peter Pelham</b>. Pelham was stepfather to renowned Boston painter John Singleton Copley. Copley, in turn, was the father of <b>John Singleton Copley,</b> <b>1st Baron Lyndhurst</b> , three times the <b>Lord Chancellor of Great Britain</b>.<br /><br />Peter Pelham was termed the "father of fine arts in New England." In 1737 he applied to the Boston selectmen for "Liberty to open a school in this town for the education of children in reading, writing and needlepoint, dancing and the art of painting upon glass."<br /><br />• <b>Captain Patrick Tracey</b>, from Newburyport, who operated a fleet of privateers during the Revolutionary War and captured 2000 British prisoners. His son <b>Nathaniel</b> was one of t</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">he chief financier<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">s</span></span> of the <b>American Revolution<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span></span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> His grandchildren included: <b> James Jackson</b>, one of the founders of <b>Mass General Hospital</b> as well as its first physician; <b>Charles Jackson</b>, a member of the<b>Massachusetts Supreme Court</b>; and <b>Patrick Tracey Jackson</b>, who built the first <b>complete cotton mill</b> in Waltham. (Patrick Jackson's father, <b>Jonathan Jackson,</b> a member of the <b>Continental Congress</b> in 1782, was one of the founders of the<b> American Academy of Arts and Sciences</b> in Cambridge.)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">• </span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;">More recent notable members include </span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">President John F. Kennedy, </span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;">and</span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Senators Leverett<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Saltonstall </span></span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">and</span></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.</span></span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Silver Key</b></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The original articles of organization of the Society stated that officers would be elected annually and would include a <b>"Keeper of the Silver Key"</b> whose duty it was to acquaint natives of Ireland or those of Irish extraction with the organization and invite them to contribute.<br /><br />The Silver Key was designed for the Society by renowned <b>Boston silversmith Jacob Hurd</b> in 1738. Born and raised in Charlestown, Hurd worked from 1723 - 1755 in a silver shop located in Boston on Pudding Lane.<br /><br /><b>The Silver Key, </b>now</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> on loan to Boston's <b>Museum of Fine Arts</b>,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> is made of sterling silver, measures 4.5 inches in length, and is engraved with the inscription "Georgius II Rex" with an engraving of King George II in profile. On its reverse side, the key is inscribed "Hibernia 1738" and is engraved with a crowned harp, the arms of Ireland. The MFA's permanent silver collection also includes a silver cup, salver, mug, covered bowl, teapots and a sword crafted by Jacob Hurd. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Archives </b></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The archives of the Society are housed in two distinguished collections at the<b>Massachusetts Historical Society </b>(covering the years 1737-1920) and at the<b>Burns Library</b> at Boston College (1920 - present). Both collections are available to researchers.<br /><br />For information on supporting or joining The Charitable Irish Society, visit<a href="http://www.charitableirishsociety.org/" target="_blank">http://www.<wbr></wbr>charitableirishsociety.org</a>.</span></span>Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-70135320957347529062012-04-09T09:42:00.000-05:002012-04-09T09:42:28.655-05:00Fenway Park's First Game<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIKBstHXA72BShcC-4qxb4nUGyqomFy2WeLmwfR5zydHa1O6ZJSgDRugJUgEnLld1IjxpuNA3KgLgh1D1AarIlQpmt1xg3keHU20Pd8eRvOXqG96_d2fPKhdC1SjjiUv8HeVfLyztHvJx/s1600/IMG_6167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIKBstHXA72BShcC-4qxb4nUGyqomFy2WeLmwfR5zydHa1O6ZJSgDRugJUgEnLld1IjxpuNA3KgLgh1D1AarIlQpmt1xg3keHU20Pd8eRvOXqG96_d2fPKhdC1SjjiUv8HeVfLyztHvJx/s200/IMG_6167.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After this weekend's <a data-mce-href="http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2012/04/09/the_smackdowns_are_getting_worse_for_the_red_sox/?p1=News_links" href="http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2012/04/09/the_smackdowns_are_getting_worse_for_the_red_sox/?p1=News_links">brutal opening series in Detroit</a>, Red Sox fans like myself are in need of some sort of escape. I'm going to retreat my good ol' safe place: history.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Now, in case you might not have heard, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of Fenway Park. (Oh, did you hear the Titanic went down 100 years ago, too?) Most of the commemoration is focused on celebrating the events of April 20, 1912, when the Red Sox took on the New York Highlanders (soon to be Yankees) in Fenway Park's first major league game.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But that was not the first time that the Red Sox took to Fenway's emerald diamond to play a game. Fenway Park was actually baptized as Boston's baseball cathedral 100 years ago today--on April 9, 1912. The weather was better suited for football rather than baseball when the Red Sox took on a squad from Harvard University in an exhibition game. Snow flurries danced in the air as the hard-core fans entered into a still-unfinished ballpark. Even though it was the first chance that many Boston "cranks" (as baseball fans were called in those days) had to check out the state-of-the-art baseball stadium, the weather was so raw that it helped to keep the attendance to only 3,000. According to the <em>Boston Herald,</em> the sparse crowd “rattled around like a squadron of lima beans in a number eight hat.”</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Red Sox had arrived back in Boston late the prior night from Cincinnati, but they still fielded most of their regulars. At 3:30 p.m., third baseman and Harvard sophomore Dana Joseph Paine Wingate stepped up to the plate and into the history books as Fenway’s first batter. Red Sox pitcher Casey Hageman promptly fanned Wingate for the first of his nine strikeouts. In the bottom of the first inning, Boston second baseman Steve Yerkes followed with a single to right for Fenway’s first hit.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After setting down Harvard in order in the second inning, Hageman singled home shortstop Marty Krug to score Fenway’s first run. The Boston pitcher kept the Harvard batters at bay all afternoon. The Crimson managed just one hit before the game was called after Harvard batted in the seventh inning. The Red Sox won 2-0.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9gfD1SCKwjmdeSoL-fSmA8BxHZ5hPNi4tLPrDMKpS4GlNF-IqcX3FOJ6qD7pEp7LdkNLu8uV36l2stGpwtz-WZcnTj0LCUQXiItA8zB6mUF8MdOxEiY9dDJ7mOVWa3YAQ7jQmWxUvSsQ/s1600/IMG_5933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9gfD1SCKwjmdeSoL-fSmA8BxHZ5hPNi4tLPrDMKpS4GlNF-IqcX3FOJ6qD7pEp7LdkNLu8uV36l2stGpwtz-WZcnTj0LCUQXiItA8zB6mUF8MdOxEiY9dDJ7mOVWa3YAQ7jQmWxUvSsQ/s200/IMG_5933.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To commemorate the centennial, the Harvard baseball team will be taking batting practice at Fenway Park today. Not exactly the blowout planned for April 20. Once again the events of April 9 are being lost in the cobwebs of history.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you're interested in reading more about Fenway Park's first pitch, check out <a data-mce-href="http://harvardmagazine.com/2012/03/fenway-parks-first-pitch" href="http://harvardmagazine.com/2012/03/fenway-parks-first-pitch">my article about the game in Harvard Magazine</a>. And hopefully, after washing my eyes out, I can get back to watching the Red Sox soon.</span></div><div><br />
</div>Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-20188075125294149932012-03-30T20:28:00.000-05:002012-03-30T20:28:10.103-05:00This Is Munich<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL3IVUo-UGM0LPyFvSTlo-KzyOBe6C8wlFaudTl6I8rJ8CZkRiliI8Vk2rOe1TlnqN5xfpn_UiZkfbaRlembCIZHitU9I42KPOuVPhdXxScbjAAA87LMn_JJsgsRnZ2-br6zaWvD1V2pT/s1600/ThisisMunich_cover_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL3IVUo-UGM0LPyFvSTlo-KzyOBe6C8wlFaudTl6I8rJ8CZkRiliI8Vk2rOe1TlnqN5xfpn_UiZkfbaRlembCIZHitU9I42KPOuVPhdXxScbjAAA87LMn_JJsgsRnZ2-br6zaWvD1V2pT/s200/ThisisMunich_cover_final.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Traveling the world with kids can be a challenge, but exposing children to different cultures and cityscapes is as easy as a trip to the local bookstore or library. As <a href="http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-10/travel/29403957_1_illustrations-travelogues-miroslav-sasek">I wrote about in The Boston Globe</a> last year, the enchanting children’s travelogues penned by the Czech author and illustrator M. Sasek, even though most date back to the 1960s, are fantastic introductions to some of the planet’s most enticing cities. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Publishing house Rizzoli has reissued most of Sasek’s titles for a new generation to enjoy, and it has just released an update to the 1961 book “This is Munich.” Like all of Sasek’s stylish books, “This is Munich” features playful ink-and-gouache illustrations of landmarks and quirky street life. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The book is a visual tour of the Bavarian capital that includes landmarks you might expect in a children’s book, such as the Glockenspiel, and those you might not, like the city’s famous beer hall, Hofbräuhaus, complete with a beer maiden carrying eight huge steins by their handles. That’s part of what I think makes Sasek’s books so special. They don’t talk down to kids, yet Sasek’s subjects and colorful illustrations capture children’s imaginations. