Woman Spreads Father's Ashes at Fenway, Defying Red Sox Policy

A Connecticut woman sprinkled her father's ashes at Fenway Park -- a tribute to the lifelong Red Sox fan that didn't exactly come with the ballpark's blessing.

As WHDH reports, Megan Johnson lost her father, Dave, in December. The family asked permission from the Red Sox to spread his ashes at the park, but the team denied their request. Johnson brought a small container of ashes to the park anyway, telling WHDH it's what her father would have wanted.

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She emptied the ashes behind home plate during batting practice, WHDH reports, "ensuring her father would always have a place at Fenway."

You can read the full story on Megan Johnson and why the team meant to so much to her father here.

Meanwhile, it's not exactly that the Red Sox don't want ashes spread at the park -- it's just that there are too many people asking. Here's the statement provided by the team to WHDH:

“We are touched that people have such a powerful connection with Fenway Park and request this be their final resting place. There was a time when we did accommodate such requests; however, the sheer volume made it difficult for us to continue this practice."

It isn't a unique problem to Fenway. A New York Times piece written a quarter-century earlier describes the practice in Chicago, including White Sox fans at the former Comiskey Field. A 2008 piece details the tradition in New York.

>> Photo from behind home plate by Tom Thai, used via Flickr/Creative Commons