Save Fenway Park!

The day was much like the forecast for this one, with fair skies and variable winds, and flags and banners waved in the breeze as the team that would become the Boston Red Sox took the field at the spanking new Huntington Avenue Grounds for its home opener on May 8, 1901.

There were even ticket scalpers, speculators who bought up blocks of seats at the new sporting emporium where Northeastern University now stands and sold them at hugely inflated prices.

No matter. The Boston franchise in the nascent American League was charging half the price of the Boston "Nationals" (soon the Braves) and the "Americans" had former National League stars Jimmy Collins and Cy Young.

More than 11,000 fans turned out at the Huntington field - which was designed to hold 9,000. Where could the overflow crowd be seated? It could not; all those extra fans simply stood outside the lines of the playing field, behind ropes beyond the outfield, or in foul territory.

The new Boston "Americans" were beloved from the get-go.

"So in that respect, the Red Sox were winners before they even threw out the first pitch," said local sports historian, author and New England Sports Museum archivist Dick Johnson.

They were also winners in their debut before fans in the Hub, beating the Philadelphia Athletics, 12-4.

The new club had opened on the road, playing games in Baltimore and Philly before trudging back to Boston with a 5-5 mark.

But as far as its growing legion of fans was concerned, the balanced record meant the team would be wiping the slate clean when it hosted Philly a century ago today.

A band played. There were flowers, garlands and bouquets festooned throughout the grandstand, which was full of politicians, business leaders, celebrities and other notables. "Old timer" players from earlier eras were saluted by thousands of fans waving small flags.

Player/coach (and Braves refugee) Jimmy Collins was presented with a personal floral wreath, as was the custom of the day.

Baseball historian Johnson said such manifestations and ceremonial pomp remain part of Opening Day traditions.

"It's very much the one day of the year (in sports) that has endured that way," he said. "It's almost a secular day of worship."

The arrival of the American League team in Boston "was a moment of incredible anticipation, with a great sense of what was to come," Johnson said. "Jimmy Collins, remember, had changed stripes. It would be as if a new team came in to challenge the Red Sox this year and they had signed Nomar (Garciaparra).

"Plus, they had Young," he noted.

Indeed they did. Much like Pedro Martinez with today's Sox, the legendary pitcher was a dependable stopgap, his each appearance almost a guaranteed win. And his ability on the mound guaranteed him ink.

"A Home Victory At The New Grounds," read the Boston Herald's headline of May 9. One subhead read simply, "Cy Young Pitches," as in: What else needs to be said?

The first Athletics batter bounced to Collins at third base, who quickly threw him out. Young was in good form but gave up 11 hits (although most came after his teammates had built a comfortable lead).

The home team scored four runs in the first and never looked back. Buck Freeman turned the Huntington Avenue Grounds into an immediate good luck charm with an inside-the-park homer.

"You have to remember, a lot of the fans had seen Young and Collins and some of the other players in the National League," Johnson said. "And they liked what they saw."

Much like today.