When Carl Yastrzemski was invited to Cleveland's Municipal Stadium for his first All-Star Game in 1963, he was invited for a game - not a weekend. There was no home run derby, no legends game, no futures game.
Today, even the All-Star Weekend festivities are not enough to satiate the baseball fan's appetite, as evidenced by the John Hancock All-Star FanFest - the five-day baseball carnival to be held at the Hynes Convention Center July 9-13.
''When I played, it was just the game itself. One day, boom, and you're out,'' Yastrzemski said. ''Now there's everything. Fans are always getting something else to enjoy.''
The ninth annual FanFest will include more than 40 games and attractions covering more than 250,000 square feet of convention-center-turned-baseball-field, complete with grass and food and drink vendors. Organizers see it as a way to accommodate fans who are not lucky enough to have a ticket to this year's game at Fenway Park, the major leagues' smallest stadium.
''It's a shame the game is played in the smallest ballpark,'' Yastrzemski said. ''But it's most certainly the most exciting ballpark. So this gives everyone a chance to get involved in the action.''
Mayor Thomas Menino, who attended yesterday's unveiling of the FanFest attractions, said the city will set up two giant television screens at City Hall Plaza for those who can't get tickets for the game.
But who needs to sit around and watch the All-Stars play on the Jumbotrons when you can play against them yourself? Some of the attractions at FanFest allow fans to do just that.
Spring Training is a game that features major league pitchers appearing life-size on video screens and appearing to fire their best fastball at any fan brave enough to face it. The Bullpen flips the action and puts the fans on the mound, pitching toward a marked strike zone on a video image of a major league hitter.
Yastrzemski, who is the FanFest's spokesman, said he is excited about the games, but don't count on seeing him take the challenge.
''I don't know about that,'' he said. ''I might hurt myself.''
Other attractions include seminars offered by big league players, managers, and other experts; a 90-foot stretch where fans can test their speed and ability to steal a base; exhibits showing how baseball bats and balls are made; a Negro League exhibit; memorabilia from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum; a mock studio where fans can record play-by-play calls; and appearances by former big league players, including Yastrzemski, Andre Dawson, Bob Gibson, Hank Aaron, Lou Brock, Steve Carlton, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, and Dwight Evans.
Red Sox manager Jimy Williams and right fielder Trot Nixon also attended yesterday's press conference. Williams, however, did have one contention, saying he thought there should be more than 40 exhibits - 57, in fact, to go with the name Hynes Convention Center.
''I think this will be a great event for the whole family,'' Williams said. ''Especially the kids, because they're the future of baseball.''
Tickets ($14 for adults, $8 for children and senior citizens) can be purchased at the Red Sox box office on Yawkey Way or charged via phone at 617-482-4SOX.