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There are plenty of charming drawings of the locals in traditional Bavarian clothing. There’s certainly no shortage of dirndl-clad ladies and men decked out in alpine hats and lederhosen. Kids can also get a flavor for daily life in Munich. The drawings of Oktoberfest are alive with colors, and the image of a train station filled with Sunday skiers dwarfed by a forest of rainbow skis is captivating. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Even adults are sure to learn something from Sasek’s book. Know what the Fohn is? Sasek informs us that it’s "a hot dry wind” that “causes physical discomfort and it has a depressing effect on the nervous system." As proof, he gives us an illustration of Frau Huber, a woman as green as the Wicked Witch of the West grabbing her temples. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“This is Munich” transports you not only to Bavaria, but also back in time to 1961. Illustrations include now-bygone images of horse-drawn carriages delivering ice to taverns and city workers sweeping roads with brooms and shovels. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Rizzoli’s “This is Munich” has 64 eye-catching pages and can be purchased through the <a href="http://www.rizzoliusa.com/book.php?isbn=9780789324269&v=online">Rizzoli web site</a>. And if you do get inspired and make it to Munich, beware of the Fohn. </div><!--EndFragment-->Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-57440742946962662642012-03-05T14:13:00.002-05:002012-03-05T14:15:01.360-05:00Join Boston's Truth Squad on April Fool's Day<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Interested in learning more about your hometown and having some fun at the same time? On April Fool’s Day (April 1), join Boston by Foot for its brand new quiz and tour event, True Lies & False Facts: A Questionable Tour of Boston. Guides on the hour-long tour will tell some wild and amazing stories—some of which are true and other that are not. Your job will be to guess which is which. The answers will be revealed at the Bell in Hand Tavern, and those who guess the best will win a prize.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The tour starts at 2 PM at the Old North Church. No reservations are necessary. The cost is $20 for non-members and $5 for members of Boston by Foot. Cash bar and snacks will be provided at the end of the tour at the Bell in Hand Tavern. (Here’s a quick study question: The Bell in Hand was named for the occupation of its Colonial founder, Boston’s last town crier. <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/travel/2012/03/04/massachusetts-tavern-trail-highlights-colonial-era-watering-holes-from-boston-berkshires/jr6gMQZOnB4Qn0n2Mgx7SL/story.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">True or false?</span></a>)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This is the only time Boston By Foot tour guides will ever intentionally lie to you...unless, of course, they're telling the truth!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And if you want to learn more about the true stories behind the Hub, Boston by Foot opens up its annual lecture series and volunteer training program to all who want to increase their knowledge about the city. The first of five Saturday lectures is on April 7 at the brand-new building on Atlantic Wharf. This year’s program focuses on Boston’s architecture and the city’s world-class buildings and spaces. The cost is $35 a lecture or $95 for the entire series.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For more information, visit <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><a href="http://www.bostonbyfoot.org/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">www.bostonbyfoot.org</span></a> or call <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7517781695434262540&postID=5744074294696266264"><span style="text-decoration: none;">617-367-2345</span></a></span>.</span></div>Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-60613352817612762462011-10-31T08:04:00.000-05:002011-10-31T08:04:10.124-05:00The Lady in Black and Tales of Confederate POWs at Fort Warren<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSRRtZwcz7hIi8-PeUTV18LZadVvZ7mZIR1mZ7esGs2NiuylZcpcLekqpmNjXT6961IqFsB_130M8cCSC3sxKrOKR6EYmkGt4n56Dg5Rp2N8J5fJ7wP8hg5UcNB2gsSTEYYhkOCN5Hc79/s1600/aa02055v.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSRRtZwcz7hIi8-PeUTV18LZadVvZ7mZIR1mZ7esGs2NiuylZcpcLekqpmNjXT6961IqFsB_130M8cCSC3sxKrOKR6EYmkGt4n56Dg5Rp2N8J5fJ7wP8hg5UcNB2gsSTEYYhkOCN5Hc79/s200/aa02055v.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy Halloween, everyone.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Salem hogs all the limelight when it comes to haunted happenings, but there are plenty of ghostly tales in Boston as well, including out on Georges Island. And this October 31 marks the 150th anniversary of a particularly noteworthy date in the history of Fort Warren, that granite garrison out on Georges Island.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was on October 31, 1861, that the first Confederate prisoners of war arrived at Georges Island. Colonel Justin Dimick, a West Point graduate and veteran of the Mexican-American War, was told to ready the fort for the arrival of 150 prisoners, so he was understandably shocked when the steamer docked at the island with more than 800 political and military prisoners. Fort Warren was overrun and ill-prepared, which resulted in food rations and prisoners sleeping on floors. A newspaper account from November 1861 reported that when the prisoners arrived at Fort Warren “pity rather than the hatred of the visitors was excited by the sad spectacle.”</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What’s remarkable is how Bostonians responded to the plight of the enemy. They donated food, beds, and other supplies to assist the Confederate prisoners, hoping that proper treatment of the prisoners might inspire equal compassion toward Union prisoners of war. The story of Boston’s response to the crisis at Fort Warren and Dimick’s role in ensuring the prisoners were treated humanely is a remarkable one, and you can read more about it in an <a data-mce-href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/the-light-in-a-dark-harbor/?ref=opinion" href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/the-light-in-a-dark-harbor/?ref=opinion">article I wrote for <em>The New York Times</em> Disunion blog.</a></span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While Dimick’s story is little known, if you were to ask anyone familiar with Georges Island what its most enduring story is, they would respond by telling you about “The Lady in Black.” Popularized by historian Edward Rowe Snow, this tale is now an essential part of the island’s fabric. According to the legend, the wife of a Confederate prisoner, dressed as a man and brandishing a pistol, snuck into the fort in an attempt to free her newlywed husband. She succeeded in reaching her husband’s cell, but as they tried to escape the dungeon, Union troops discovered their scheme and notified Colonel Dimick. When the colonel came upon the pair, the wife fired at Dimick, but her gun exploded and killed her husband instead.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> To make a bad day even worse, Dimick had no choice but to order the woman to hang as a spy. Before her execution, she requested that she be properly dressed in women’s clothing. She was given black robes and hanged from the gallows.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Now we never like to have history get in the way of a good ghost story, but there are no recorded instances of Confederate soldiers or Confederate sympathizers being executed at Fort Warren. However, from the Civil War through the Second World War, many a soldier stationed on the parapets claimed to see the frightening ghost of the Lady in Black, who is said to prowl through the fort’s many passageways to this day. As far back as January 1862, the <em>Gloucester Telegraph</em> reported that sentinels keeping midnight rounds saw a spiritual phenomena near some of the rebel graves. The soldiers reported spying the image of an old woman “vindictively frisking about the ruins of an old building from which she was ejected some time previous to her death.”</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I’ve yet to have the pleasure of meeting the Lady in Black. But if any of you have seen her, let me know!</span></div>Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-83384033416073526392011-10-17T14:10:00.000-05:002011-10-17T14:10:35.499-05:00NBA Lockout Alternatives for Celtics Fans<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jonesing for some basketball? Hungry for hoops?</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well, <a data-mce-href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYdaa9w_V44&feature=related" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYdaa9w_V44&feature=related">NBA action...it's fantastic!</a></span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well, <a data-mce-href="http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/fade-black/2011/oct/13/nba-lockout-threatens-cancel-games-christmas/" href="http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/fade-black/2011/oct/13/nba-lockout-threatens-cancel-games-christmas/">maybe not</a>.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">With the NBA in a lockout and the TD Garden's parquet floor locked up in storage, basketball fans (<a data-mce-href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBvPBc518H0&NR=1" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBvPBc518H0&NR=1">those who love the game like Rodney!</a>) are going to have to be a little creative to get their fix, at least until college hoops starts up in a few weeks. Here are some ideas for Boston basketball fans:</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><strong>Visit the game's birthplace. </strong>Get that Fastlane pass out and head west on the Mass Pike out to Springfield, where Dr. Naismith invented hoops and where you can visit the <a data-mce-href="http://www.hoophall.com/" href="http://www.hoophall.com/">Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame</a>. The Celtics certainly have their fair share of enshrinees. You could spend hours looking at the artifacts in the galleries, including Naismith's original rules of the game, confined to two simple typewritten pages. Afterwards, you can shoot some hoops on the hall's regulation court. While in Springfield, check out the <a data-mce-href="http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMC314_First_Game_of_Basketball_Springfield_MA" href="http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMC314_First_Game_of_Basketball_Springfield_MA">new monument at the location of the first basketball game</a> and the <a data-mce-href="http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMC31G_James_Naismith_Inventor_of_Basketball_Springfield_MA" href="http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMC31G_James_Naismith_Inventor_of_Basketball_Springfield_MA">statue of Dr. Naismith with his peach basket</a> at Springfield College.