Voting, Vaccines And Victories? Park Switches Gears Again: HUB

The HUB is a rundown of the stories people in Boston are talking about. Patch publishes the HUB every weekday.

Good morning, Boston! Today is Thursday, April 1, which means you don't need to worry about UNO's getting rid of their deep-dish pizzas.

Today we're talking home-cookin', "Gov. Bacon" and, well, non-food-related stuff.

But first...

Roughly 4,500 people will file into Fenway Park and wipe off their rain-soaked seats as the Red Sox play in front of fans in Boston for the first time in a year and a half.

This isn't a daily sports roundup but few things are more comforting — more normal — than a baseball game in front of the Fenway Faithful. And they'll test that faith this year after the Sox overhauled their roster, cutting ties with some fan favorites in favor of reclamation projects and unknowns. (Check Jen McCaffrey's season preview at The Athletic for more baseball talk.)

Fenway has been through a lot since it last hosted spectators on Sept. 29, 2019. People have voted and been inoculated on Jersey Street, but now the city is allowing the stadium to fill 12 percent of its capacity.

Fans will need to wear masks and socially distance, but they'll also need to be more plugged in than usual. Tickets must be purchased by the MLB Ballpark app and while fans can print them out at home, the Sox strongly encourage people to download the app and keep entry as electronic as possible. Beer and hot dogs can be purchased with the tap of a credit card.

The word "contactless" will be thrown around a lot. Hopefully not by the Sox hitters.

First pitch against the Orioles is 2:10 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NESN and WEEI-FM (93.7.)

While you're at it, here's a fun GBH story about the organist who's looking forward to finally playing in front of people a crowd at Fenway.

Check it out

There's nothing like home-cookin', right? You'll be happy to hear the City Council yesterday voted to allow residents to sell homemade food right from the kitchen. The law covers foods that don't easily spoil like pastries, pasta and more, writes Walter Wuthmann at WBUR.

I would have shared this yesterday but didn't realize a story had been written on it. Enter: The Boston Herald, where Joe Dwinell chronicled Sen. Ed Markey's (almost definite) slip of the tongue when he thanked "Gov. Bacon" for helping the Hynes vaccination site get major federal support. All I can picture is our governor across Fred Ward in "Tremors."

Not exactly a shock, but a scoop nonetheless. Stephanie Murray at Politico was the first to report acting Mayor Kim Janey selected a campaign manager, which, I mean, yea she's probably running for mayor. While we're on Janey, there's an interesting piece by Anthony Brooks at WBUR about what her "acting" title means for her present and future.

What I'm reading today: It's hard not to keep an eye on what's happening in Minneapolis. There's a powerful look at The New York Times at the grief and guilt of some of the people who played a peripheral yet vital part in George Floyd's final moments. The teenage store clerk who reported to his manager Floyd used a fake $20 said he almost didn't accept the counterfeit bill. "If I would have just not taken the bill, this could have been avoided."

Weather

The National Weather Service says: Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then a chance of rain. Patchy fog before 11am. High near 56. Northwest wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Have a swell Wednesday.

You can email me at mike.carraggi@patch.com and follow me @PatchCarraggi.