Red Sox Re-Name left field pole "The Fisk Pole".

CHICAGO -- All by itself, Pesky's Pole at Fenway Park looms a welcoming 302 feet down the right-field line, to a hitter what a lighthouse is to a man of the sea -- the quickest route to home.

Beginning tonight, the other yellow tower -- less conspicuous but more historically relevant -- will have a name of its own.

The Fisk Pole.

''It has long been talked about," said Charles Steinberg, the Sox' executive vice president of public affairs. ''Fans have suggested it. It had a long gestation period. The time became right when the 30th anniversary of the World Series came along with interleague play creating a moment to celebrate a moment."

Tonight, when the Cincinnati Reds return to Fenway for the first time since the 1975 World Series, the foul pole atop the Green Monster officially will be given a name. Fisk, a member of the Sox between 1969 and 1980, will be in the park for the 6:45 p.m. ceremony. It was in the 12th inning of Game 6 of that series that Fisk willed his tailing liner fair and off that pole for a deciding homer that forced Game 7, which, of course, the Sox went on to lose.


Boston Globe

Historic moment in Red Sox baseball lore

Very cool!

I'm a Sox fan and think this is a stupid idea.

I don't like it. Things like that should just become on their own not being named....similar to nicknames that just happen are much better than names that are purposely given...make sense?

sherman said:

I don't like it. Things like that should just become on their own not being named....similar to nicknames that just happen are much better than names that are purposely given...make sense?

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Good point Sherman..this is a bit forced and why now of all times in Red Sox history? Its been 31 freakin years!

The Fisk Pole doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

Lets see we have the Pesky Pole, The Green Monster, and now The Fisk Pole -big deal. I remember old timers talking about Boston Braves field now an office building or something like that. There was a section in right field that was about 295 feet down the line that had exactly twelve seats - fans called it "The Jury Box". The Jury Box was a favorite target for lefthanded hitters especially a young Eddie Matthews.



wil.

sherman said:

I don't like it. Things like that should just become on their own not being named....similar to nicknames that just happen are much better than names that are purposely given...make sense?

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Makes a lot of sense. Right Field pen was called Williamsburg for years... no one NAMED it that. And no one calls it that any more.

Not to mention we didn't win shit in 1975.

I thought it was Pudge Pole?

wilheim said:

Lets see we have the Pesky Pole, The Green Monster, and now The Fisk Pole -big deal. I remember old timers talking about Boston Braves field now an office building or something like that. There was a section in right field that was about 295 feet down the line that had exactly twelve seats - fans called it "The Jury Box". The Jury Box was a favorite target for lefthanded hitters especially a young Eddie Matthews.



wil.

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not a big deal and i see your point about the green monster etc (though i wonder if the green monster just came one day or if it was named that from the beginning, do you guys know?) however wil, this just doesn't "feel" right.....

They should ball the bullpen the Byung Hyun Bullpen since most of his pitches would up back there

lander said:

They should call the bullpen the Byung Hyun Bullpen since most of his pitches would up back there

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That was funny :lolBIG:

I guess it's a good thing they didn't name it Dick Pole after the former Red Sox pitcher.

Dick Pole was born on Friday, October 13, 1950, in Trout Creek, Michigan. Pole was 23 years old when he broke into the big leagues on August 3, 1973, with the Boston Red Sox, and his Major League Baseball stats for every season he played, along with his career totals are on this page.

lander said:

They should ball the bullpen the Byung Hyun Bullpen since most of his pitches would up back there

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more like "WASDIN WAY"

Are they going to have a "Buckner Bag" at First base as well?

Not the biggest compliment in the world, being the namesake to a phallic symbol.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ycn-10299767

Still the greatest catcher in Red Sox history:

Top Five Catchers in Boston Red Sox History
By William Menna, Yahoo! Contributor Network
15 hours, 34 minutes ago
Qualifier: players will be classified under one position even if they played at more than one.

Carlton Fisk:

Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk starred for the Boston Red Sox in the 1970s. A native New Englander, Fisk won the 1972 American League Rookie of the Year award for his home team while also pulling in All-Star and Gold Glove honors. He batted .284 with 162 home runs and a 126 OPS+ (league average is 100) over 1,078 games with the Red Sox. After playing the second-half of his career with the Chicago White Sox, Fisk retired in 1993 with 11 All-Star selections, 376 home runs and 1,330 RBI in nearly 2,500 Major League games. The Red Sox retired his number 27.

Jason Varitek(notes):

Active three-time All-Star Jason Varitek has played his entire 15-year Major League career with the Red Sox. The Red Sox acquired Varitek in a lopsided deal that also netted the team Derek Lowe(notes) in exchange for Heathcliff Slocumb. Varitek became Boston's starting catcher in 1998 and has started more games behind the plate than any other player in Red Sox history. The longtime captain was a big contributor to the 2004 and 2007 World Series teams. Over his 12-year run as a starter, he maintained a .344 on-base percentage and .435 slugging average. Through 1,546 games, his career numbers include 193 home runs, 757 RBI and a .776 OPS.

Rick Ferrell:

Hall of Famer Rick Ferrell was an All-Star in each of his five seasons with the Red Sox from 1933 to 1937. Ferrell played the best years of his career in a Red Sox uniform, maintaining a .302 batting average, .394 on-base percentage and .804 OPS over 522 games with the team. Over the course of his 18-year MLB career, Ferrell struck out only 277 times while working 931 walks in 7,072 plate appearances.

Rich Gedman:

Two-time All-Star Rich Gedman served as the Red Sox catcher of the 1980s. Gedman finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1981. Over his first six years with the Red Sox, he batted .274 with a 107 OPS+. Behind the plate, he threw out more than 50 base-stealers three times. He was an All-Star for the Red Sox in their 1986 pennant year. Gedman now coaches in Boston's minor league system.

Bill Carrigan:

Top defensive catcher Bill Carrigan helped the Red Sox win three World Series Championships during his ten-season playing career from 1906 to 1916. Carrigan batted .257 with a 94 OPS+ and was an above-average hitter at his position. He served as player-manager for the last four years of his career to become the first manager in team history to lead the Red Sox to multiple championships.

Honorable mentions: Sammy White, Birdie Tebbetts, Jim Pagliaroni and Charlie Berry