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><strong>Head to the Sports Museum.</strong> Closer to home, you can explore the history of the Celtics and New England basketball, at the <a data-mce-href="http://www.sportsmuseum.org/" href="http://www.sportsmuseum.org/">Sports Museum</a>. There are lots of exhibits on the Celtics dynasty years, including Larry Bird's locker, as well as an interesting exhibit on the evolution of women's basketball. <a data-mce-href="http://www.sportsmuseum.org/exhibits.aspx#The-Evolution-of-Womens-Basketball" href="http://www.sportsmuseum.org/exhibits.aspx#The-Evolution-of-Womens-Basketball">Check out the gowns</a> worn by the college players in the 1890s. Not exactly form fitting. Added bonus: the museum is located in the TD Garden, so you can peek inside and see the Celtics banners hanging from the rafters.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><strong>Get your Chuck Taylors on.</strong> Right around the corner from the Garden is <a data-mce-href="http://basketballcity.com/bbc.php?city=boston&page=homepage" href="http://basketballcity.com/bbc.php?city=boston&page=homepage">Basketball City</a>. Inside you'll find six full-length basketball courts with glass backboards and electronic scoreboards that are available for rental. You can also register for clinics and leagues.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><strong>Crack open a book.</strong> I've got a whole host of basketball books in my library that I still need to dig into: A Season on the Brink, A March to Madness, A Season Inside. But if you have felt that you haven't had time to dig into Bill Simmons' 752-page tome, <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Basketball-NBA-According-Sports/dp/0345520106/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318877528&sr=1-4" href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Basketball-NBA-According-Sports/dp/0345520106/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318877528&sr=1-4">The Book of Basketball</a>, well, here's your chance.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><strong>Get your passport out.</strong> That's what some NBA players are doing. Rather than eating fried chicken and biscuits like Red Sox pitchers, they're staying in shape by playing in Europe. The <a data-mce-href="http://www.euroleague.net/" href="http://www.euroleague.net/">Euroleague Basketball</a> season kicked off October 17 with the blockbuster you've all been waiting for: Zalgiris vs. CSKA Moscow. Not inspired to buy a plane ticket to Russia? Then you can get a <a data-mce-href="https://secure.euroleague.tv/createaccount" href="https://secure.euroleague.tv/createaccount">season pass to watch online</a> for $93.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><strong>Get the popcorn out. </strong>How about a great basketball flick? No, not <a data-mce-href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090142/" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090142/">Teen Wolf</a>. (Sorry, Boof.) <a data-mce-href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091217/" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091217/">Hoosiers! Hoosiers! Hoosiers! </a> Man, I love that movie. I could <a data-mce-href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU0BebHh5LY" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU0BebHh5LY">watch Hickory run the picket fence all day long</a>. "Now boys, don't get caught watching the paint dry!"</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><strong>Go old-school.</strong> Get those short shorts out. With the lockout, the <a data-mce-href="http://www.nba.com/nbatv/schedule/" href="http://www.nba.com/nbatv/schedule/">NBA Network</a> can't put on any programming with current players in it. So, in between showings of Teen Wolf (seriously, Boof) you're going to find plenty of Larry and the rest of the '80s Celtics. As I write this, the NBA Network is showing Bird v. Jordan in the '86 playoffs. And tonight: 6 PM Larry Bird's 50 Greatest Moments; 7 PM Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals; 9 PM Lakers/Celtics from the 1984 Finals. Oh, you're going to be out tonight? No problem, it all repeats starting at 11 PM. I'm sure you won't wait long for Teen Wolf to follow.</span></div>Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-70893601069576821732011-10-11T11:33:00.000-05:002011-10-11T11:33:57.447-05:00New Map and Poster Exhibit Celebrates the Golden Age of Travel<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JOabr5Jfu5w3hkM4BvKpBKpT7R7eN8ZDlRBZUovVnG0H9JnQ7jMmXf5blqt-8b3m55_nusxNgIiacvCiEHeSHKa6OK0lu1u5Sj5kQKzcGXdS1SWIC1MlkO_uEDkNjdTrlU4Rw608pflo/s1600/Venezia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JOabr5Jfu5w3hkM4BvKpBKpT7R7eN8ZDlRBZUovVnG0H9JnQ7jMmXf5blqt-8b3m55_nusxNgIiacvCiEHeSHKa6OK0lu1u5Sj5kQKzcGXdS1SWIC1MlkO_uEDkNjdTrlU4Rw608pflo/s200/Venezia.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>I’m definitely a map geek. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerardus_Mercator">Mercator</a> is a rock star to me, and I can’t wait to dig into <a href="http://ken-jennings.com/maphead.html">Maphead</a>, the new book from Ken Jennings (the Jeopardy! guy). I also love vintage travel posters. I’ve got a few of them hanging up around the house, including this great one from the opening of the <a href="http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/publications/images/SHBposter.jpg/view">Sydney Harbour Bridge</a>.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So I’m really looking forward to the October 14th opening of a new exhibit at Boston’s <a href="http://www.gct.com/General/About-Us/Grand-Circle-Gallery.aspx">Grand Circle Gallery</a>: “Journeys through the Mediterranean: Maps, Guides and Posters from the Golden Age of Travel.” The exhibit will pair Grand Circle Gallery’s collection of vintage travel posters from the region with a selection of antique maps and pocket travel guides from <a href="http://wardmaps.com/">WardMaps</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Not only are the vintage travel posters so colorful and evocative of a different age, but the rare maps that will be on display, including those from German publisher Wagener & Debes that depict cities and historic sites as they were in the late 1800s and early 1900s, are works of art as well. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of particular interest will be a display from WardMaps’ collection of antique Baedeker travel guides and maps covering destination sites in Italy, France, Greece, Northern Africa, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine. The Baedeker travel guides date from the mid-1800s. With their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BaedekerGB_1937.png">red leather cover and regal, gold lettering</a>, Karl Baedeker’s guides were considered superior to other travel guides of the day due to their detailed and accurate information on accommodations, transportation, pricing and rating system of the given destination. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NqTlpB2JwldwUlZRDuqZFQkcIfvugJim6SE9FGIzHxqBjxXcjglygXEC2CKg5fnN4GqFK_-E9F5MPt34Wr_sRaRj9vtcKitRPb-Bu8ZSkFTdWKw0np3T53cbGIBc_IX3_SjXwJFKhBnU/s1600/IMG_1928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NqTlpB2JwldwUlZRDuqZFQkcIfvugJim6SE9FGIzHxqBjxXcjglygXEC2CKg5fnN4GqFK_-E9F5MPt34Wr_sRaRj9vtcKitRPb-Bu8ZSkFTdWKw0np3T53cbGIBc_IX3_SjXwJFKhBnU/s200/IMG_1928.JPG" width="200" /></a>The opening of the exhibit coincides with the <a href="http://www.fortpointarts.org/cgi-bin/FPAC?s=open_studios">Fort Point Fall Open Studios</a> the weekend of October 14-16. More than 150 artists’ studios in the district will be open to the public for this popular weekend event; there is no charge for admission and free parking is available. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">While it may not rise to the level of Venice’s Grand Canal, the Fort Point Channel neighborhood will also be represented in the exhibit as a small selection of antique maps of the neighborhood will be on display. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit36QHOxk_JhibfRC2vF0zXFSU3cfsM3l8x_EAkMl-CEiSvVXa8x88q77xxtjMpS15cpG_RJWu7FVna4fSxjK7KFEZ1crvrEggUD1V_P9JVyXLdKr5aiQOcFUTn_QWPSNve7b-xPCTlp3K/s1600/pyramids_of_giza-smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit36QHOxk_JhibfRC2vF0zXFSU3cfsM3l8x_EAkMl-CEiSvVXa8x88q77xxtjMpS15cpG_RJWu7FVna4fSxjK7KFEZ1crvrEggUD1V_P9JVyXLdKr5aiQOcFUTn_QWPSNve7b-xPCTlp3K/s200/pyramids_of_giza-smaller.jpg" width="200" /></a>The Grand Circle Gallery is located at 347 Congress Street. Hours are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 11:00am-6:00pm and Thursday, 11:00am-8:00pm. Admission is free, and the gallery is handicap accessible. The exhibit runs through January 28, 2012. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For more general information, to schedule a private tour, or for more details about special programming, please visit <a href="http://www.gct.com/grandcirclegallery">www.gct.com/grandcirclegallery</a> or call 617-346-6459.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><!--EndFragment-->Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-9541677405800535362011-09-13T22:07:00.001-05:002011-09-13T22:08:22.036-05:00Mass. Memories Road Show Collecting Photos and Stories of Boston Harbor Islands<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Granted I'm pretty sure I couldn't construct a dollhouse let alone a single-family home without at least one trip to the ER, but I do see some similarities between writing about history and building a home. To me, I find that major historical events--and the newspaper accounts and government records associated with them--provide the basic framework to structure a narrative. They are the foundation and walls of the house if you forgive the analogy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But just as it's the personal photographs, family heirlooms, and treasured items that make a house <em>your</em> home, I've found that small details unearthed from personal histories--photographs, diaries, etc.