Red Sox, Boston Officials Reach Deal For Team To Distribute Mixed Drinks At Fenway

The Red Sox yesterday said that they “have reached an agreement” with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, local police, and several community groups “to begin selling mixed alcoholic beverages to fans with seats throughout Fenway Park,” according to Michael Rezendes of the BOSTON GLOBE. Red Sox officials during a hearing before the Boston Licensing Board said that they “sealed the agreement during a Monday meeting with Boston police and other city officials.” The team “agreed to limit the sale of the mixed drinks to five refreshment stands and to move one of those stands farther away from the bleacher section.” The board could approve the proposal “as early as today.” But Red Sox attorney Dennis Quilty said that the team “would still need the approval of the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, a process that could take another month.” Team officials and their reps said that there “would be no sales of straight hard liquor to fans in general seating areas, and that the alcohol content of the mixed drinks would be no greater than the alcohol content of a cup of beer.” The Red Sox also “agreed to halt the sale of mixed drinks two hours after the games begin.” The sale of hard liquor -- including on-the-rocks drinks and shots -- currently is “generally restricted to refreshment stands serving upper deck, premium seating areas” (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/7).
 
SHOW AND TELL: In Boston, Kerry Byrne noted Menino yesterday toured Fenway Park with Red Sox Owner John Henry and President & CEO Larry Lucchino, who got to “show off the fruits of their 10-year plan to turn the tired, dirty old Fenway they inherited a decade ago into one with a brighter look, contemporary vibe and modern amenities.” The ballpark this year includes “new seats in right field and elsewhere around the park, freshly cleaned and paved concourses inside gates B, C and D, plenty of new concessions that offer ... everything from sushi to chili dogs, and what Lucchino called ‘the cherry on top’ of the reconstruction efforts: a state-of-the-art video system highlighted by a 100-foot-wide video screen above center field.” Lucchino said that with 10 years of construction completed, the team will “spend the next year preparing to celebrate a very special anniversary” as Fenway Park turns 100 in ’12 (BOSTONHERALD.com, 4/6).

BE OUR GUESTS: In Boston, Abraham & Cafardo note the Red Sox are “exploring the possibility” of hosting a college football game. Red Sox Exec VP & COO Sam Kennedy also said the team is "interested in hosting" college hockey games again. Fenway Park hosted the NHL Winter Classic and a series of college and high school hockey games last year, but the NHL “is unlikely to return any time soon” (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/7).