Honey Fitz Threw the First Pitch

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BOSTON — If Senator Ted Kennedy were alive today, he would have been at Fenway Park for the centennial celebration to throw out the first pitch. It would have linked Kennedy and his grandfather, who threw the ceremonial first pitch 100 years ago.

In 1912,  before the first game ever played at Fenway Park, that honor went to Boston Mayor John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, father of Rose Kennedy, and a member of the Red Sox fan club called "The Royal Rooters."
This is footage we shot in Senator Kennedy's Washington D.C. office in 2007 for a segment on FETCH with Ruff Ruffman. In this segment, the young FETCHER Sam was challenged by Ruff to learn about the job of a politician. Senator Kennedy was a natural teacher and in this footage, which didn't make it into the final segment, he tells Sam that his family and the Red Sox go way back--all the way to 1912!



All season, WGBH Radio is commemorating Fenway Park's 100th birthday in our segment, "Fenway Friday."

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FENWAY AT 100