--add the necessary finishing touches that really add character to a story.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I was writing <b><a href="http://www.unionparkpress.com/books/discovering-boston-harbor-islands/">Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands</a></b>, I felt fortunate that I was able to view the personal photographs and hear the personal stories of not only present-day Bostonians, but of those of generations past. It reiterated to me that the history we learn in textbooks engages the mind, but the history we find in scrapbooks can tug at the heart. And both sources have the equal capacity to inspire our spirits.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Needless to say I think it's important that we capture these personal histories, and great work is being done every day in compiling digital histories. And if you happen to have photographs and stories related to the Boston Harbor Islands, I would encourage you to bring them with you to the Massachusetts Archives on Columbia Point in Dorchester this Saturday (September 17) for the Mass. Memories Road Show. This is an initiative of the <a data-mce-href="http://www.msp.umb.edu/" href="http://www.msp.umb.edu/">Massachusetts Studies Project</a> at <a data-mce-href="http://www.umb.edu/" href="http://www.umb.edu/">UMass Boston</a> and co-sponsored by <a data-mce-href="http://www.mfh.org/" href="http://www.mfh.org/">Mass Humanities</a>.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The organizers are encouraging anyone with family photographs of the Boston Harbor Islands (be they yours or your ancestors') to bring a handful of them to the Road Show where they will be scanned and immediately returned them to you. You will be invited to share a 3-4 minute story about your photographs on camera. All photos and stories scanned at the event will become part of the UMass Boston digital archive, online at <a data-mce-href="http://www.MassMemories.net/" href="http://www.MassMemories.net/">www.MassMemories.net</a>.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The hours of the Road Show are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. <a data-mce-href="http://www.massmemories.net/bhiroadshow.php" href="http://www.massmemories.net/bhiroadshow.php">Click here</a> for more information or contact Project Manager Heather Cole at <a data-mce-href="mailto:heather.cole@umb.edu" href="mailto:heather.cole@umb.edu">heather.cole@umb.edu</a> or 617-287-5929. Who knows? The memories you share might provide the perfect finishing touches for authors and historians writing about the Islands hundreds of years from now.</span></div>Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-76487505584189529502011-07-27T07:06:00.001-05:002011-08-07T11:53:41.606-05:00Tips for Going to 2011 New England Patriots Training Camp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoHYChpNYZbiamVAGQWX91V0lVE3HrWEY0yRAeje5N78KF1h6bpAO4l6bDP0LlG3GMaxb_SbZzuhZ8-bBthgj91u46MSq5g4RPuFUTkQP32PilUyeZjm_dH6Hrs4nTXVkMU8esFwe2Zcv/s1600/IMG_1402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoHYChpNYZbiamVAGQWX91V0lVE3HrWEY0yRAeje5N78KF1h6bpAO4l6bDP0LlG3GMaxb_SbZzuhZ8-bBthgj91u46MSq5g4RPuFUTkQP32PilUyeZjm_dH6Hrs4nTXVkMU8esFwe2Zcv/s200/IMG_1402.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Call it a Punxsutawney Phil moment. A sure sign that a barren season is finally behind us and better days have arrived. As I was driving around my neighborhood yesterday, I saw a 70-year-old woman shuffling away from her mailbox. She was wearing a gray T-shirt with some lettering on the front and back. As I drove closer I saw that the front said "I Hate Peyton Manning." The back: "Eli Sucks Too".</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The new football season is here! The new football season is here!</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At times, it looked like the NFL lockout could jeopardize part or all of the season, but with the new deal now signed and sealed, the players are back on the gridiron. The New England Patriots will open their public training camp on Thursday, and fans will notice some changes this year due to the new agreement between the players and the owners:</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Don't expect to see much hitting during the first few days of camp.</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Players have hopefully kept in shape during the off-season, but they will still take a little longer than normal to get back into the swing of things. The Patriots have announced that "initial practices will likely be scaled back a bit while the players continue to work toward playing shape." So if you're going to make one trip down to Foxborough, plan to do it towards the end of training camp.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Expect to see more walk-throughs and drills this year.</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> One of the changes under the new agreement is that there are no more two-a-day sessions in full pads. The Patriots have usually held training camp sessions in both the morning and afternoon. Full-pad practices are usually more interesting to watch. Particularly on hot days, it might be a better bet to see padded practices in the morning sessions. (The Patriots have already announced that the first two days of camp will be unpadded.)</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Training camp rosters are bigger.</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Under the new agreement, training camp rosters expand from 80 players to 90, so there's even more reason to get a roster sheet.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here are some more tips for fans going to New England Patriots Training Camp:</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Where:</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Patriots training camp is held on the practice fields next to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Schedule: </span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The tentative schedule calls for two-a-day practices for the opening days of training camp with practices from 9:30 to 11:30 AM and 3:30 to 5:30 PM on July 28 and July 29. The schedule is always tentative based on the desires of the coaching staff and oftentimes the weather. Practice times will be announced on the </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.patriots.com/trainingcamp/trainingcamp2011.html" href="http://www.patriots.com/trainingcamp/trainingcamp2011.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Patriots web site</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> and you can double-check it by calling the team's hot line at 508-549-0001.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Parking: </span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The practice is free to attend, and the parking is free as well. (Yes, I said it, "Free.") Parking is along the west side of the stadium, and it's a short walk over to the fields. From US 1, enter the parking lots at P8 from the south and P6 from the north. Lots open an hour before each practice.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Seating: </span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There are bleachers along the side of one practice field on which to sit. Another popular spot is on the hillside that lies behind the end zones of the practice fields and in front of the stadium. Wherever you sit, you're pretty close to the action. If you have a camera with a good zoom lens, you should get some good shots.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Food and Drink:</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> There are concession stands that sell food, drinks, <s>and beer</s>. (Note: The Patriots no longer serve beer at training camp. Apparently it wasn't worth the cost of hiring police to have it.) Be prepared to pay normal stadium prices for food and beverages, however, if you buy it there. Adjoining </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.patriot-place.com/" href="http://www.patriot-place.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Patriot Place</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> has plenty of restaurants and bars where you can get a meal, too. (For a good, cheap meal, I highly recommend </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.patriot-place.com/FivesGuysBurgers.aspx" href="http://www.patriot-place.com/FivesGuysBurgers.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Five Guys Burgers</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> at Patriot Place.)</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For the Kids: </span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Along the west side of the stadium during Training Camp is the Patriots Experience, filled with interactive games that allow young fans to test their kicking, passing, and tackling skills on a variety of obstacle courses, football tosses, and other similar challenges. It's a popular draw for families. (All fans participating in Patriots Experience must sign a waiver form, available at training camp. It's usually online as well at the </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.patriots.com/trainingcamp/trainingcamp2011.html" href="http://www.patriots.com/trainingcamp/trainingcamp2011.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Patriots web site</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.) Note that the hours for the Patriots Experience are not the same as the practice schedule; so check the web site. (In general, the hours are usually 11-4.) Kids will also enjoy all the interactive exhibits at the </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/massachusetts/articles/2008/10/12/patriot_place_the_golden_kicker_on_a_teams_ascendancy/" href="http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/massachusetts/articles/2008/10/12/patriot_place_the_golden_kicker_on_a_teams_ascendancy/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hall at Patriot Place</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. Even if you don't have kids, a visit to this museum dedicated to the Patriots franchise is an absolute must for Pats fans.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Scoring Autographs:</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> The players enter and leave the field near the hillside, so it's a good spot to get autographs, and a designated group of players, which rotates from practice to practice, will often sign along the front row of the bleachers when practice is over.