Overview

From the South End Grounds to Fenway Park, from Boston Garden to Gillette Stadium, the history of sports in Boston has been tied to the parks and arenas in which the teams have met and the athletes competed. Beloved but abandoned sites such as the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Braves Field, and the Garden are recalled by Boston fans with the same fondness Brooklynites feel for Ebbets Field, while contemporary stadiums maintain the region's proud athletic tradition. This is the first book to tell the story of sports in Boston through the stories of these venues. Foulds gives pride of place to the region's nine best-known sites, with numerous anecdotes about such fabled teams as the Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics along the way. But he also considers parks that have been all but forgotten, such as the Worcester County Fairgrounds, once an official National League ballpark despite the presence of a tree in left field, or Lincoln Park, the former home of black baseball in Boston. And in addition to such milestones as the first World Series and the achievements of the great Cy Young, he also recalls the Hub's support for soccer, tennis, lacrosse and, of course, the Boston Marathon. In this illustrated history, Foulds documents the variety and vibrancy of Boston sports for over a century. This history, he shows, is firmly grounded in the stories of the sites where the games have been played. Sites include: Nine Wonders of the Boston Sports World: South End Grounds, Huntington Avenue Grounds, Fenway Park, Braves Field, Boston Arena, Boston Garden, FleetCenter, Foxboro Stadium, Gillette Stadium The Forgotten Parks: Dartmouth Street Grounds, Congress Street Grounds, Worcester County Agricultural Fairgrounds, Sam Mark's Stadium, Balmoral Park, Lincoln Park Pressed Into Service: Harvard Stadium, Revere Beach Bicycle Tracks, Malden Stadium, GE Field, Everett Stadium, Boston College Alumni Stadium, Walter Brown Arena, Volpe Center, Bowditch Field, Olympic venues, and stadiums in Lynn and Lowell.

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9781584654094

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Reviews

Boston is a small place with a huge appetite for sports. If you need evidence, just pick up a copy of Alan Foulds' book and walk about the town. He will take you on an incredible tour of the playing fields and arenas of Boston, some still here, many gone. No one interested in sports and the history of Boston should miss this book. - William M. Fowler, Jr., Director, Massachusetts Historical Society

Author Information

Alan E. Foulds is a magazine editor and the author of articles on New England and sports history. He regularly lectures on historical topics in the Boston area.

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