BC hosts ALS/Frates Day at Fenway

More than 5,000 people showed up to watch BC take on Florida State at Fenway as part of the annual ALS Awareness Game. It was the event's largest crowd. Unfortunately the team didn't send the fans and Frates home with a win, falling to Florida State 13-7. With the loss, BC falls to 5-15 in ACC play.

But the bright spot of the day is what this does to help Frates and continue to keep his fight against ALS in the public eye. It has been four years since the Ice Bucket Challenge and Pete's and his family's work and fight continue to amaze.

Fenway is not the answer

I waited on responding to the Globe's hacky piece on BC turning down a return trip to Fenway in 2016 because there was a lot to address even in a short, poorly argued article. I've been a huge proponent for more football at Fenway, but that doesn't make it the perfect destination for BC under any old circumstance. BC should and will return to Fenway, but it needs to be under the right circumstances.

2016 was always a no go
Even with its proximity, Fenway remains a gimmick/marketing game for the BC fanbase. It is not part of the traditional on campus experience and requires a change in behavior from our fans and on the team operations. We already have a huge gimmick game in 2016. In case anyone at Fenway or the Globe forgot, BC is putting a ton of energy and marketing into the trip to Ireland. Even with the disappointing ticket sales, it is taking tons of coordination and tapping into our most loyal fans and customers. If BC had included Fenway in 2016, it would have hurt Ireland all that much more. I assume the negative comments and information about the Ireland trip were planted by Fenway people who can't believe BC passed on the opportunity. And although we are not hosting the UMass game at Gillette, having another game so close to campus also hurts demand for anything special BC might have attempted. 

Losing the home field advantage
Playing a road game at Fenway was brilliant. BC kept travel costs to a minimum yet could leverage the recruiting and marketing aspect of the game. Who cares that we dressed in the visitor's locker room? The number of people who paid attention to Boston College being away in Boston's most famous landmark was minimal. If you are reading this blog you pay attention. If you are a casual BC fan or casual college football fan, you probably didn't realize and forgot about it five minutes after the game ended. If UConn or UMass want to move their future home games against us to Fenway, I would be all for it. It would be easier for our fans and a less hostile environment. However, us elevating those opponents by choosing to play them in Fenway is a bad idea. Think of it this way: would more UConn fans buy tickets and pour into Fenway than Alumni? Where is our team more likely to feel at home?

Keeping as many games as possible at Alumni
Financially I am sure Fenway would have been as successful or even more than a standard home game. But there are ancillary benefits to a game on campus that BC can't always measure with dollars. Games bring fans and alumni back to campus. It creates a feeling. A connection. It is a great showcase of what BC is. It also serves as a great tool for future students. Plus the more we move home games away from BC, the more fuel we give to the neighbors who hate BC. There are already too many restrictions on our home games. If we create a regular alternative, how long before the locals cap home games at five and demand more played at Fenway? Plus keeping games on campus adds value to our donor programs and our season ticket packages. Scheduling, bad football, and tone deaf marketing has hurt our ticket sales and made buying a package questionable at best. If we take more and more home games out of the package, we are telling our loyal customers that the games they are buying for Alumni have even less value. It will erode what value those seats currently have.

Aside from winning, we should use our marketing efforts to create a better Alumni Stadium experience so that people want to come to our regular home field.

Fenway's baseball problem
The Red Sox may exploit Fenway any chance they get, but it will always be a baseball stadium first. In 99% of the seasons, the only time to play in Fenway will be November. For TV reasons and overall scheduling reasons, the ACC would prefer that all our November games be conference games. Why should we move desirable important ACC games away from Fenway?

What Fenway should do
The Red Sox would have an event at Fenway every day of the year if they could. Them planting an anti-BC story in the Globe is just sour grapes and another way to put pressure on BC to play more games at Fenway. But if they want a regular game there, then it is time to start the Fenway Bowl. That sort of event would be perfect for BC. We could play there often. It would be lucrative for both parties and allow BC to leverage the Boston aspect of our school and football. Even in the years when BC wasn't in the game, there would probably be enough interest from other ACC fanbases to keep the bowl viable.

What next?
BC needs to put all of its energy into improving the Alumni experience. There is no reason to go to Fenway in 2017 either. In my opinion the earliest games to consider bringing back to Fenway is Holy Cross in 2018. But to do that, BC would have to move the game from September to November. There is historical justification for playing the Crusaders in Fenway and it could be a way to turn a less desirable into a hot ticket.

