Luke Scott: Fenway Park a 'dump'

[DaaBoTownSox]

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Luke Scott told MLB.com he thinks Fenway is "a dump" as the Boston Red Sox prepare to kick off their 100th season in the ballpark.

"As a baseball player, going there to work, it's a dump," said Scott, whose Rays play the Red Sox on Friday in their Fenway opener. "I mean, it's old. It does have a great feel and nostalgia, but at the end of the day, I'd rather be at a good facility where I can get my work in. A place where I can go hit in the cage, where I have space and it's a little more comfortable to come to work.

"You're packed in like sardines there. It's hard to get your work in. ... You have to go to their weight room if you want to lift. From a fan's perspective, it's probably pretty cool to go see a game at a historic park. But from a player's point of view, it's not a place where you want to go to work."

For Scott, who was a member of the Orioles when Baltimore beat Boston on the last day of last season to help prevent the Red Sox from making the playoffs, it's the second time in as many months he's taken a shot at the Sox. During spring training, he said keeping Boston out of the playoffs was even more pleasing because of his disdain for its fans.

"Just their arrogance," Scott told MLB.com at the time. "The fans come in and they take over the city. They're ruthless, they're vulgar, they cause trouble, they talk about your family, swear at you. Who likes that? When people do that, it just gives you more incentive to beat them.

"Then when things like [the last game of last season, a 4-3 walk-off Orioles victory] happen, you celebrate even more. You go to St. Louis -- classiest fans in the game. You do well, there's no vulgarity. You know what? You don't wish them bad."

http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/7809515/fenway-park-dump

[DaaBoTownSox]

Such a class act he is.

I hope that if he plays, they bean him every at bat.

[yankeebiscuitfan]

How much I like the Rays, this guy doesn't have any sense for history.

I am really looking forward to post my thread on Fenway Park on April 20. The place is a shrine.

[yankeebiscuitfan]

Maybe that is the spark plug the Red Sox are waiting for.

[DaaBoTownSox]

Maybe that is the spark plug the Red Sox are waiting for.

I sure hope they wouldn't need his remarks to spark them.

[astrosfanatic]

Such a class act he is.

I hope that if he plays, they bean him every at bat.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with his remarks. He's not saying the stadium sucks or that they should build a new one. He acknowledges the significance of it to the fans, but he says that from a player's standpoint there are better facilities to plat at. Is he wrong? No. Newer stadiums have weight rooms for home and visitors, and batting cages for both teams located on site. Things like those are more convenient for players to work with.

This is ESPN doing what they do best: Make a story out of something that is not a big deal at all.

Going back to Luke's comments about the last game of the season last year, he answered the question candidly. Of course he enjoyed keeping the Sox out of the playoffs. He doesnt like their fans that come to Orioles games. Do you expect him to welcome opposing teams fans at his home ballpark? I mean, really? It pisses him off, and i am glad he is willing to come out and say it instead of hiding behind the typical "we did our best to play as a team" bull crap most players spit out.

Come on people. We criticize athletes for hiding behind catchy team-first, blah blah answers and not speaking their mind. Stories like this make those kind of answers necessary in order to keep their name out of retarded articles like this.

[yankeebiscuitfan]

At least he could have used a different word than dump. That doesn't sound too positive IMO.
I can understand that playing on the road in Fenway isn't really comfortable for a player. But it can also mean that nowadays players are spoiled.

[Mr. Baseball]

Luke Scott is one of the nicest guys in baseball, and he was just being honest here. Why does it matter what he thinks of Fenway? It's his opinion.

[Mudge]

I've been to both: Fenway Park and my local dump.

Not even close.

The people at my dump are a lot nicer.

[daddies4angels]

Players are so used to new stadiums where they have so much room to move in clubhouse etc. At older parks like Fenway and Wrigley its very small so players dont like coming into those parks

[Chitown Champ]

Luke Scott is one of the nicest guys in baseball, and he was just being honest here. Why does it matter what he thinks of Fenway? It's his opinion.

Can't say whether he's nice or not, but I do know he's not afraid to get his views out there. His interview with David Brown seemed fairly vehement at the end. Though I'll admit he does have his right to speak freely, as should anyone else in baseball and other areas. We'll see if he owns up to his smack talking.

[DaaBoTownSox]

Look, I understand it's just his opinion, but is it really that hard to keep your opinions to yourself?

If you're using the word "Dump", there's no doubt you're trying to stir something.

[Cathy]

Look, I understand it's just his opinion, but is it really that hard to keep your opinions to yourself?

If you're using the word "Dump", there's no doubt you're trying to stir something.



Totally agree with this post 1000%

[yankeebiscuitfan]

Look, I understand it's just his opinion, but is it really that hard to keep your opinions to yourself?

If you're using the word "Dump", there's no doubt you're trying to stir something.

He can vent his opinion, but using the word dump refers to something negative. He could have said the same thing without using that word.

[Cathy]

I have to admit one thing. As much as I agree with with Luke on this one (and being a life-long fan of the RS, that probably says something), I would NEVER come out and say that in the context that he did. I understand everyone has a right to their own opinion.

[Mudge]

One of the things that comes through in the entire interview is how different Scott's perspective is as a player from my perspective as a fan.

Scott is looking at Fenway as a place to work, and he has numerous other places in which he has worked and with which he can compared Fenway. Few of us have access to the underbelly of Fenway Park, where the players are. I, myself, have never been in the bowels of the place, but I have heard that it's -- shall we say -- rustic (a dump is maybe a bit much).

I too have worked in places that (especially in comparison to other places I have worked) are dumps.

That said, as a fan, Fenway has tremendous appeal. Sure, the prices are high, the seats are narrow, and the fans can be unpleasant, but it is a sweet place in which to watch a ball game. On the other hand, the Trop, which may be a good place to "work", is pretty much a *he inserts his preferred adjective here* place to go to as a fan. In that sense, I might even be inclined to call it a dump.

The Ballpark at Camden Yards? Now that's another story altogether.

It's all a matter of where you are coming from (or going to).