Though completion of JetBlue Park in Ft. Myers, Fla., "isn't expected until the middle of January, the stadium -- dubbed 'Fenway South' -- and the surrounding complex has already taken on a very Fenway-esque aesthetic," according to Scott Butherus of the NAPLES DAILY NEWS. The media yesterday was "given a sneak peek at the Red Sox new spring training complex.," The new stadium, which will "include more than 10,000 fixed seats and 11,000 at full standing room capacity, is identical to the lower boxes of Fenway Park and features the same cast-iron folding seats painted in the team's trademark 'Fenway Green.'" One "minor change will be the grass berm seating area in right field that replaces the grandstands of [its] Beantown counterpart." The playing field itself has the "same quirky dimensions of the original -- it is only 308 feet down the left field foul line." Perhaps the "most recognizable feature is the 37-foot wall in left field, a replica of Fenway's Green Monster." Red Sox Dir of Florida Business Operations Katie Haas said, "We have the big wall just like we do in Boston, the only difference is that we will have seats inside of the wall as well as on top." Another of the "many little touches that will give JetBlue that authentic Fenway feel will be the manual scoreboard at the base of the left field wall." The scoreboard had "previously been in service in Fenway Park before being replaced before the 2001 season." As fans arrive to the ballpark they will be "lead along the main thoroughfare called the Fenwalk, a paved trail that will feature monuments commemorating great moments in Boston's long history and also feature interactive elements for fans." Fans will "enter through an area outside of the ballpark that will be set up similar to the street fair atmosphere of Yawkey Way in Boston on game days" (NAPLES DAILY NEWS, 12/20). In Boston, Stan Grossfeld in a front-page piece notes the 126-acre site with six practice fields will be "home to the franchise's major and minor league facilities." The ballpark is "90 percent complete and should be done by the third week of January." There also will be a soccer field, which is "slated to be used by Lee County youth groups." An adjacent 20 acres of land has been "set aside by the Sox for other business opportunities" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/20).
SEEING RECORD SALES: In Boston, Chad Finn noted the Red Sox announced yesterday that they "set a record weekend ticket sales for the inaugural season of JetBlue Park at Fenway South." The 34,705 tickets sold were the "highest since 2006 when 34,315 tickets were sold for the 2007 spring training season" (BOSTON.com, 12/19). With capacity of the ballpark increasing over their previous Spring Training home, the Red Sox "will be able to sell more tickets and accommodate more fans." Haas said, "We actually have a waiting list of season-ticket holders of over 800 people. A five- to 10-year waiting list. So we’re hoping to cut that list in half" (Ft. Myers NEWS-PRESS, 12/20).
