Dining with Red Sox flavor
Tables numbered, named after baseball legends
PAWTUCKET – All 27 tables for this coming weekend’s sold-out debut of “Dining on the Diamond” at McCoy Stadium will feature an immediate conversation starter.
Table 1 will be known as the Bobby Doerr table. Doerr wore No. 1 during his Hall of Fame career with the Red Sox. Don’t automatically think, however, that every single table will be subjected to the concept of linking a player’s jersey number with the corresponding table.
For example, Table 3 is the Mo Vaughn table.
The slugger known as “The Hit Dog” lined up at first base during his playing career. The number that corresponds to that particular defensive position is – you guessed it – No. 3.
Per PawSox president Dr. Charles Steinberg, it’s about being creative and thinking outside the box at time when positive discussions related to baseball have been hard to come by.
“If that number means something to you, it just adds to the excitement,” said Steinberg when reached Tuesday. “It’s cool to number the tables and even better to give each one an identity.
Dustin Pedroia may wear No. 15, but he’s also a second baseman. You name the table for him in that sense.
“You let your imagination go, knowing there are no rules to this,” Steinberg added. “It’s your baseball imagination as [PawSox chairman] Larry Lucchino calls it. It can be the uniform of the player, the defensive position of the player, or just where the table is located.”
Looking at the notion from a different angle, let’s bring up Tables 8 and 9, which are positioned near shortstop. Red Sox fans know that Carl Yastrzemski wore No. 8 and Ted Williams wore No. 9. Designating those particular tables for two of the franchise’s all-time greats is your classic no-brainer.
“The tables were also looking right out to left field, so that worked,” said Steinberg, referencing the position that was patrolled by Yaz and Teddy Ballgame.
Another table that’s facing McCoy’s left field is No. 11. The Red Sox (and PawSox) player that was slotted there was the home-run hitting Manny Ramirez. Manny may have worn No. 24, yet PawSox officials opted to link Ramirez based on where the table was positioned.
By the way, Table 24 was saved for Dwight Evans, who like Ramirez also wore No. 24 on the back of his Red Sox jersey.
“You play a little bit of a puzzle game,” said Steinberg. “It’s about Red Sox and PawSox players, but we want to stoke the fires of your memory. If you’re sitting near shallow shortstop [Table 15], it’s not just that Xander Bogaerts played there. In your mind, you can picture Xander charging a slow roller before making the throw. You realize that he did that right from where you’re sitting.”
None of the patrons who are expected to attend the solid-out dining sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights will not know in advance if they’re sitting at Table 6 (for Red Sox icon Johnny Pesky) or Table 25 (for Tony Conigliaro).
“You’re not reserving your table. The walk from Gate A to third base is substantial so if Table 1 is available, just take the shorter walk,” said Steinberg.
Each table will feature a placard designed by Courtney Capparelle, PawSox graphic artist.
“We want the placard to tell you who’s being honored. You also get to take it home with you,” said Steinberg. “It’s part of the ambiance and what could potentially be the eternal soul of McCoy Stadium. It’s a house of memories that you can elicit just by the table number on the field.”
In conjunction with Rhode Island moving into Phase 2 of the state’s reopening, the PawSox expanded from 20 to 27 tables. The additional seven tables will be positioned around home plate. The waiting list of those wishing to eat and view McCoy in a different light stretched to 450 groups, hence it didn’t take long to secure reservations after the rules allowed for expanded outdoor seating.
Nothing is official, but Steinberg hinted that outdoor dining at McCoy could be on tap for the weekend of June 12-14.
Table 1: The number worn by Baseball Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr.
Table 2: Deep of First Base, where Dave Koza played in “The Longest Game.”
Table 3: As in First Base, where Mo
Vaughn played.
Table 4: As in Second Base, where
Pedroia played.
Table 5: The number of Shortstop
Nomar Garciaparra
Table 6: The number of Red Sox icon Johnny Pesky.
Table 7: The number of former Red Sox stars Dom DiMaggio and Trot Nixon.
Table: Facing left field, which was patrolled by Carl Yastrzemski.
Table 9: Facing left field, which was patrolled by Williams.
Table 10: The number worn by PawSox Hitting Coach and Red Sox Hall of Famer Rich Gedman.
Table 11: Facing left field, where
Ramirez played.
Table 12: In honor of the number worn by former PawSox and Red Sox utility player Brock Holt.
Table 13: The number worn by Cole Sturgeon,
Table 14: The number worn by PawSox and Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Rice.
Table 15: Where Xander Bogaerts would charge slow rollers at shortstop. Table 16: In tribute to Rick Burleson. Table 17: In tribute to Marty Barrett. Table 18: In tribute to Lou Merloni. Table 19: In tribute to Brian Daubach. Table 20: In tribute to Cecil Cooper. Table 21: The number of Red Sox and PawSox Hall of Famer Roger Clemens.
Table 22: The number worn by former PawSox and Red Sox player Sean Casey.
Table 23:The number worn by former Red Sox pitchers Luis Tiant and Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd.
Table 24: The number worn by Evans. Table 25: In honor of Conigliaro, who played for the PawSox.
Table 26: The number worn by PawSox and Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs.
Table 27: The number of PawSox and Baseball Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk.