If you’re a Boston sports fan — and even if you aren’t — the official Fenway Park tour should be on your bucket list when you’re out and about this summer. The price is a tad precious — $25 for adults, $17 for the kids — but let’s not quibble. Ty Cobb played here. Ted Williams played here. Yaz. The Mick. Big Papi.
To bring it all home for you, consider this: The ballpark where Jeter Downs made his major-league debut on June 22, 2022 is the same ballpark where Babe Ruth made his major-league debut on July 11, 1914.
That’s a lot of baseball. That’s a lot of history.
But to borrow from the late, legendary songstress Peggy Lee: “Is That All There Is?”
Answer: Why, no, that’s not all there is. Greater Boston is a hotbed of history, covering everything from the American Revolution to the New England Revolution, and much of it is hiding in plain sight. Without further ado, then, we invite you to charge your phones, pack a lunch, fill up your water bottles and embark on our Official Greater Boston (And a Little Beyond!) Offbeat Sports Tour. Whether you’re from Southie or Saskatchewan, you need to make these 10 stops this summer:
1. Cambridge Cemetery, 89 Coolidge Ave., Cambridge
Why you should go: It’s the only cemetery in the world that’s the resting place of not one but two 300-game winners. Cambridge natives Tim Keefe (342-225) and John Clarkson (328-178), were stellar 19th-century moundsmen, with Clarkson logging five seasons with his hometown Boston Beaneaters. Keefe, whose best seasons were with the New York Giants, was the first pitcher to register three seasons with 300 or more strikeouts.
Tim Keefe’s gravestone (Steve Buckley / The Athletic)
John Clarkson’s gravestone (Steve Buckley / The Athletic)
While you’re at Cambridge Cemetery, visit the resting place of Sam Langford, an African American boxer from the early 20th century who has been called the “Greatest Fighter Nobody Knows.”
Eddie Waitkus, a stellar first baseman for the pennant-winning 1950 “Whiz Kid” Philadelphia Phillies, is also buried at Cambridge Cemetery. It has long been speculated that an episode that took place in 1949, when Waitkus was shot in the stomach by a deranged female fan, was borrowed by the writer Bernard Malamud when he created the character Roy Hobbs for his 1952 novel “The Natural,” which decades later was made into a film starring Robert Redford. Waitkus was able to return to baseball in 1950; the woman, Ruth Ann Steinhagen, spent three years in a psychiatric hospital.
The quote: “We’re right next to Mount Auburn Cemetery, and that’s the place where everyone talks about all the celebrities who are buried there. But it’s amazing that we have two 300-game winners, both from Cambridge, and I’m kind of proud of that.” — Jim Ryan, superintendent, Cambridge Cemetery.
2. Nickerson Field, 1010 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
Why you should go: This is what’s left of Braves Field, former home of the National League Boston Braves. The entire right-field grandstand remains intact, as does the house that was used for the Braves’ offices. Now part of Boston University, it was here that the Cleveland Indians/Guardians won their last championship, holding off the Braves for a 4-3 victory in Game 6 of the 1948 World Series. It was also here that the Boston Patriots of the fledgling American Football League played their first game, losing to the Denver Broncos 13-10 on September 9, 1960.
OTD in 1960 @Patriots host @Broncos in first-ever AFL regular season game.
AFL history: http://t.co/q1YqfJkQbA pic.twitter.com/FGmJbsroFD
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) September 9, 2015
The quote: “Boston no longer has two major-league baseball teams. But if you sit in what remains of Braves Field and picture Ronald Acuña Jr. crushing a homer toward the Charles River, you can imagine it does.” — Saul Wisnia, Boston Braves Historical Association.
3. Matthews Arena, 238-262 St. Botolph St., Boston
Why you should go: Originally known as Boston Arena, it has been in continuous use since it opened in 1910. It was here that the first NHL game in the United States was played, with the newly-minted Boston Bruins defeating the Montreal Maroons 2-1 on December 1, 1924. But the Bruins were a long way from capturing the hearts of Boston sports fans, as evidenced by this banner headline in the next morning’s Boston Globe: “It Is Hard to Say Just How Well Professional Hockey Will Go in This City.” (Turns out it went very well.)
It all began 96 years ago this week.
On Dec. 1, 1924, the #NHLBruins played the first game in team history. Fred “Smokey” Harris scored the club’s first goal while Carson Cooper netted the game-winner in a 2-1 win over the Montreal Maroons at Boston Arena.#TBT | @GiffordsMaine pic.twitter.com/DwnkJPd0zK
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 3, 2020
The arena would later be the sometimes home of the Celtics and the WHA New England Whalers. Now owned by Northeastern University, it is the home of the Huskies’ men’s and women’s basketball and hockey teams. The funeral of former Celtics star Reggie Lewis, who made it to the NBA via Northeastern and was only 27 when he died on July 27, 1993, was held at Matthews Arena.
