First pitch: 11:35 a.m. CT

TV: Bally Sports North

Radio: TIBN

Know Your Enemy: About the Monster

At the beginning of August I was at Wrigley Field – the second oldest baseball stadium in the MLB (opened in 1914). And the one with the longest lifespan? The venue for today’s clash between the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins: Fenway Park.

On April 20, 2012, the Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees in the opening of Fenway Park – the ultimate irony considering the more than 100 years of misery against that very same opponent that followed. But was that christening met with a flood of media coverage? Unfortunately, no – not after the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank five days earlier. The opening of Fenway Park was overshadowed by an event the next day that you may not have heard about.

Photo credit: STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images

On April 21, 1912, President Frank Farrell of the Yankees and President John T. Brush of the New York Giants opened the Polo Grounds for an exhibition match to raise money for the survivors of the Titanic disaster.

The exhibition attracted about 14,000 spectators—quite impressive for a short-notice ball game at that time—and raised about $9,400 (about $250,000 adjusted for inflation) from paying visitors, volunteers collecting donations in the aisles, and food items.

Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images

The game itself was somewhat disappointing – a clear 11-2 win for the Giants – with perhaps the most spectacular moment being a brawl between two men in the stands (perhaps they were arguing over the pieces of pie that were so popular at the Polo Grounds).

I could go into more detail, but SABR has already done that – check it out for more details. I just thought it was interesting that I had never heard of it until I searched the internet for “Baseball Titanic.”

I’m heading to US Bank Stadium today to watch some Minnesota Vikings football, but also enjoy a little Twinkie Town Before Noon (TM)!