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">With as many as 90 players on the field, plenty of new faces (particularly this year as the feeding frenzy on free agents begins), and uniforms without names on the back, it may be tough knowing who you are watching, so print out a roster from the Patriots web site before you go or pick up a complimentary roster from the Patriots Football Weekly tent.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For more tips on enhancing your experience at Patriots Training Camp--and for all the information you'd ever want to know about spectator sports around Boston--check out </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1934598046?tag=hubtr-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1934598046&adid=12ZRKQSSGD5GJSE85EQB&" href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1934598046?tag=hubtr-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1934598046&adid=12ZRKQSSGD5GJSE85EQB&"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Die-Hard Sports Fan's Guide to Boston</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></div>Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-60840384540675699162011-07-25T09:19:00.001-05:002011-07-25T09:21:52.695-05:00Boston's 1976 World's Fair That Wasn't<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbmgWJzaIAzLcP7eQlACwH2gL2LSC0BTbRy4xsnc5CiLPZF09hXqO3VlIkKpvgrJVuGF1cpa2JSXGqpZEkH4ZwNH05BoEsJ8eFt1X5PA4FT0eeCd5c2oVTW3F_w1ghsjcC44SBES0yjvR/s1600/5962216-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbmgWJzaIAzLcP7eQlACwH2gL2LSC0BTbRy4xsnc5CiLPZF09hXqO3VlIkKpvgrJVuGF1cpa2JSXGqpZEkH4ZwNH05BoEsJ8eFt1X5PA4FT0eeCd5c2oVTW3F_w1ghsjcC44SBES0yjvR/s200/5962216-L.jpg" width="138" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Swimming in Boston Harbor in wintertime. Hiking tree-lined trails under a translucent dome. Renting electric cars for a spin around </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.bostonharborislands.com/thompson" href="http://www.bostonharborislands.com/thompson"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thompson Island</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It definitely seems like something out of a sci-fi book, perhaps a vision of life in Boston in 2020. But rather than some futuristic view of the Boston Harbor Islands, this was a proposed plan for developing the islands in the 1970s. Believe it or not.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Plans were drawn up in the early 1970s to stage a huge international exposition in Boston in 1976 to celebrate the American bicentennial. The planners of </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.bpl.org/research/rb/expo_boston76_finding_aid.pdf" href="http://www.bpl.org/research/rb/expo_boston76_finding_aid.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Expo '76</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> projected that up to 60 million people would visit the 690-ace fairground, which, in addition to Thompson Island, would have been located on Columbia Point in Dorchester and a new harbor island created from a combination of landfill and floating platforms.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The plans called for construction of a 500-boat marina and a hotel on the southern end of Thompson Island as well as the conversion of the school facilities into a youth camp and demonstration farm. Visitors would have been able to rent bikes or electric cars to traverse the island.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The piece de resistance, however, was the proposal to build a huge, transparent dome, more than two football fields in diameter, that would have covered part of the islands' natural landscape of grassy knolls, woods, and winding trails. The dome would have been climate-controlled, allowing for boating, swimming, and picknicking year-round, even in the throes of a New England winter. For more, <a href="http://www.archive.org/stream/preliminarysumma00bost#page/n0/mode/2up">click here</a> for a 1968 Boston Redevelopment Authority planning report on the fair. </span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Luckily, these plans never came to fruition, and the landscape of Thompson Island has been preserved. As is often the case, it's everyday city residents who are partly to thank for the plan's demise.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This Thursday (July 28), the </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.fbhi.org" href="http://www.fbhi.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> are putting on a program at the </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.thayerpubliclibrary.org/" href="http://www.thayerpubliclibrary.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thayer Public Library</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> in Braintree exploring the World's Fair that wasn't. The program will include a screening of a public service film made by Save Our Shores, a grassroots organization, as well as a panel discussion with some of the film's creators. There will be exhibits on display as well. </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.patriotledger.com/news/x1510861688/Braintree-program-to-explore-1975-Boston-World-s-Fair-that-wasn-t" href="http://www.patriotledger.com/news/x1510861688/Braintree-program-to-explore-1975-Boston-World-s-Fair-that-wasn-t"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Click here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> for more on the program.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The plans for the 1976 World's Fair were some of the most compelling items I came across in researching </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.unionparkpress.com/books/discovering-boston-harbor-islands/" href="http://www.unionparkpress.com/books/discovering-boston-harbor-islands/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. Always interesting to see an alternate history for how Boston could look today. Electric cars and swimming under a giant dome sounds pretty cool, but I'll take the walking trails and open skies of Thompson Island just how they are.</span></div>Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-38067915148187371152011-07-07T10:33:00.000-05:002011-07-07T10:33:12.075-05:00Get Your Civil War Trading Cards!<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0hfIaa6ga56C0G4hsIsEB_oa2QyX3rJLguVwS4TqZlRYgaGFfRFMCMNR1x1Oj80zbGW4oRgFo1OupV-QtG2gCtUJf9JvRowxaaVNq0TchjEjjklm3HWgoRIIUKZHqARb2-eyh0dBrbUZ/s1600/Civil+War.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0hfIaa6ga56C0G4hsIsEB_oa2QyX3rJLguVwS4TqZlRYgaGFfRFMCMNR1x1Oj80zbGW4oRgFo1OupV-QtG2gCtUJf9JvRowxaaVNq0TchjEjjklm3HWgoRIIUKZHqARb2-eyh0dBrbUZ/s200/Civil+War.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">“I’ll trade ‘ya three Justin Dimick cards for your Robert E. Lee.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">You just might be hearing kids proposing this barter following the National Park Service’s release of its collection of Civil War Trading Cards. The 189 cards in the series feature prominent soldiers and politicians from the Civil War along with major historical events and landmarks. Just like on the backs of baseball cards, the Civil War versions include vital stats (e.g., birth dates) and fun facts. The cards are intended for youngsters to get them excited about Civil War history, and I love the idea. Of course, I’m a history buff and baseball card collector, so this is the best thing since Reese’s combined peanut butter and chocolate.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I first came across the trading cards last week on Georges Island at the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/boha">Boston Harbor Islands national park area</a>. Since it’s home to Fort Warren, which was used to house Confederate POWs and New England’s most historic Civil War landmark, the location was a natural. The cards at Fort Warren included Justin Dimick, the commander of the fort; Sgt. John Brown, the true namesake of the song “John Brown’s Body”; Alexander Stephens, the Confederate vice president imprisoned at the fort; and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Trent</i> Affair. In the Boston area you can also find the cards at the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/boaf">Boston African-American National Historic Site</a>, <a href="http://www.nps.gov/bost">Boston National Historical Park</a>, <a href="http://www.nps.gov/nebe">New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park</a>, and <a href="http://www.nps.gov/lowe">Lowell National Historical Park</a>. The cards are free, and kids who are collecting them can get a free backpack to hold their cards.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In total, the cards are available at 22 different locations across the country. If you can’t get to every site, well, do what trading card collectors always seem to do, head to eBay. (Yes, the Civil War cards have already started to <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Civil-War-Trading-card-lot-7-/320723789608">pop up on eBay</a>. Let the bidding commence!) OK, so I’m sure the 2011 Benjamin Butler card won’t rival the <a href="http://www.goldenagebaseballcards.com/hall-of-fame/mickey-mantle-topps-1952-311.htm">1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card</a> or the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T206_Honus_Wagner">T206 Honus Wagner</a>, but kids, make sure you don’t stick the cards in your bicycle spokes and watch out that your mom doesn’t throw away your shoebox of Civil War trading cards. You never know what they might be worth someday.</div><!--EndFragment-->Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-87848631270210275102011-06-29T08:48:00.000-05:002011-06-29T08:48:42.261-05:00Half-Price Tickets to the Boston Harbor Islands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKzFU7bsaQIU3J78bvV4WgxYV6x62tRaeSnej09dPNHgvLVw_vaKjSIRbfQwukiGy-dkYxMUHL4nX2FMyXPWJSjgnkPrwZCV5lkhi59WPsoBIO1Oxni10joblhFgxyTcZVs6jI_ciITfy/s1600/IMG_1249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKzFU7bsaQIU3J78bvV4WgxYV6x62tRaeSnej09dPNHgvLVw_vaKjSIRbfQwukiGy-dkYxMUHL4nX2FMyXPWJSjgnkPrwZCV5lkhi59WPsoBIO1Oxni10joblhFgxyTcZVs6jI_ciITfy/s200/IMG_1249.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>One of the current drawbacks in visiting the Boston Harbor Islands is that the $14 price of ferry tickets for adults is on the steep side. But there's some good news for anyone who's been hesitant to visit the islands because of the ferry prices.<br />
