Red Stadium Seat

[Belrix]

There’s a commercial on right now, I don’t remember the product sold (so I guess it’s not a good commercial). The general theme is about choosing heroes or similar.

In it, a child puts up a baseball card with Hank Aaron on it. Another hangs a baseball poster and looks up admiringly.

On kid hangs a picture of a red stadium seat (among a bunch of dark gray ones). Idolizing ball players, I understand. What’s the admiration of a red chair about?

[Fat_Chance]

@Belrix

There’s a commercial on right now, I don’t remember the product sold (so I guess it’s not a good commercial). The general theme is about choosing heroes or similar.

In it, a child puts up a baseball card with Hank Aaron on it. Another hangs a baseball poster and looks up admiringly.

On kid hangs a picture of a red stadium seat (among a bunch of dark gray ones). Idolizing ball players, I understand. What’s the admiration of a red chair about?

I believe that is THe Lone Red Seat at Fenway where the longest HR ever hit at Fenway landed. Hit by Ted Williams, 502 Feet (I think).

[Fear_Itself]

@Fat Chance

I believe that is THe Lone Red Seat at Fenway where the longest HR ever hit at Fenway landed. Hit by Ted Williams, 502 Feet (I think).

The Lone Red Seat

The lone red seat in the right field bleachers (Section 42, Row 37, Seat 21), signifies the spot where the longest measurable home run ever hit inside Fenway Park’s 1934 configuration landed. Ted Williams hit the home run on June 9, 1946 off Fred Hutchinson of the Detroit Tigers. Williams’ bomb was officially measured at 502 feet (153 m)—well beyond “Williamsburg”. According to Hit Tracker Online, the ball, if unobstructed, would have flown 520 to 535 feet[2].

The ball landed on one Joseph A. Boucher, who was supposedly taking a nap at the time, penetrating his large straw hat and hitting him in the head. A confounded Boucher was later quoted as saying,

“ How far away must one sit to be safe in this park? I didn’t even get the ball. They say it bounced a dozen rows higher, but after it hit my head, I was no longer interested. I couldn’t see the ball. Nobody could. The sun was right in our eyes. All we could do was duck. I’m glad I didn’t stand up. ”

No other player at Fenway Park has ever hit that seat since, although on June 23, 2001 Manny Ramirez hit two home runs; one measuring 463 feet and another one that was said to have traveled 501 feet. The 501 foot blast landed somewhere in the MassPike/Railroad cut beyond left field and the official estimate deferred to Williams’ record, placing Ramirez’s home run exactly one foot short.

[Belrix]

Ah. I knew the Dopers would know. Thanks!

[running_coach]

Kinda related.

[Ike_Witt]

@runner pat

Kinda related.

Interesting. I never saw the homerun maker there, but I did see the homeplate marker.

[Elendil_s_Heir]

I wondered the same thing about that red chair in the ad (for Aquos TVs, I believe). God bless the Dope! Asked and answered.

[jimmmy]

There are (were) a white seats in the upper deck of center field in RFK where Frank Howard hit Home runs.