If you live in Boston, you're familiar with Fenway Park and the Red Sox. But how much do you really know about what goes on behind the scenes? You're about to learn a lot more. Boston.com correspondent David Ropeik brings fans to places they've always wanted to go, shedding light on the inner-workings of one of baseball's oldest ballparks and most beloved ball clubs.
And now you can help choose the stories we write. What would you like to see in the Insider this season?
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We spent a night in the shoes of a hot dog vendor at Fenway; and trust us, those shoes are hard to fill.
 Photo gallery
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Unless there's controversy, few pay attention to the third team on the field: the umps. (By David Ropeik, Boston.com) Photo gallery
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The work is hard and dirty. The hours are long. The pay is low, and there are no benefits. So why does each member of the Red Sox clubhouse crew say he loves his job? Read on to find out ... (By David Ropeik, Boston.com)
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Imagine attending every Red Sox game, home and away, for free. You have a front-row seat, and it's free. Your food is free. The airfare to the away games, and the nice hotels when you get there ... all free. Covering the Sox can be fun, but it can also be a grind. (By David Ropeik, Boston.com)
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ball attendants
What would be absolutely the coolest thing you could do at Fenway Park? How about putting on a full Red Sox uniform, a baseball glove, and sitting out on the field, during the game, and actually getting to play balls hit your way. (Boston.com, 6/7/05)
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the home opener
Oh what a day it will be. Not in 86 years has there been an Opening Day at Fenway like this one. An Opening Day when the world championship banner will be raised over Fenway Park. (Boston.com, 4/8/05)
While most Sox fans are paying attention to spring training, a small army of workers at Fenway is racing to finish renovations. (By David Ropeik, Boston.com)
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Fenway grass gets a makeover
Remember all the defensive problems the Red Sox were having for the first two-thirds of last season? All those games thrown away by unearned runs? Then it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that the world champs finished with the fifth-worst fielding percentage in the majors. (By David Ropeik, Boston.com)
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Taking the pulse of Red Sox Nation
And so the curtain closes on Act One, Scene One, and it’s a happy ending. The Red Sox closed out the home season with: A) a huge lead for the wild card (six games), B) a 55-26 home record, C) An 11-4 thumping of the Yankees, and two out of three over the serfs of Steinbrenner for the weekend. (Boston.com, 9/27/04)
grounds crew
You know that moment when you walk up the ramp to your seats at Fenway and the whole special place comes into view? Well, thank David Mellor, Charles Brunetti, and the grounds crew for keeping Fenway the picturesque park that it is. (Boston.com, 9/8/04)
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In-game entertainment
A modern trip to any ballpark, even an old-time classic like Fenway, comes with music and videos and lots of information and trivia questions and “Sweet Caroline” and, well, lots more than crackerjack and a scorecard. (Boston.com, 1/25/05)
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Inside The Green Monster
The belly of the Monster is no place to be if you want beer with your ballgame, but if you want one of the best views in baseball, sitting in one of the most hallowed icons of the game, then nothing can touch settling back in a folding chair inside Fenway’s Green Monster. (Boston.com, 1/25/05)
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David Ropeik is a former reporter for WCVB-TV, Boston, and previously wrote a
science column for
the Boston Globe. He is Director of Risk Communication at the Harvard School
of Public Health's
Center for Risk Analysis. He is co-author of the book "RISK! A Practical Guide
for Deciding What's
Really Safe and What's Really Dangerous in the World Around You."
Behind the scenes at NESN
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