<br />
Travelzoo is selling half-price tickets for the Boston Harbor Islands ferries until 7 PM EDT on June 30. Tickets have been discounted to $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $4 for children. You will receive a voucher that can be redeemed for any ferry from Long Wharf through September 30. <b><a href="http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/deal/2925/">Click here</a></b> to purchase tickets and get more information.Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-42666117750745920062011-06-16T10:00:00.000-05:002011-06-16T10:00:40.568-05:00Ten Years After Their Darkest Day, Boston Fans Celebrate Again<!--StartFragment--> <div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6HquEJ3eEtPz6gwcbmZCuWl2JZ88E5ivJQPSgOpVZt-z_kblLwG6H_Qipctq5V-MdGU9GGUP1ozh5HpFQK652pdb42zB8gpruGkoTlDa_Ngpi__luU5eD7aZfHZPqcL7YWNRAbX-Brzb/s1600/t1_bourque_ap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6HquEJ3eEtPz6gwcbmZCuWl2JZ88E5ivJQPSgOpVZt-z_kblLwG6H_Qipctq5V-MdGU9GGUP1ozh5HpFQK652pdb42zB8gpruGkoTlDa_Ngpi__luU5eD7aZfHZPqcL7YWNRAbX-Brzb/s1600/t1_bourque_ap.jpg" /></a>June 13, 2001. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To me, it was the nadir of Boston sports. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thousands of Boston sports fans flocked to City Hall Plaza to watch <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/2001/playoffs/news/2001/06/13/bourque_boston/">Bruins legend Ray Bourque lift high the Stanley Cup</a>. Stymied in his quest for championship glory in Boston, Bourque finally got to drink from Lord Stanley’s chalice as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. Just days after the pinnacle of his career, Bourque brought the Cup to Boston to share with Bruins fans, who had just suffered through a second playoff-less season. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was a gracious act, but honestly it was absolutely embarrassing as a Boston sports fan to watch the reaction. City Hall Plaza had been the gathering spot for the city to celebrate its Bruins and Celtics championships in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Now we were latching on to another team’s glory. This felt like table scraps being fed to a fan base starving for a championship. It had been nearly 30 years since the last Bruins championship, 15 since the last Celtics title, 83 since the last Sox crown. The Patriots? Please. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To me, the thousands who had turned out to see #77 bring the Stanley Cup to town seemed like an admission that this town would not see championship glory ever again. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But, oh what a difference a decade makes. Nearly 10 years to the day after the most pathetic moment in Boston sports, the city has hit the Grand Slam. Seven titles by all four teams. Duck Boat parade after Duck Boat parade. The longest title drought in town now belong to the Patriots. Wow. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ten years ago when the Stanley Cup stopped by Boston for a cup of coffee, it was “Look, but don’t touch.” But today, you Bruins fans can not only look, not only touch, but embrace it with all of your might. Saturday you’ll get the party in downtown Boston that this fan base deserves. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Photo: Courtesy AP</i></div><!--EndFragment-->Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-88136244129584610252011-06-02T22:20:00.000-05:002011-06-02T22:20:33.387-05:00Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion Unveiled<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajspqY56F2S9RiXzda1csqF65U939NWMDiZecewhKnWO88iuXDFgQ14d_q4IfCcKIIolqoOKLPUA2Lv2iCBrQeUaTgiTejBa2Yk2BwAgRYA0CmHQnSrvofsCVnjgh9Y6KJvhmZIbUa7qe/s1600/DSC00644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajspqY56F2S9RiXzda1csqF65U939NWMDiZecewhKnWO88iuXDFgQ14d_q4IfCcKIIolqoOKLPUA2Lv2iCBrQeUaTgiTejBa2Yk2BwAgRYA0CmHQnSrvofsCVnjgh9Y6KJvhmZIbUa7qe/s200/DSC00644.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Today marked an exciting--and very important--landmark in the development of the Boston Harbor Islands national park area with the unveiling of a new welcome center on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The grand opening was marked by a ceremony that included remarks by Mayor Menino and Vicki Kennedy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuhhgONsr5t2IU6ZEasp0f1_Jmoka9dgn75LlVsOsjZ1PyTQSM_sJZ6eydEScFV73GjNk5RM1UjDRFEvHxN5uoEK9pjmg0RUpby6HVWmtAUabZVt-JiuZUmLvgr4e6wBTh38yLCZfs5Uo/s1600/DSC00646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuhhgONsr5t2IU6ZEasp0f1_Jmoka9dgn75LlVsOsjZ1PyTQSM_sJZ6eydEScFV73GjNk5RM1UjDRFEvHxN5uoEK9pjmg0RUpby6HVWmtAUabZVt-JiuZUmLvgr4e6wBTh38yLCZfs5Uo/s200/DSC00646.JPG" width="150" /></a>My first impression is that the Island Alliance, National Park Service, and all involved in the painstaking project did a tremendous job. The pavilion was much larger than I expected. It features self-serve kiosks where you can buy ferry tickets to the islands and large panels that profile the eight islands served by public ferries. The panels give brief rundowns on the islands' historical and recreational offerings on one side, and on the other they feature beautiful photography. Look down and you'll literally find yourself wandering the islands on a 2,000-square-foot topographical map of the park inlaid in granite. Rangers will be on hand during extended business hours to answer any questions.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2QzmbtxizpjOGrUUuqq9XNOWwjgWTN8cZYAGJgDY3iIfGngUTBCarJnbjYwrnv_vvSaQXPe88to9uMKY35c1LhAprNxqUN0Z01_T6ZelRpmDUUD20NPE6sTqs3lXQAjKhIHsvQUkhfc_/s1600/DSC00648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2QzmbtxizpjOGrUUuqq9XNOWwjgWTN8cZYAGJgDY3iIfGngUTBCarJnbjYwrnv_vvSaQXPe88to9uMKY35c1LhAprNxqUN0Z01_T6ZelRpmDUUD20NPE6sTqs3lXQAjKhIHsvQUkhfc_/s200/DSC00648.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>Lovers of the islands already know what they have to offer, but for most visitors to the city--and probably the majority of its residents as well--the islands have been "out of sight, out of mind." Since this pavilion is in a very high traffic area between Quincy Market and the Marriott Long Wharf, it's going to catch the eye of thousands of people every day. No doubt the visibility of the Boston Harbor Islands national park area is going to get a big boost.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs09JIyRHaTOwB4Wnpm7SHZZkAdbJ6vTibmT9yJw1fEpJ1ZIOUrIvdSv3a9SMP8JyU9j8sU-OXl46_BChpcYdkSP8eYpUzQ2kmRFdD4jlaO5290QjFux3RD5WSTOYwKyZpJCs8GP3MDbMo/s1600/DSC00641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs09JIyRHaTOwB4Wnpm7SHZZkAdbJ6vTibmT9yJw1fEpJ1ZIOUrIvdSv3a9SMP8JyU9j8sU-OXl46_BChpcYdkSP8eYpUzQ2kmRFdD4jlaO5290QjFux3RD5WSTOYwKyZpJCs8GP3MDbMo/s200/DSC00641.JPG" width="150" /></a>The pavilion is the first building to open on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. While you can't see any of the islands directly from the pavilion since it's a few hundred yards from the water, the Greenway is still a fitting location. The Greenway has reconnected downtown with its historic waterfront, and the pavilion will serve to further the connection between Boston and the harbor that gave birth to this city. Plus, the Big Dig project was responsible for the redevelopment of Spectacle Island, as fill from the harbor tunnel was used to resculpt the island into a vast recreational area.<br />
<br />
If you swing by the pavilion, be sure to check out the gift shop. They have some pretty cool Civil War memorabilia (Fort Warren on Georges Island is one of New England's most historic sites connected to the war), postcards, and books on the islands. Not surprisingly, I encourage you to pick up a copy of <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1934598003?tag=hubtr-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1934598003&adid=17KWD1DEZ9WCSED77VE5&">Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands</a></b> at the pavilion.Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-614127268614112532011-06-01T07:45:00.000-05:002011-06-01T07:45:46.397-05:00Globe Corner Bookstore Closing Its DoorsI've <a href="http://hubtrotter.blogspot.com/2007/06/globe-corner-bookstores.html">sung the praises</a> of the Globe Corner Bookstore in Harvard Square on numerous occasions. It's a great travel bookstore and a local institution. Step inside and in just a few square feet you can travel the world. Sorry to hear the news then that the <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/47462-globe-corner-bookstore-to-close.html">Globe Corner Bookstore is going to be closing its retail store</a>, although it will live on online. The bookstore was put up for a sale a number of months ago and an acceptable buyer was not able to be found. The announcement came on the same day that Alex Beam of The Boston Globe <a href="http://articles.boston.com/2011-05-31/lifestyle/29604621_1_love-books-bookstore-robert-darnton">wrote of the difficult times facing bookstores</a>. Sickeningly prophetic.Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-46778676926957530182011-05-25T08:24:00.000-05:002011-05-25T08:24:10.413-05:00Book Review: The Big Scrum<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Last November I wrote an <a href="http://articles.boston.com/2010-11-21/sports/29303021_1_sports-illustrated-king-of-american-sports-football">article for The Boston Globe</a> taking a look back at the crisis that faced football in the early 1900s because of the violent nature of the sport (19 players died as a result of gridiron injuries in 1905) and Teddy Roosevelt’s intervention in 1905 to get the leading colleges to reform the sport. It had been suggested to me that the subject would make a good book. The primary source material about TR’s role seemed thin to me, though, and I wasn’t sure how such a book could be structured. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, now I see how the project could have been executed. John J. Miller delves into this particularly timely topic, given the current spotlight on hard hits and concussions in the NFL, in his new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Scrum-Teddy-Roosevelt-Football/dp/0061744506/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306329259&sr=8-1">“The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football.”