Guest Blogger: Inside the Irish's Keith Arnold

Because we haven't played them in a few years, the Irish don't seem as familiar to BC fans these days. Throw in the injuries and roster changes and there are very few Notre Dame players who have faced BC. To get a feel for this talented team and perspective on Notre Dame's run for the playoff, I asked Keith Arnold of Inside the Irish a few questions. His answers are below.

1. Kizer hasn't really played like a back-up quarterback. What are his weak spots and do you think he is good enough to lead the Irish to a Championship.

Keith Arnold: If Notre Dame fans aren't surprised by the impressive performance of DeShone Kizer they're lying. He was outplayed in the spring game by walk-on quarterback Montgomery VanGorder, the defensive coordinator's son, and looked absolutely terrible—rock bottom as a quarterback, he admitted a few weeks ago.

But Kizer's most impressive trait has been his ability to be unflappable. Pair that with an elite physical skill-set—he's 6-foot-4 and nearly 240 pounds—and he's used his great football IQ, NFL-caliber arm and sneaky-good zone-read option skills to move the passing game and serve as the goal line and short yardage running option.

Is he good enough to lead Notre Dame to a championship? Good question. I think he's good enough to win out the regular season—and then my bigger question is about the Irish defense, not the play of the first-year quarterback, oddly enough.

2. I know that many Notre Dame fans dislike Kelly and think he cannot win the big one. Where do you stand on him?

Keith Arnold: A Notre Dame fan that can't appreciate what Brian Kelly's doing—and really, has already done—is never going to be happy. (A shock, right?) I tend to think (and I wrote it last week) that this is going to be the beginning of a really impressive run for the Irish, who have a loaded roster, some really talented young depth, and stability at quarterback that should lead them for three more seasons (at least).

Has Kelly been perfect? No. Did he rub people the wrong way early in his tenure? Some. But before he was immortalized and turned into the daffy and fun Dr. Lou, Notre Dame managed to run Lou Holtz out of South Bend, too. That didn't turn out too well. Athletic director Jack Swarbrick understands what he has in Kelly. The institutional arrogance that sometimes comes along with Notre Dame doesn't exist under the Golden Dome anymore—it's mostly relegated to certain subsets of alums and fans.

Can Kelly win the big one? Again—can't be sure until it happens. I don't think the Alabama game after the 2012 season was an indication of that. The Irish didn't have the horses then.

I thought Kelly's ability to out-maneuver LSU last year with a decimated defense was a great schematic victory. He also did some great things this season in wins over USC and the option teams, Navy (finally earning some respect) and Georgia Tech.

3. With Stanford looming, is there any chance Notre Dame overlooks this game?

Keith Arnold: I don't know if it's possible to overlook this game. The venue, the green jerseys, Boston College—an opponent that's pretty high on the Irish rivalry list, especially for fans. Add to that the leverage of the situation with a playoff berth on the cusp, and I'm more worried about the Irish being tight than looking ahead.

What really interests me about this game is figuring out how the Irish play offense against a really stingy and attacking defense. Notre Dame's offense line is hit-and-miss. They can key huge gains in the run game and then completely whiff and lose individual battles. And I'm curious if the Eagles can manufacture any big offensive plays against a defense that's really allowed everybody but Texas to make a handful of big-chunk plays. So far, they haven't been able to do that at all. Maybe Notre Dame will help open things up.

There are three-win teams. And then there's B.C. I tend to think this is the most dangerous version of this game—there's literally no reason for the Eagles NOT to pull out all the stops to try and steal a victory here.

4. What is your prediction for the game?

Keith Arnold: I don't name scores (would hate to let people confirm my stupidity), but essentially I just don't think Boston College can score enough points on offense to win this football game.

I'm not sure how well the Irish will move the ball, but I do think there'll be a big play or two in the passing game. But ultimately, it comes down to me seeing the Irish pulling away in the second half, more because the Eagles defense gets absolutely no support from the offense, not because of any great performance by the Irish.

I take all of this back if Notre Dame turns the football over early and more than once. Then it's chaos scenario and I actually think the Eagles will be a totally frightening team if they can get this game to the fourth quarter.

But I just don't see that happening in a stadium that should be mostly Notre Dame fans.

Throwbacks for Fenway!

As expected, BC will wear a special uniform for the game at Fenway. But instead of some nouveau "Cool" look, BC is going old school with a throwback look to the '80s. The color will be a little more mustard than our current gold. The helmet stripe is gone and the pants have the white-maroon-white trim.

