Far too often...

A Stand Must Be Made!




Too many times in the history of the Monster, players like JD Drew, who have great talent, are robbed of home runs due to slacking umpiring crews, as well as the dreaded shelf. So i designed a few ideas that might possibly end this horrible hassle which has pestered us for so many years.



This is the mouse trap design. Self explanatory, ball hits, they all go off, we clearly know the ball hits the shelf.

Pros: Its obvious that ball hits shelf. Left fielder is showered with snapping traps. Stadium laughs at left fielder.
Cons: Front row in great danger. Might be a hassle to clean up. Mice might frequent the shelf.



This is the Nail design. All nails are put in upside down with razor sharp tops. Ball comes hurtling down and plain sticks to the nails. Ball goes no where and we know its a homerun.

Pros: Perfect solution, no confusion.
Cons: Many hands could be lost trying to retrieve the stuck ball. Rain could possible rust nails making Fenway look less presentable.



This is the Moat design. With a 3 foot hollow tank put into the top of the monster, it would be filled with water. When ever a ball hits, a big splash would ensue, and we know its a home run. For more protection of fans, an alligator is put in and also trained to fetch balls for reuse in batting practice. Note: Fully trained alligator not required.

Pros: Clear indication of home run, flashy setup, ballpark first (alligator)
Cons: Possible danger with alligator 39 feet high, possible water spills on fans or Manny. Feeding gator could prove dangerous as well.



This is the chalk design. A 2 inch thick layer of chalk is put on top of the shelf so every time a ball hits it, POOF! we see a visible indicator that a ball has made contact with the home run zone.


Pros: Easy to see, easy to find (excess batters box chalk), easy to care for.
Cons: Allergic reactions, extremly messy, anything but rainproof.




This is the hard-surfaced clay prototype. HSCP for short. In this method you layer the shelf with a somewhat gooey hard textured type solid. The top is to be very similar to a hard ceiling. It could also be made out of a type of plastic so that rain wouldn't affect it. The idea is that when the ball hits the shelf it is scuffed as well as left with a yellowing mark. This, despite the tough competition, is personally my favorite idea.

Pros: Leaves a solid mark, and color to show that the ball struck the home run area. Easy to set up, maintain, and pretty foolproof.
Cons: Not many, maybe that after time it would wear down, but could be easiy replaced.

Overall I think Fenway staff should strongly consider either the water/alligator tank type of fix or this one.

Please leave some feedback on what you think of my designs, of maybe other possible ideas.

If any Fenway higher up feels they want to contact me to conference about any designs in this post, or possible buy one my email is CCondardo@gmail.com. Thanks for your time.

Oh yea, Lester is awesome.