</a> Given the limited research materials on Roosevelt's actions in 1905, Miller’s work encompasses a broader timespan, taking a dual storyline of the evolution of football from its early days and the sporting life of Roosevelt from his days as a sickly youth. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Miller mentions early in “The Big Scrum” that he was surprised that the epic biographies of Roosevelt by Edmund Morris omitted any mention of his role in lobbying for college football reform, and I was as well when I was researching the subject. The book’s subtitle, “How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football,” however, is probably a bit of hyperbole. Miller himself writes this about Roosevelt on page 17, “It is probably too much to call him football’s savior.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Still, as a TR buff and a football fan, “The Big Scrum” was an informative and entertaining read, and I definitely learned some new factoids. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">"The Big Scrum" reaffirmed my belief that Roosevelt could not have been a mere mortal (Could anyone else have given a <a href="http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/research/speech%20kill%20moose.htm">90-minute speech after being shot in the chest</a>?). President, author of 18 books, big game hunter, trust buster, Rough Rider. Did this guy ever sleep? From Miller’s book I learned that one day a young TR rowed across Long Island Sound from Oyster Bay, NY, on a 25-mile roundtrip. During his honeymoon, he scaled the Matterhorn. Screw the <a href="http://dosequis.com/academy/users/verifyAge?/academy/">Dos Equis guy</a>; Teddy Roosevelt is “the most interesting man in the world.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Even though many say that football is our “new national pastime,” the history of the early days of football hasn’t gotten nearly as much ink as that of baseball. “The Big Scrum” helps to fill that void, and this may be the most engaging part of the book. Miller takes us all the way back to Medieval Europe, whole towns would play a form of football where large mobs played with an inflated pig’s bladder. Hence the term “pigskin.” The tradition continues at the Royal Shrovetide Football Match. Augusta National this is not, however, if you check out the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqtd7LOoRVM&feature=related">YouTube video</a>. The story of the 1876 Harvard-Yale game, which opens the book, with Roosevelt in the stands as a spectator is a cracker. Yale won 1-0. Touchdowns did not count for points; only the kicks after touchdowns counted if they cleared a clothesline strung between two poles 20 feet apart from 100 feet away.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The evolution of rules is fascinating as well. One season safeties did not count against teams. As Miller writes, “A safety mere let [the offensive team] put the ball on their own 25-yard line and start over.” In the 1880 Princeton-Yale game, Princeton took the ball in the second half, took 11 safeties, and never gave Yale the ball. Result: a 0-0 tie. Fun! Makes Ravens-Steelers seem like an AFL shootout in comparison.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One other fun factoid: the first Cal-Stanford game in 1892 was delayed for an hour because no one remembered to bring a football. Perhaps the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fZCCAqoSwY">Stanford band</a> entertained the crowd in the meantime. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Stay thirsty my friends...</div><!--EndFragment-->Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-57982128486270310522011-05-23T13:01:00.002-05:002011-05-23T13:02:45.561-05:00Click: Historic Boston Harbor Islands PhotographsOne of the great things about the Internet for any history buff is the ability to access photographs and historical resources that were once buried deep inside archives and libraries. Case in point are the fantastic vintage photographs that the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/">Boston Public Library posts on Flickr</a>. The recent release of baseball photographs taken by Leslie Jones received <a href="http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-08/news/29397710_1_red-sox-images-fenway-park">considerable press</a>, and deservedly so. (Check out this incredible shot of a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/5579253569/in/faves-30555457@N00/">Cubs player sliding into home</a> at Braves Field.) But I was just as excited to see the recently posted vintage photographs of the Boston Harbor Islands.<br />
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Check out this photograph taken on Long Island sometime around 1930. It shows the contestants of the annual baby crib race down Long Island Head at the starting line. Gentlemen, start your cradles!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoIi8rYFWWUDx-LIRH3kXEEoT-_nYiDGDmrA_BLO0pQ0YrVUnrYDiqHPYcfFL1oUbXz5G6BkmezyXn4M8LuqMiXqt2_KIrbQuxyP_jyFF5ZaI4LThZJ0IcoBUktLmknTU7GPPv7HDPXgr/s1600/Long+Island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoIi8rYFWWUDx-LIRH3kXEEoT-_nYiDGDmrA_BLO0pQ0YrVUnrYDiqHPYcfFL1oUbXz5G6BkmezyXn4M8LuqMiXqt2_KIrbQuxyP_jyFF5ZaI4LThZJ0IcoBUktLmknTU7GPPv7HDPXgr/s320/Long+Island.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
OK, just kidding. It's a photograph of some of the children who were being cared for at Long Island Hospital along with some of the nurses out getting some fresh air.<br />
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The cool breezes and the open air of the islands were thought to have salubrious properties. Thus, the Boston Harbor Islands were a place of healing for generations of sick children from Boston. In addition to the hospital on Long Island, the Burrage Hospital on Bumpkin Island provided care and treatment for poor children with physical disabilities between 1902 and the start of World War I. And if you've always been confused as to why the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center is fully landlocked, well, it's because that it dates back to the days when it actually did sail on Boston Harbor. For 33 years starting in 1894, the Floating Hospital sailed the harbor so that its patients could benefit from its supposedly healing breezes. <br />
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(<i><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/5640692244/in/faves-30555457@N00/">Photo</a> courtesy of Boston Public Library</i>)Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-75837482607308830922011-04-15T14:52:00.000-05:002011-04-15T14:52:30.085-05:00The First to Fall in Defense of the Union?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-IfJ0wPx4dvzS2rNEHPfOh9nIuSej_4F62Jlr74b0R5dvkJls5u_iwZCfVQIaVNNEUY7jFW6-GQjWO6R9AgLAac7cQsyIlsdc1f7Azb7MSj8quHxZhSjtyv0UbDuc38ohP1LZPklUL-a/s1600/DSC00378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-IfJ0wPx4dvzS2rNEHPfOh9nIuSej_4F62Jlr74b0R5dvkJls5u_iwZCfVQIaVNNEUY7jFW6-GQjWO6R9AgLAac7cQsyIlsdc1f7Azb7MSj8quHxZhSjtyv0UbDuc38ohP1LZPklUL-a/s200/DSC00378.jpg" width="200" /></a>One of the exhilarating--and sometimes frustrating--aspects of history is that there are times when there are no definitive answers, only opinions, theories, interpretations, and reasoned debates. In that respect, it can be very similar to being a sports fan. Quick, who's the greatest athlete of all-time? Who invented baseball? Good luck coming to a consensus.<br />
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Well, with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War upon us, the question has been raised: Who was the first casualty of the Civil War? Who was the first to shed his blood for his country? The answer can be subject to interpretation. No soldiers were killed during the actual bombardment of Fort Sumter, but Private Daniel Hough, an Irish immigrant, was ironically felled during the formal surrender ceremony as a cannon misfired in the middle of a 100-gun salute as the United States flag was lowered. <a href="http://www.irishcentral.com/news/First-casualty-of--the-US-Civil-War-was-an-Irish-soldier-119755564.html">Some consider Daniel Hough the first casualty</a>, albeit not at the hands of an enemy combatant.<br />
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A week after the guns blazed in Charleston Harbor, the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment was marching through the streets of Baltimore when they were attacked by a secessionist mob on April 19, 1861 (the 86th anniversary of the opening shots of the Revolution at Lexington and Concord), in what is commonly known as the Pratt Street Riot. This weekend, <a href="http://www.civilwarbaltimore.com/">Baltimore will be holding a commemoration of the event</a>. Along with approximately a dozen civilians, four soldiers were among the dead. While not killed on the battlefield, some historians consider these the opening casualties of the war.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkpClW28pjTqIJvYnCO7W9FbkZSQqWCtYDyPZBVtMAELSRnL0wB5i5QHt_4FT_kymQF6qyxZCg-zTsH853DeyqZYmjIHZQgu5GC10eJlZHNxEacYA6_eL2_s02BiWgLVyil-cHd1AWqcy/s1600/DSC00375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkpClW28pjTqIJvYnCO7W9FbkZSQqWCtYDyPZBVtMAELSRnL0wB5i5QHt_4FT_kymQF6qyxZCg-zTsH853DeyqZYmjIHZQgu5GC10eJlZHNxEacYA6_eL2_s02BiWgLVyil-cHd1AWqcy/s320/DSC00375.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>The dead soldiers were all from my neck of the woods in the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts, and here they rest today. For years, I drove by an obelisk in front of Lowell City Hall and never gave it a thought, situated as it is in the middle of a large intersection, seemingly a giant traffic island. Now I'm embarrassed at my oversight. The obelisk marks the graves of three of the victims of the Pratt Street Riot: Luther Ladd, Addison Whitney, and Charles Taylor. When the obelisk was dedicated in 1865, Ladd and Whitney were interred there, so their names are inscribed on the base of the obelisk, which is often referred to as the "Ladd and Whitney Monument." Taylor was originally buried in Baltimore, but I've read some accounts that he was subsequently interred at the site in the early 1900s. There is a plaque in his honor, which calls him "The First to Fall in Defence of the Union." Fact? I don't think we'll ever know definitively.<br />
