Same park, different worlds

Fenway Park is the smallest ballpark in the bigs.

But few parks can match its character and intimacy, and despite the most expensive tickets in the league and plenty of seats that don’t face home plate and do face a pole, Boston has what many call a ‘national treasure.’

And when the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 7-2 on Tuesday, very few fans inside intimate Fenway saw the same game.

From the beer-filled bleachers, to the sterile press box, to the most popular seats in baseball, a different experience is had from one section to the next.

FIRST INNING BLEACHERS The wave and the excitement both start out in sections 34-43 in right-center. It is usually advisable and entertaining to visit the bleachers later in the game when a few beers have managed to make their mark on the majority of the populace. The early-inning visitor does, however, have a better shot at avoiding getting caught in the middle of one of the trademark, end-of-the-night-for-both-parties fights.

Whether it is due to the alcohol, the fights or simply the ‘real fans’ who claim to reside in the outfield, the atmosphere in the bleachers is unparalleled. Nowhere else is the buzz the same when the home team takes the field, and despite the distance from the action, bleacher creatures tend to enjoy the experience.

‘The atmosphere is a lot better, a lot livelier,’ said Rob Sherman of Somerville, adding a touch of cynicism. ‘The chance that you’re not going to sit behind a pole is what I like about the bleachers.’

Sherman’s comments from about halfway up section 39 could hardly be heard over the incoherent screeches of a nearby quartet of intoxicated fans whose bodies were painted completely red.

Pedro Martinez’s K Men also reside in the bleachers every fifth day, and most ‘Yankees Suck’ chants originate there, adding to the tone of vulgarity, drunkenness and violence all common forms of negativity among Boston fans.

SECOND INNING RIGHT FIELD GRANDSTAND For a little more sanity, the right field grandstand might be the place to head. The last place to fill up for any Sox game, the back corner of Fenway may be less raucous than the bleachers, but is hardly a better view. Section 6 is not even close to facing home plate, and fans here are guaranteed a few poles to obstruct their view.

Despite the stiff neck and limited perspective, some hearty souls still make it up to the right field grandstand, but they don’t necessarily like it.

‘What do I like about it? Nothing,’ said Jim Cavalieri of Framingham, who was nearly alone with his family in the last row of Section 6. ‘I don’t mind sitting at the ballpark, but this is a pretty poor view. The obstructions I don’t like the obstructions. I think that [a new ballpark] is long overdue.

‘What are these seats, about 80 years old? I think these were for when people were a little bit smaller,’ he said.

One is bound to find that kind of criticism in the doldrums of Fenway, but you can bet that come playoff time, the corner will be just as packed as anywhere else. And if it is any consolation to the critics, at least they are protected from the rain.

THIRD INNING RED SOX DUGOUT SEATS It is almost scary to sit in the highest-priced seats in the house now with all the security. With the recent attacks on the field in Chicago, the Sox have enough staff down there to scare away even those who belong. But nothing beats being able to reach out and touch the batter in the on-deck circle (though that may not be a good idea — you would probably be kicked out for doing so).

With every passing year, the Red Sox’s efforts at renovation inch the seats a little bit further onto the playing field, simply adding to the intimacy of the area and the ballpark in general.

‘[I like] the closeness to the field and the intimacy that you feel being so close to the players,’ said University of Rhode Island student and Canton native Chris Eardley. ‘I think that they’ve done a good job maximizing revenue with the ballpark that they have, but eventually to compete with teams like the Yankees and other large market teams, they are going to have to do something about the ballpark situation, whether it’s building a new one in East Boston or just a major renovation of this one.’

Eardley was sitting in lower box 31, row G, just seven rows from the field. The front three rows of section 31 now jut beyond the edge of the Red Sox dugout.

So as Royals center fielder Carlos Beltran slid safely into home for his third-inning inside-the-park-home-run, the box seat customers could nearly feel the dirt splash up into their face. Though these seats are difficult to come by and quite expensive, they are no doubt a great way to get involved in the action but not too involved.

FOURTH INNING LEFT FIELD GRANDSTAND This middle-of-the-road seating does not deserve the same name as its right field counterpart, as it is by far the better experience. The seats are high enough for a somewhat aerial view, while the angle is still very close to the infield, maintaining the intimacy of the box seats. Poles are still an issue, but one does not feel quite as imprisoned as up in the right field corner.