The quote: “When I walk under the iconic archway and into Matthews Arena, history greets me at every turn … and not just in sports. Theodore Roosevelt, Hobey Baker, Amelia Earhart, Bob Dylan, John F. Kennedy, Reggie Lewis, Muhammad Ali and The Doors are among the many who walked these halls. Now home to our beloved Northeastern Huskies, Matthews Arena is a spectator’s dream, with its balcony putting fans right on top of the action. To understand the rich history of Boston sports, the journey begins on St. Botolph Street.” — Jim Madigan, athletic director, former men’s hockey coach, Northeastern University.
4. Cabot Center, 400 Huntington Ave., Boston
Why you should go: Just a few blocks from Matthews Arena on the Northeastern campus, the Cabot Center indoor athletic facility is located on the site of the Huntington Avenue Grounds, the first home of the Boston Americans, later renamed the Red Sox. It was here that the first-ever World Series game was played in 1903 between the Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates. A statue of Hall of Famer Cy Young, who threw the first perfect game of the modern era there on May 5, 1904, is located near where the pitcher’s mound used to be.
Did you know: the first #WorldSeries was played on the @Northeastern campus in 1903? Today, a Cy Young statue is located where the pitcher’s mound was back then.
Good luck to our neighbors, the @RedSox, in this year’s Fall Classic!#DoDamage | #HowlinHuskies pic.twitter.com/fi4nhyNz57
— Northeastern Huskies (@GoNUathletics) October 23, 2018
The quote: “It was on campus, so I passed (the Cy Young statue) all the time. I used to go eat in this faculty cafeteria sometimes between classes right at the building next to it. I’d see it all the time. When I left Northeastern, they actually gave me a replica version of it with my career baseball accomplishments on it. I thought that was pretty cool. I always thought it was cool that the first World Series was played right there.” — New York Mets reliever Adam Ottavino, who pitched at Northeastern from 2004 to ’06 and is the program’s all-time strikeouts leader.
5. The Sports Museum, TD Garden, 100 Legends Way, Boston
Why you should go: It led a somewhat vagabond existence after being founded in 1977, but this gem of a museum now has a happy home on Levels 5 and 6 inside TD Garden. Thousands of Boston sports artifacts are display, from the Fenway Park locker that belonged to Ted Williams to the shoes Adam Vinatieri was wearing when he kicked the 48-yard field goal as time expired to clinch the Patriots’ 20-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Sculptures of Larry Bird and Bobby Orr by Armand LaMontagne. (Barry Chin / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The quote: “It doesn’t take me long to realize that my favorite exhibits in the museum are the wooden sculptures by Armand LaMontagne of Ted Williams, Bobby Orr, Larry Bird, Carl Yastrzemski and Harry Agganis. To think that each statue was carved from one piece of basswood is stunning.” — Bill Galatis, board of trustees, The Sports Museum.
6. The “Love Story” house, 119 Oxford St., Cambridge
Why you should go: Located not far from Harvard Square, this three-unit apartment building was the residence of fictitious Harvard University hockey player Oliver Barrett IV (Ryan O’Neal) and his girlfriend/wife Jenny Cavilleri (Ali MacGraw) in the 1970 blockbuster film “Love Story.” It was in front of the building that MacGraw, sitting on the front steps, delivered the line, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry,” which landed at No. 13 in the American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest Movie Quotes Of All Time.
The “Love Story” house. (Steve Buckley / The Athletic)
The quote: “Every once in a while someone comes by the house, and if they see me, they’ll ask if this is the ‘Love Story’ house, and they’ll take a picture. Or you’ll see someone take just a little longer when they walk by. They slow down, and then stop and look. They don’t have to say anything. I know why they stopped.” — Patrick Hannon, who lives at 119 Oxford Street and whose family owns the building.
7. Former Becker College campus, Sever St., Worcester
Why you should go: Take a drive out to Worcester, some 47 miles west of Boston, and you can get a two-tiered baseball fix. One of them is attending a Worcester Red Sox game at beautiful Polar Park, which opened in 2021. The WooSox, formerly the Pawtucket Red Sox, are the Triple-A team of the Boston Red Sox.
But while you’re in Worcester, be sure to visit the monument commemorating the first perfect game in major-league history, thrown by lefty J. Lee Richmond of the Worcesters on June 12, 1880 against the Cleveland Blues at the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds. The site later became the campus of Becker College, which closed in 2021. For navigation purposes, the monument is located near 61 Sever Street.
Weds. June 12 is the anniversary of the 1st ever perfect game thrown by J.Lee Richmond in 1880 in Worcester, MA.
To celebrate, 1 lucky ‘Hearts fan will win $50k if the ‘Hearts throw a perfect game at 7pm v. the Blues; $25k if we throw a no-hitter; or $10k if we throw a shut out. pic.twitter.com/Q8S1sPYBPd
— Worcester Bravehearts💚⚾ (@WooBaseball) June 12, 2019
The quote: “For the longest time, even a passing acquaintance could tell you the first perfect game was thrown in Worcester. But it wasn’t until the 1980s when Brian Goslow, a very good local historian, was able to determine where the diamond was. And then a local maker of tombstones donated the monument that’s there now. One of the great things about Lee Richmond’s perfect game is that a Cleveland batter hit a ball to right field but was jogging to first base and got thrown out. It went into the scorebook as a groundout 9-3.” — Bill Ballou, retired sports columnist, Worcester Telegram.