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As I said, the monument and gravesite are a bit lost in the hustle and bustle of today's car traffic. Check out this <a href="http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=656070&imageID=G90F246_020F&total=47&num=0&parent_id=625952&word=&s=1&notword=&d=&c=&f=&k=0&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&lword=&lfield=&imgs=20&pos=20&snum=0&e=w&cdonum=0">antique stereograph view of the monument</a>. It was fenced off and surrounded by cannons, which gave it some context. The New York Public Library's digital collection has <a href="http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?keyword=ladd+whitney&submit.x=0&submit.y=0">other terrific stereographs of commemorations at the obelisk</a>, which to me seem drenched in the Victorian maudlin of the time. A massive arch in one of the stereographs says, "We strew with flowers the graves of our honored dead." Boy do they. Today, there is interpretive signage about the Baltimore riots, but it is caddy corner across Dutton and Merrimack Streets at Lowell National Historical Park, a little out of the way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wN9R-ijyVEnYDJbNsk7Bnh5kHcydSE95Yop820Rgl_JaPjKdck_q4tVF2HTt4vPXA5cXDR5HXBgBSAH8sOMHMMK52L4E4tmwmM6fkfx9MSIG1QIl0A0oajRfIxyTFG4slv8x4o4-j9F9/s1600/DSC00370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wN9R-ijyVEnYDJbNsk7Bnh5kHcydSE95Yop820Rgl_JaPjKdck_q4tVF2HTt4vPXA5cXDR5HXBgBSAH8sOMHMMK52L4E4tmwmM6fkfx9MSIG1QIl0A0oajRfIxyTFG4slv8x4o4-j9F9/s200/DSC00370.jpg" width="200" /></a>The fourth soldier to die was Sumner Needham. He passed away more than a week later from his wounds, so we can definitively say he was not the first to die for the Union. His body rests in Bellevue Cemetery in Lawrence. I tried unsuccessfully to find his grave marker, so I'll have to make another go of it.<br />
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This weekend in Massachusetts we will be commemorating Patriots Day and the start of the American Revolution with various ceremonies and re-enactments. Unfortunately, I haven't come across any commemorations in honor of this other band of American patriots who sacrificed their lives on an April 19. If anyone know of any that are planned, please pass along the information.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30555457@N00/sets/72157626380282577/">More photos of the Ladd and Whitney Monument here.</a>Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7517781695434262540.post-4613723294196325362011-04-07T09:00:00.000-05:002011-04-07T09:00:49.118-05:00What's New at Fenway Park in 2011?<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Good news: You can now get a good stiff drink at Fenway Park. Bad news: The way the season has been going, you’re going to need it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On Friday afternoon, the Red Sox blissfully return to Fenway Park and hopefully benefit from some home cooking after a horrendous road trip to kick off the 2011 season. Friday’s home opener will mark the start of Fenway Park’s 100<sup>th </sup>season, and just as they did for their first-ever game in the ballpark, the Sox will take on the Yankees. Hopefully history can repeat itself as Boston beat New York in Fenway’s inaugural game.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So what’s new at Fenway Park in 2011? Well, the biggest changes were supposed to be on the field with the additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford and an overhauled bullpen. So far, the biggest change has indeed been on the field: losing. I’m confident (well, hopeful?), though, that they are simply getting the losing out of their system really early in the season.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There are changes at Fenway Park off the field as well that fans will see when they return to the ballpark on Yawkey Way: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">New scoreboards.</b> Perhaps the most notable will be three new high def, LED scoreboards. The biggest one will be directly above the bleachers in center field. It is 38 feet high and 100 feet wide. By comparison, the old scoreboard was 23 feet high and 30 feet wide. So it’s going to be a really noticeable difference. In fact, the huge screen makes it looks like our computer overlords have come into Fenway to keep an eye on things. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The previously existing hitters and pitchers board in left center field, which recorded pitch counts and speed, has been transformed into a 17 feet high by 100 feet wide video display. A third video screen, 16 feet high by 30 feet wide, will be above the bleachers in right field. These video systems will prominently feature real-time information such as batter and pitcher stats, pitch speed and type, box scores, and other messaging. Another element added beyond the right field bleachers is a large analog clock sponsored by security company ADT.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">New right field seats.</b> This off-season marked the completion of the repair and waterproofing of the concrete lower seating bowl, a project that started in 2007, with work done in right field. What fans will notice most from the project are new seats in the dugout, field box, loge box, and right field box sections. The new seats sport cup holders, and padding was added to field box seats. Grandstand seats in right field were refurbished and now have self-rising mechanism that allow seats to retract automatically when they are empty. Your knee caps will particularly appreciate that change. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gate D improvements.</b> The Sox made improvements to Fenway around Gate D, which is located near the corner of Yawkey Way and Van Ness Street. There are new and expanded concession and merchandise stands. And a walk-in team store! Can’t imagine where they came up with the space to get that done since the area around Gate D can oftentimes resemble a cattle call. There’s now a ticket booth at Gate D where will-call tickets for any gate will be available for pick-up. There are also new, big televisions in what is now dubbed the “Home Plate Concourse.” The concourse has also been freshly paved, so say goodbye to those discarded pieces of gum that have been stuck to the ground there since Ted Williams roamed left field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">New concessions.</b> Now about the new lineup additions that most fans care about: the food. Among the new concession items for 2011 are sushi from BASHO Japanese Brasserie and a Jamba Juice stand in the Big Concourse behind right field. In the new Home Plate Concourse concession stands there are brick oven pizza and a fishmongers dream: lobster rolls, fried clam rolls, Cajun shrimp rolls, fish sandwiches, and fish and chips. There will be season fresh fruit (didn’t see that one coming) along with saltwater taffy and assorted nuts (not of the Bill Lee variety). Out on Yawkey Way, a new “Wally’s Favorites” stand will sell fried dough, funnel cake, kettle corn, and cotton candy. The “Taste of Fenway” stand will have a menu comprised of different seasonal selection and offerings from Fenway’s restaurants such as the Absolut Clubhouse Burger. The popular Fenway Smokehouse will now have a picnic area by the NESN pre-game stage near Gate D. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fans can get in on the action to finalize the menu by choosing one of two signature sandwiches: the Monster Roast Beef Sandwich (with sautéed onion and barbecue sausce) and the Turkey Gobble Sandwich (with cranberry sauce, hot stuffing and gravy). Both will be sold throughout the first half of 2011, and you can vote at <a href="http://www.redsox.com/sandwich"><b>www.redsox.com/sandwich</b></a>. The winner at the All-Star Break will be called up to the big show for the rest of the season. The other, presumably, will be sent down to Pawtucket. If I were the Turkey Gobbler, I’d get ready for the chopping block. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
Those looking for “lighter fare” will find vegetarian pizza, veggie dogs, and veggie burgers, and chef and garden salads among the new menu items.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wally’s World.</b> The family-friendly play area launched last July, and it will be back this year for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday home games from the 2nd inning through the 7th inning (weather permitting). Located on Yawkey Way, it includes games, activities and concession items targeted towards children, and an opportunity for kids to see Wally the Green Monster during the 3rd and 4th inning. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mixed drinks.</b> Finally, now it’s not just the hoi polloi who get to souse themselves on mixed drinks at Fenway. There’s a tentative agreement that could allow the Red Sox to sell mixed drinks at multiple locations throughout the ballpark starting next month. Sales would stop two hours after the game starts (beer sales currently shut down two-and-a-half hours after first pitch). The team said that the alcohol content of the mixed drinks would be no greater than the alcohol content of a beer, so don’t get too excited. While those in premium seats can get straight alcohol, either on the rocks or in shots. The rest of the park will still miss out. And mixed drink concessions will not be located in the bleachers. For some reason I guess they think bleacher creatures have a problem holding their alcohol. Hmm…wonder why. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For more on the changes at Fenway Park, visit the <b><a href="http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/history/improvements_intro.jsp?partnerId=ed-4599431-196144014">Red Sox web site</a></b>. Plus, check out <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1934598046?tag=hubtr-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1934598046&adid=0KNVEX64G0EEH4D1JFY8&">The Die-Hard Sports Fan’s Guide to Boston</a></b> for more on Red Sox history and all you need to know to have a great day at Fenway, from where to eat and drink before and after the game to where to get tickets and autographs, and even how to snag a foul ball and get on TV. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><!--EndFragment-->Christopher Kleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14150671164442092860noreply@blogger.com0