Fans seem generally knowledgeable in this area, and seats are somewhat affordable.

‘I like the way that you’re actually facing the park, unlike the other side,’ said Amoreena Gonzalez, who was planted about halfway up section 28, just beyond third base. ‘The obstructed view isn’t that great, but I like this [ballpark].’

FIFTH INNING INFIELD ROOF BOX The walk up to the roof box is one of isolation, as the traveler might not even have any notion that he is in a building with 35,000 other people as he walks along the empty walkway overlooking Van Ness Street.

Almost every new major league ballpark has virtually enough upper deck seating to fit the entire city, but at Fenway the bird’s eye view is limited and unique. The perspective is the most complete in the park it is easy to judge where any ball is headed, and anticipation of movements comes naturally. Also roof box is the best foul ball spot in the park, as a pop up softly reaches its pinnacle right in the hands of a lucky fan.

‘I like how you can see the whole field, and how you have a whole lot of mobility up here,’ said South Boston native Kevin Albert, who was perched on a bar stool in section 18 of the roof, just to the first base side of home plate. ‘You have a higher vantage point so you can see the whole field and exactly where the ball’s going. This type of seat is excellent.’

The roof boxer certainly has a feeling of omniscience over the thousands of fans below.

SIXTH INNING .406 CLUB Squeezed on either side by the roof boxes, right behind home plate, is the .406 Club, recently renamed for Ted Williams’ batting average during the 1941 season.

The guards at the base of the escalator up to the indoor section check the entrant as if he is about to get on an airplane, and they represent the air of superiority that is present in the whole section. The place feels like a movie theater, complete with the strong smell of buttered popcorn. The collared-shirt dress code adds a certain formal tone to the already artificial, surreal atmosphere.

This place honestly doesn’t feel like a baseball game behind the glass window. People are hesitant to clap and crowd noise pumped in from outside hardly helps the nonexistent buzz.

This place is not for your average ballpark-goer.

‘I like that you can see the pitches very clearly over the plate. I think it’s a great angle,’ said Beth Twohig of Andover. ‘I think it’s just very different in terms of being outside.’ She went on to say she did not feel like she was at the ballpark, and described the atmosphere in the room as ‘swanky.’

When the Sox took the lead for good, you wouldn’t have known it from the reaction of the .406 fans.

SEVENTH INNING PRESS BOX If the .406 club lacks cheering and atmosphere, then the press box is a morgue. The place literally does have a hospital feel to it.

After the elevator ride to the highest point in the stadium, then the stroll past the Red Sox and visiting TV and radio booths, the print area of the pressroom is nearly silent. The atmosphere feels like an office, with reporters typing vigorously on their laptops, and internet wires and phone lines strewn everywhere.

From this perch, it is easy to understand how WEEI Red Sox radio announcer Jerry Trupiano frequently misjudges fly balls to the outfield, getting the crowd way too excited.

When the press loudspeaker crackles with the latest game information, there is a feeling of importance, and the seriousness of the atmosphere is only intensified.

EIGHTH AND NINTH INNINGS GREEN MONSTER SEATS Personalities such as NESN announcer Don Orsillo and former Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley could be seen on the stroll through the luxury box area to the most popular seats in baseball.

The seats certainly live up to their hype, however. After years at Fenway and a night exploring the rest of the ballpark, the seats extend the whole field and the rest of the fans in front of the viewer like none other.

It seems that one could almost reach over and touch Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez. The uniqueness of these seats is in their height combined with the lack of seats in front of them.

There is a great view of the strike zone, the infield and everything else that is going on in the park. It is difficult to find a problem with these seats.

And with New England Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown present atop the wall, it appears that most agree.

‘Incredible. Amazing,’ were the only words that Lucas Eckroad of Brighton could find to describe the view from Monster Section 7. Eckroad said he waited in line for three hours to get the tickets. ‘The view, the perspective, the fans up here [are all better].’

Monster fans tend to have a slightly different idea about the future of Fenway Park.

‘You can add some seats to this park, but there is no need for a new one,’ Eckroad added. ‘This park is perfect.’