But these are not truly identical to the Flutie days. We didn't have the "vintage" BC logo on the shoulder and the arm stripes are on the undershirt, not the true jersey. Plus in the '80s, the jerseys were very short, and guys like Flutie often had their abs showing.

Even if it is not a true throwback, I like what Under Armour did here. These should be popular and hopefully boost sales a bit.

By the way. The Irish will wear green. We know how that goes against us.

Farrell commits to Ohio State and other links

BC target Luke Farrell committed to Ohio State. While not much of a surprise, it would have been nice to pry the Ohio native away from the Buckeyes.

Right now there aren't many BC-Notre Dame Fenway tickets on the secondary market.

Jared Dudley explained how he ended up in Washington. Once again, it shows that he's got a good handle on his career and where he fits into the NBA landscape.

BC announces ND-Fenway ticket policy; fan grumbling follows

I don't get it. By "it" I mean everything. From the moment it was announced, BC's away game at Fenway with Notre Dame generated plenty of excitement. But the "road" aspect of the game and Fenway's limited capacity also triggered warnings that tickets were going to be an issue. Those warnings should have been reset expectations for BC and BC's fans. Friday BC released their plan and shortly thereafter, the hardcore BC fans took to social media and message boards to gripe about the plan.

Here is a quick summary of BC's allocation process:

1. Staff and players first (as it should be)

2. BC takes care of big donors (as it should be)

3. Lottery among season ticket holders and smaller donors

Tickets are going to be expensive. The face value plus the expected giving make it inevitable. How is this a surprise to anyone?

I wish BC had handled this a bit better. They could have negotiated more seats from Notre Dame in the process. Maybe had lower gift minimums. Or perhaps they should have just lowered fan expectations about access from the very beginning. 

As for the fans complaining, what did you expect? That BC shouldn't use this to drive interest and giving? That lifetime loyalty should be rewarded over players and staff? There are only 5,000 tickets. Even if BC gave a priority strictly to season ticket holders based on seniority there wouldn't be enough tickets to go around. 

Fenway is not ideal for football or the average-sized American in 2015, so you'll be cramped and have a bad view. If you think it is not worth it or you think BC is being unfair, then don't go. It will be on TV. There are plenty of other, better and cheaper road games to attend. This is just a special one-time event. I am excited about it, but I would get excited about BC playing most anywhere. This should be a fun event. If you have the money and want to attend, go and enjoy it. If you're upset at how BC handled it, I suggest writing a composed, thoughtful and polite email to Brad Bates. 

This game is supposed to be special. If the price and availability squeezes you out, I am sorry. I hope that doesn't keep you from enjoying the game or the season.

BC-Notre Dame at Fenway is official!

#NotreDame will play #BostonCollege at Fenway Park on Nov. 21, 2015. Love this.
— Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) December 20, 2013

It is happening! The new news is this would now supposedly be a Notre Dame home game. That is good in that it means BC won't give up a game at Alumni. The downside is that tickets will be split or Notre Dame fans will have a priority. As an Irish game it will also be on NBC instead of the ESPN/ABC family.

There will be plenty of issues ahead and complaints, but this should be a fun event. Mark your calendar and get on the ticket waiting list now!

Playing Notre Dame at Fenway is a good thing

The Globe reported that Fenway Sports Group is in talks with BC about moving our 2015 Notre Dame game from Alumni to Fenway Park. There are some sensible objections and BC fan complaints, but I think BC should make this happen.

As soon as Notre Dame agreed to partial ACC membership, our relationship with them changed. While still the only other Catholic university playing FBS football, we were no longer going to be an annual opponent for the Irish. Going forward we are just part of their ACC rotation and will play them six out of every ten years. That's nice, but it is not longer special. We can still view them as a rival, but we will play them less often and they will just view us as another ACC team. Our chance (other than winning) to keep this series unique and passionate is to do special things. A game in Ireland has been tossed around for more than five years. But the logistics of that game are always a little daunting, especially given the ho-hum payout. Moving just one of our Notre Dame games from Alumni to Fenway spices things up. It would certainly generate local interest and media attention. Considering how hard we fight for attention now, playing at Fenway once seems like a no brainer. While Fenway has fewer seats, BC could still assure season ticket holders of tickets to the Fenway game and let the general public scramble for the remaining tickets.