8. Sandy Koufax statue, 121 Cabot St., Newton
Why you should go: Save for two shutout innings in the 1961 All-Star Game at Fenway Park, Sandy Koufax never pitched in Boston during his Hall of Fame career with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. But that didn’t stop Robert Gaynor, a sculptor and retired attorney, from crafting a 1,500-pound, eight-and-a-half-foot tall bronze statue in honor of a man considered by many to be the greatest left-hander in the game’s history.
For Gaynor, 81, it was all about respect — not just for Koufax’s athletic prowess, but for his faith. Koufax decided that observing Yom Kippur was more important than starting Game 1 of the 1965 World Series against the Minnesota Twins, a gesture that Gaynor, who also is Jewish, has never forgotten.
Bob Gaynor isn’t a Dodgers fan and has no connection to Los Angeles or Brooklyn. He was born and raised in Newton, Mass., and has season tickets to the Boston Red Sox. So why sculpt a bronze statue of Sandy Koufax? Yom Kippur has something to do with it. pic.twitter.com/JyXoKOTVMy
— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) October 25, 2018
Dan Neczypor, the son of a family friend and a former All-Ivy League baseball player at Columbia University, served as a photo model when Gaynor began working on the sculpture in 2014. The work was completed in 2016 — six years before the Dodgers unveiled their own Sandy Koufax statue at Dodger Stadium on June 18 of this year.
(Gaynor has said he’s happy to show the statue to people who come by “one or two at a time.” If you don’t see him out front doing his gardening, the statue is best viewed from between the hedges on Laudholm Road, just around the corner from the house.)
The quote: “He was my hero way back then. I remember him not just for the games he pitched, but for the game he didn’t pitch. He sat out for his own principles.” — Robert Gaynor.
9. Bill Russell statue, Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square, Boston
Why you should go: Located outside City Hall is a statue dedicated to the greatest champion in Boston sports history: Bill Russell. The Hall of Fame Celtics center played on 11 championship teams during his 13 seasons in the NBA, a record that will never be matched. While the statue of Bruins legend Bobby Orr flying through the air after scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal against St. Louis Blues on May 10, 1970 is not to be missed — it’s in front of TD Garden — the Russell statue stands out because of the years of wrangling and debate before it was finally commissioned. It was finally unveiled in 2013.
Bill Russell at his statue’s unveiling in 2013. (David L Ryan / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The quote: “When Bill Russell led the Celtics to their first championship in 1957, I was just under 11 years old and was one of those kids who went to sleep every night with the transistor radio under my pillow, listening to Johnny Most announce the games. That’s how I discovered basketball, and it changed my life. And to think that one day I would play with Bill Russell. What an unbelievably great experience. We established a very good friendship during that year. I was also at the statue unveiling, and my thought that day was that it was long overdue. It should have been done a long time ago.” — Brookline, Mass., native Rick Weitzman, 76, who played one season in the NBA and was a member of the Celtics’ 1967-68 championship team.
10. Harvard Stadium, 79 North Harvard St., Allston
Why you should go: Home of the Harvard University football team, the stadium opened in 1903 and has been in continuous use ever since. In what is inarguably the most memorable game in the stadium’s history, the annual season-ending Harvard-Yale game (otherwise known as “The Game”) was played on Nov. 23, 1968, with both teams taking an undefeated record out to the field and the Ivy League championship on the line.
Trailing 29-13 with 42 seconds remaining, the Crimson rallied for a 29-29 tie, with tight end Pete Varney catching quarterback Frank Champi’s pass on the two-point conversion try with no time remaining. “The Harvard Crimson” newspaper came up with the famous headline, “Harvard Beats Yale 29-29,” which was used as the title for the late Kevin Rafferty’s critically-acclaimed 2008 documentary on the game.
#HarvardYale Fun Fact: The face value for the Harvard-Yale football game of 1968 was $6.00. Oh and we #BeatYale 29-29 #GoCrimson pic.twitter.com/0KRg3SGHlL
— Harvard Alumni Association (@HarvardAlumni) October 22, 2018
Harvard Stadium was also the home of the Boston Patriots for one season, 1970, after the team had transitioned to the National Football League following the NFL/AFL merger.
The quote: “Harvard Stadium oozes history and seemingly acts as a time warp when you enter to prepare for battle. It’s my favorite stadium I’ve ever played in. Thinking about walking over the Charles River on a crisp fall day and entering the stadium still gives me chills.” — Retired NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who played at Harvard from 2001 through 2004.
The Athletic’s Tim Britton contributed to this story.
(Top photo of Bob Gaynor and his Sandy Koufax statue: Steve Buckley / The Athletic)
