retty good. If the Red Sox can build the new Fenway they showed us yesterday, it could be their best move since they bought a beefy, 19-year-old southpaw from the International League Baltimore Orioles in 1914.
It was with no minor skepticism that I went to Fenway for the long-awaited unveiling of the Sox' new ballpark model. I am a person of old cars, old clothes, old houses, and old friends. Like a lot of New England hardball fans, Fenway Park reminds me of simpler, better times. For me, sitting in an empty Fenway is like kneeling in the brick Cambridge church where my father was baptized in 1914.
Surprise. The Red Sox have thought things through this time. They have addressed most of the concerns of the fandom. If they can do what they say they are going to do, they'll be going new - without going modern.
Sure, there are obvious hurdles. It seems a tad presumptuous for any private business to announce its intention to build a new facility on property that currently belongs to other folks. There's bound to be a steam plant or contaminated soil somewhere on the proposed site. Guardian-at-the-gate Thomas Finneran is sure to bust their chops when state-subsidized infrastructure costs are negotiated. Neighborhood groups and the ''Save Fenway'' zealots no doubt will be singing songs and carrying signs when the ballclub attempts to pave paradise and put up a parking lot.
But once you get past the obvious concession that old Fenway isn't forever, you'll see that this plan looks pretty good. In fact, it's almost too good to be true. Maybe that's the catch.
The Red Sox promise there will be no corporate name attached to the new park. In 1999, this is an incredible giveback to the fans. Virtually every other new stadium and arena has sold its name to the highest bidder. I was prepared for Gillette Field or Nike Park. The Sox have spared us.
Fenway's unique field dimensions are being duplicated in the new park. This is surprising. For decades we've been lectured about the unfair game created by Fenway's quirks. It's too friendly to righthanded hitters and too tough on lefty hurlers. Scarce foul territory hurts pitchers and the wall is unfair to line drive hitters. The Sox build teams that can't win on the road. The 1949 Red Sox went 61-16 at home but only 35-42 on the road and lost the pennant by one game.
Ted Williams last August said, ''When they tear it down, I think it will be a good thing. I've seen too many great performances get cut in the heart by a bloop hit someplace. Sometimes, the configuration of the ballpark just makes it unfair.''
It sounds like Ted will be unhappy that the dimensions are being duplicated, but general manager Dan Duquette said, ''Our fans indicated they liked the dimensions of Fenway Park.''
Imagine. Listening to the wishes of the fans.
The Sox also said they plan to build without requesting fans to buy personal seat licenses. Again, this is rare in professional sports in 1999. You can be sure Bob Kraft will go the PSL route, just like every other owner who has demand for his product.
Happily, the proposal even calls for some preservation of the 1912 facility we've come to love. Parts of the Wall and hand-operated scoreboard will stand forever, as will the original Fenway main entrance with its tapestried red brick facade featuring decorative diamonds, mosaics, and keystone arches. You'll be able to stand in front of the old Fenway and gaze at the new one across the street.
Lastly, be mindful that the Sox are doing us all a favor by attemping to build near the present site. The new home plate will be 206 yards from where Nomar Garciaparra stands in the batter's box today. This means the new park will be near the Citgo sign, Kenmore Square, the hospitals, and the colleges. It will not be in Foxborough, or Auburn Hills, or Landover, Md. It will be downtown where it belongs.
More good news. The Sox said they may put a ladder on the new left field wall. They said there will be a red seat to commemorate where Teddy Ballgame's 502-foot homer would have landed in the new park. They said they'll give Elizabeth Dooley (every game since 1944) seats to match her box 36A location. They said that Helen Robinson, switchboard operator since 1941, will take calls in the new park.
Meanwhile, there should be no urgency about the final days of old Fenway. The Sox plan to play there at least through the 2002 season, which means a minimum of three years to take the kids inside for one last look. Since this is Boston, home of the Big Dig, it's possible we can keep going to Fenway for another 10 seasons.
The Red Sox effectively have trained three generations of fans to be cynical. In this spirit, we submit that maybe they'll bollix the whole deal, like Kraft in Southie. But yesterday they had all the right answers.
Leaving Fenway isn't going to be easy for a lot of us, but if the Sox can do what they say they'll do, it'll be their best move since they brought Babe Ruth to the old ballpark when the old ballpark was the new ballpark in 1914.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist.
