Fenway Park, Your Destination for Red Sox Playoff Baseball!

Article and Photo by Eric H., at VisitingNewEngland.com

Fenway Park in Boston, MA, will once again become an autumn sports "destination" as the Boston Red Sox clinched an American League playoff berth last night by defeating the Cleveland Indians 5-4. The win not only put them in the playoffs, but eliminated the rival New York Yankees from playoff contention this year.

It's nice, once again, to revel in the baseball fall foliage version of the Red Sox turning over a new leaf this century by producing yet another quality playoff-bound team, not to mention winning 90 or more games six of the past seven years.

Fenway Park has been a popular destination through the years, given its loyal fan base, but the present sure feels better than the past watching, for example, a spirited, talented Jonathan Papelbon pitch relief than a underwhelming Jim Burton, a good-guy power hitting fan favorite David Ortiz slug away instead of a mercurial, mean-spirited Carl Everett, and a determined and talented Dustin Pedroia manning the second base position as opposed to an anomaly like Kim Andrew. It's also testimony to a team that has the guts to rid itself of a hall-of-fame caliber player like Manny Ramirez and replace his laconic, bad behavior and great bat with the mild-mannered yet productive Jason Bay -- and not see a drop off in overall team play.

Indeed, the 86-year drought of not winning a World Series is becoming more of a faded memory, given the Red Sox' recent successful track record. We'd like to say enjoy Fenway Park now as a post season destination, because it won't last. While true that we should enjoy the moment, please also consider that Boston Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein and his crew have come up with a plan for the future, thus increasing the chances of the Sox being in this playoff spirit for the long run. With up-and-coming players like Pedroia, Papelbon, Justin Masterson, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie and relatively young stars like Kevin Youkilis, Josh Beckett, Jason Bay and Daisuke Matsuzaka, there's much excitement now, next year and beyond.

"Red Sox Nation" grows with more and more passion everyday,as the Red Sox prove that two World Series Championships this century was no fluke. This team is in it for the long run and the Fenway Park are will once again become a hot travel destination for those in love with our national pastime, the new Boston Red Sox dynasty, the uniqueness and intimacy of the Park, and all the great beer, burger, hot dog and entertainment places and complexes that serve the area. Go Sox!

Editor's note: For a list of recommended restaurants in the Fenway Park area, visit Hidden Boston Restaurants, which has a "selected list of some of the best restaurants (several of which are little-known) near Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, as well as a list of restaurants slightly further away from the ballpark."