Changes seen as striking

The electricians scurrying around Fenway Park have already had a sneak preview of Red Sox Baseball 2006.

''Bronson Arroyo was right there signing baseballs and playing catch with a new recruit by the Red Sox dugout," said Arny Crane of Local 7. ''One of the guys was up here in the EMC club [formerly the .406 Club, minus the glass]. He yelled, 'Hey, right here, Bronson.' He turned around and hit him with a strike. He's on this year. He's going to pitch a no-hitter this year."

Unseasonably warm weather has aided the renovation project, which started just hours after last season ended.

''I think we'll be in good shape for Opening Day," said Janet Marie Smith, the Red Sox senior vice president for planning and development.

The Sox will add roughly 1,100 seats by April, bringing Fenway's capacity to 38,800.

''This project that we're doing now represents a true crossing of the threshold from a collection of improvements to a renovation," said Smith.

The glassed-in .406 Club is gone, replaced by the exclusive, heated-chair EMC Club, where the $275 seats are closer to home plate than the second baseman is (''Better bring your glove," said Smith).

A big part of the effort is to make Fenway less cramped.

''I think the biggest surprise for fans is how much space there is on the upstairs roof," said Smith. ''We took off all those mechanical units that were littering the roof."

The Sox are aware of problems with legroom in the main seating areas.

''To really fix that issue, you need to redo the treads, which means you'll lose a row or two," said Smith, ''but we'll probably swallow hard and do that before it's all over."