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The
Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
May 19 - May 25, 2005 Edition
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Menemsha
man plays host when Red Sox play ball The Martha's Vineyard Times May 19, 2005 By Don Lyons
A former insurance executive — first in Needham, more recently on the Vineyard — Phil is one of the 25 Fenway Ambassadors, selected from 3,500 applicants in 2002 by Dr. Charles A. Steinberg, Executive Vice President/Public Relations who refers to the ambassadors as the fingertips of the Red Sox. Phil puts it another way, “We’re fan advocates.” At 70, Phil is by far the senior member of the ambassador corps, most of whom are in their twenties. What does a Fenway Ambassador do? It might be easier to say what he doesn’t do. Often they are first responders to a fan-related issue. Had Manny Ramirez hit his 400th home run at Fenway instead of at Safeco Field in Seattle last Sunday, chances are an ambassador would have negotiated for the ball — if it hadn’t cleared the Green Monster and landed on the parking garage across the street. There are certain tasks for which the ambassadors are specifically responsible — getting the national anthem singer to the right place (behind home plate) at the right time, for instance. That sounds easy enough. But suppose the designated singer arrives an hour early, just to be on the safe side. Many of the 34,000 fans who will eventually fill the park are already crowding Fenway’s ramps and corridors, having arrived early to watch pre-game batting practice. As time gets shorter, the crowds get thicker. Getting to the right place at the right time can be a challenge. The Ambassadors are also responsible for selecting the honorary bat boy and bat girl and someone to shout “play ball!” to start the game. They are guides for the color guard and the singer of God Bless America, if there is one. During the ball game they roam the stands looking for ways to help fans have happy memories of their trip to Fenway. There are still some seats at Fenway from which it is difficult to see all of the game. There are also some prime house seats owned by the Red Sox and never sold. Those seats might be given by an ambassador to a soldier on leave from Afghanistan, or to the family of a patient at Children’s Hospital or sometimes to persons stuck in one of those awful seats. Ambassadors also take the World Series trophy around New England. Phil has taken it to Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. In fact, the trophy has been so busy traveling there hasn’t been time to have it engraved. When will he bring it to Martha’s Vineyard? He’s working on it. The hardest part of the job, Phil says, is to say no. Thousands of letters arrive at Fenway every week, many requesting things that simply cannot be granted. “My husband has been a Red Sox fan all is life and next month is his 80th birthday. He is not well and probably won’t live much longer. We are planning a small birthday party for him. His favorite player is Jason Varitek. Could Mr. Varitek please make a brief appearance? It would mean a great deal to my husband.” Some ambassador must answer that request and the answer is almost certainly “no.” They won’t get Varitek but they will get a letter from the Red Sox and picture of the team’s captain and catcher, or a program, or a copy of the Red Sox magazine. That’s the ambassador’s job. Phil took me and my wife Joni Merry on a tour of Fenway last Friday. I’d been to the park before, but never like this. We were shown every part of it – the 406 Club dining room, the luxury boxes, the media section, the green monster and the seats above it, the dugouts, the Red Sox Hall of Fame. Only the clubhouse was out of bounds. Everywhere we went there were people who greeted Phil with a wave, a handshake, a smile. They all know his name – the grounds crew, the secretaries, the security people, everyone. Phil’s delight and identification with the place is complete. “We’re going to take the glass down and put in a new tier of seats here…. We’ve added these seats in right field and made this area an attractive and very popular gathering place with some of the most popular seats in the park.” (There was a wedding in process there when we arrived with the names and faces of the happy couple on the Jumbo-tron. What’s the best part of the job? “The smiles on faces of folks just to be at Fenway,” Phil said. “I have spent a lot of time with veterans of Iraq who are home on leave. What a great feeling to be able to walk around Fenway Park and see the smiles on their faces. It is a real oasis for them. I can’t tell you how many Red Sox stickers I have sent back with them or mailed to them.” “I have a picture of a small child that was mailed to me. He is standing by a U.S. tank with several of our troops. He is dressed in a Red Sox shirt. None of the men have any idea where he got it but their caption was: Red Sox nation lives in Iraq!” The Nation’s most effective ambassador is alive and well in Chilmark and having a ball. |
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