Standing Room Only: Being a Spirited Account of the Baseball in Boston Between Those Years 2004 & 2008

by A. Longest

In the summer of 2004 a weekly Remy Report column entitled ""Scrapbook of a Season"" began with these words: As fans, our relationship to the game and to our team is defined by the memories we share with it…and it is in the collecting, the saving, the retelling and remembering of these memories that we keep the seasons with us down through the years. Two weeks later Jason Varitek punched Alex Rodriguez on the first base line at Fenway Park, Bill Mueller hit a walk-off homer off Mariano Rivera, and a golden age of Red Sox baseball officially began. Now, five years, two World Series Championships, 425 Sold Out games and countless walks-offs, rallies, and brilliant baseball moments later, the collection Standing Room Only presents the very best of these scrapbook columns together under a single cover. Far more than merely a reminder of how the games were won or lost, Standing Room Only is a ticket back into the thumping-loud intensity of the experience itself. Told from the perspective of the grandstands and with the casual intimacy of the fellow fan, each chapter allows the reader to pack in shoulder-to-shoulder among a sold out Fenway Park crowd. To hear the cheers rise up, to see the raucous scene unfold, and to relive each thrilling moment—just as brilliantly, just as passionately, just as exuberantly as it was lived. Whether as a scrapbook of cherished memories for the Sox fans who experienced it live, or a priceless ticket back in time for any fan of the game and its history, Standing Room Only brings it all back to life. Making it the perfect one-volume souvenir of this golden era at Fenway Park.

373 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Louie Verile JR. · Rating 2 out of 5]

total DRAG

[Zach · Rating 1 out of 5]

Words do not describe how terrible this book was. If it were between a bullet and reading this book, I'd advise taking the bullet. Zero editing. Really pathetic.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

More absolute musts on the Red Sox reader's list.