Thursday was a beautiful afternoon for earl April. As I learned the night before, the RSN perk of going to the Monster Seats for batting practice a half hour before gates open is a very popular thing. Since there was no BP on this day, I went to the bleachers (also a smart move when there is BP) along with maybe three other people. It was a great feeling to just sit in a nearly empty Fenway Park in the sun.

There were more Red Sox pitchers on the field than combined people in the stands, minus the Monster Seats which were filled. Note the new Cumberland Farms sign and revamped RF roof boxes.

And to my right, along the medium-height center field wall.

Jon Lester, who threw in the 'pen a day after I saw him lose in the cold and wind.

Behind me, looking up the bleacher stairs. The bleachers were redone before last season--look how dirty the green paint on the steps has gotten in a year.

Looking toward the right end of the center field wall.

View from out there.

Section 40.

Papelbon showing somebody something about pitching....

Flock of birds by the Coke sign, which now has some lights out, further complicating the fact that some of them don't show up in photographs anyway.

The spot where the center field wall ends/starts.

Saito and Ramirez watch Brad Penny throwing in the bullpen.

Here's Millicent himself.

Ramon Ramirez running.

The new field box seats. They're red versions of the new (2008) bleacher seats by American Seating, with the slats on the back, only these have....

...padding! I have to say, sitting on these seats, you don't really feel the padding at all.

Back out in the bleachers. Note the Citgo sign barely visible and at an extreme angle.

A sea of bleacher seats.

The view from high in section 41. Any seat in the right field bleachers is great, no matter how high you go.

I never realized the Bud crown is curved.

Wheeler turns into some kind of handless, tractor-headed beast.

Dice-K started, and lost.

First Fenway hawk shot of 2009.

Dwight Evans threw out the first ball.

First broken bat shot of 2009.

Fenway Park, April 9th, 2009.

I still haven't seen a replay, but a Tampa player hit one off the wall, and these people seem to think it was a foul ball.

Pap in the 'pen.

I finally started to go closer late in the game. They're still futzing with the positioning of the standing room spots where I was for this shot of Pedroia.

For the ninth, I found a seat in the last row of the field boxes. Here are Nick Green and Pedroia.

Okajima on the hill, with the man who invented the "no socks look," George Hendrick, coaching first.

The field from the good seats.

Okay, you've heard about how the main walkway has been lowered, right? Well you can really tell, especially on the third base side as shown above, looking toward home plate. The front row of the loge can probably see over walkers' heads now.

My current favorite dude, Justin Masterson, with Carlos Pena on third.

Local hero Carlos Pena.

The Sox dugout getting ready to make a comeback.

Varitek homered to start the ninth, making it 4-3 Tampa. But Youk's fly ball was caught on the track with the tying run on....

I will go back and post Wednesday pictures soon.

(A few more pics from this game here.)