We've had masses at Fenway and played plenty of hockey games there. Most BC fans in the area have probably been to the old park for multiple Sox games. I understand if the novelty has worn off. But a football game would be different. It would mark a return to our history and would bring out a big Irish and casual crowd who just want to say they were there. If the teams are decent, Gameday might cover it too. If the crowd is more divided than it might be for a traditional Notre Dame game at Alumni, so be it. The trade-off is worth it.

We've discussed all sorts of neutral site games with Notre Dame. We've also looked at bringing a game to Fenway. This solves both of those desires. If the only reasons not to do it are due to the politics of giving into the Irish or giving up a game, I say don't worry about it. We need to try new things and there is always risk in that. I think this would be a huge success home run.

Not so fast on the UConn-ND Fenway game and other links

As often happens when these rumors arise, they are quickly shot down. On Tuesday Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick called reports of a pending Fenway game inaccurate. But just because the Irish might not be interested or might not be able to schedule the game in 2014, doesn't mean that a similar game won't happen. BC needs to be involved in those discussions and find the right game and opponent to showcase the team and the Park.

Amidon's breakout season moved him onto the Biletnikoff watch list.

Nick Clancy's ultra-productive Saturday earned ACC honors.

Tabor's Tevin Montgomery is still interested in BC.

The Herald posted a feature on future Eagle Mackay Lowrie.

Notre Dame-UConn at Fenway!?! Red Sox have some explaining to do

Rumors are floating that Notre Dame might play UConn at Fenway in 2014. If this is true, our new conference brethren and our marketing arm owe BC a big explanation.

I've long been an advocate or playing a game at Fenway. As concerts and hockey games have shown, the gimmick of watching an event in Boston's most famous stadium creates an added demand and sense of excitement. A bowl game would be perfect, but a one-off regular season game would be as effective. BC, given our location, our history of playing at Fenway and our partnership with the Red Sox, should be the first college team to return to the historic park.

The other problem is allowing UConn and Notre Dame into our backyard. If the Irish play a game in Boston on years when they don't play BC, it lessons the demand of their future games at Alumni with BC. And UConn is doing anything it can to be relevant throughout New England. Gillette is not an option because of UMass, so it is not surprising they would try Fenway. We can't let them. Would Rutgers let them play in the Meadowlands?

I am sure BC doesn't want to play at Fenway because we would miss out on a home game. But I imagine the net revenue would be as good if not better at Fenway. Plus we could play there on a Thursday night without any local obstacles. But if BC really wants to protect our territory, we should finally push for a Fenway Bowl. That would satisfy the Red Sox, give us a close bowl game and keep our rivals out.

Win free tickets for BC hockey game at Fenway

The marketing folks behind the Frozen Fenway event are offering one of the blog's readers a pair of tickets to BC's game Saturday. They recommended some sort of contest, so let's keep it simple. If you are interested in the tickets email me your favorite BC hockey memory. I will post the best responses and pick a winner late Wednesday.

As a reminder, Fenway Park is hosting a number of hockey games for Sun Life Frozen Fenway 2012. The 16-day event began Jan. 1 and will continue through Monday, Jan. 16.

Here is the full remaining schedule:

Wednesday: All private skating

Thursday: NU has their practice from 9-10 am followed by practice for Harvard/Babson and Union/Norwich.

Friday: We have the Norwich/Babson game from 3:30-6 followed by Union/Harvard from 7-9:30

Saturday: Boston Rivalries game. At 4 p.m., the Boston College Eagles will face off against cross-town foe Northeastern Huskies. That game will be preceded by a match-up of long-time high school rivals Boston College High School and Catholic Memorial at 1 p.m.

Sunday: Back-up weather day for Saturday’s game.

Globe: BC-BU at Fenway will happen

The long rumored, never confirmed match up between BC and BU outdoors at Fenway will happen. The Globe is reporting that the official announcement will come Wednesday.

Fenway for football?

Fenway was supposed to host the ACC Baseball Tournament. There has been talk of playing a BC-BU ice hockey game there and I've floated the idea of a bowl game in Fenway, but no one has seriously considered a regular season game there in decades. That didn't stop Ivan Maisel from listing it as a location for a BC-Auburn game (thanks to Kevin for the link). The novelty and the SEC opponent would allow for inflated ticket prices that would easily exceed any lost revenue from moving the game from Alumni. I don't think this type of game will happen nor would I want it to be a regular occurrence, but one game against a marquee team in Fenway would be huge.