A letter from an alum about Larry Lucchino Õ67

April 15, 2004

Thank you for your profile of Larry Lucchino ’67 in the April 7 issue of PAW.

Not mentioned in Mr. Bernstein's piece, but perhaps one of the most notable initiatives undertaken by Mr. Lucchino as part of the Red Sox ownership team in Boston, is his ongoing effort to make Fenway Park a more fan-friendly ballpark.

The previous Red Sox owner pursued an ill-fated attempt to replace Fenway Park with a new stadium, but Mr. Lucchino has wisely recognized the value of the historic ballpark and has invested much into its improvement. Fenway now features wider concourses, more bathrooms and concessions, and larger clubhouse spaces. In addition, he has increased the seating capacity of Fenway by adding wildly popular new seats above the Green Monster and atop the right field roof. His creative approach has enhanced the ballparkís functional operations while preserving the intimacy and historic qualities that make Fenway a special place and a national treasure.

The construction of Oriole Park at Camden Yards under his leadership triggered a slew of similar retro-style new baseball stadiums (sorry, I mean ballparks) across the country, a trend that has transformed the sport. It is only appropriate that Mr. Lucchino is heightening this legacy by preserving Fenway, perhaps baseball's most distinctive ballpark, which served as a model for most of these new designs.

Jeffrey Harris ’90
Houston, Tex.

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