Revisiting Logan Airport's holiday woes

1 big thing: ✈️ Revisiting holiday airline woes

Ambassadors get the Boston treatment

2. Ambassadors get the Boston treatment

3. 🔙 Back that Mass. Up: News from around the commonwealth  

Illustration of "Back That Mass Up" in 3D text lying in ice next to a frozen cod.

4. 🎸 Battle of the Boston bands — The final round

Is a new job in your future?

5. Tom Brady becomes a part owner 

6. 🐦 Where’s Townie?

Townie the seagull plush is in front of a column in a secret place. Readers are asked to guess where.

Today's weather: Cloudy with a high near 55°.

Today's newsletter is 908 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🎓 Deehan spent some time last week at his alma mater UMass Amherst pointing at buildings and saying "that wasn't there before!"

🤨 Steph thinks the “We ❤️ NYC“ campaign is getting desperate.

This newsletter was edited by Fadel Allassan and copy edited by James Farrell.

Boston

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Axios Boston

Fenway Park has been upgraded for the 2023 Red Sox season

1 big thing: 🏟 New season, new Fenway upgrades

Boston Red Sox have the priciest games to attend in the league

2. 💰 Leading the league … in prices 

3. Back that Mass. Up: 🏆 Our James Beard finalists

Illustration of a lobster claw holding a phone while reading Axios Boston. 

Tasty new menu items at Fenway Park

4. 🍿 New menu items

A new career is waiting for you

5. Red Sox theme nights 

⚾️ It's Thursday, and Opening Day at Fenway Park.

We have a special baseball edition for you today!

Today's weather: Looks like spring. Doesn't feel like it. Sunny, high around 40.

Today's newsletter is 943 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Deehan wants more food served in helmets. Hell, all food.

Steph would love to see the Red Sox host a “Pets Day” event at Fenway.

Discount grocer brings bargains to Mattapan

1 big thing: Discount grocer brings bargains to Mattapan

Is a new job in your future? 

2. Back that Mass. Up: 💸 Tax relief proposals

Illustration of a seagull wearing sunglasses looking over its shoulder.

3. 🚊 Tracking the T

Illustration of an MBTA sign changing into an emergency symbol.

Masego, Avery Tate and other Boston-area concerts this weekend

4. 🎶 Hear, here! Boston-area concerts this weekend   

Today's weather: High 40s. Rainy this evening.

Today's newsletter is 829 words — a 3-minute read.

🥑 Deehan has plans for those avocados.

😋 Steph is enjoying one last meal at Atwoods.

The MBTA's Eng era begins

1 big thing: The T's Eng era begins 

2.  📲 Harvard, BCH connect TikTok and parents

Illustrated collage of TikTok’s logo and a hand holding a phone.

3. 🎸 Aerosmith is Boston's favorite band

4. 🔙 Back that Mass. Up: Observing One Boston Day

Illustration of a paper-cut seagull screaming with the Axios logo in the speech bubble. 

Take your career to the next level

Boston's first bar catering to queer women in decades set to open in June

5. 🌈 Dani's Queer Bar latest

Today's weather: April showers arrive early. Rainy, with highs in the low-50s.

It’s a great day to contribute to our local journalism when you become a member.

Today's newsletter is 914 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Deehan is thinking about a 10-year retrospective of Fallout 4's impact on Boston for 2025.

Steph is going to miss all the New England content if Congress proceeds with a TikTok ban.

How Massachusetts is tackling gambling addiction after rolling out sports betting

1 big thing: 💸 Reining in compulsive gambling

Someone holds up their phone to show the DraftKings loading screen. Boston-based DraftKing is one of several licensees in Massachusetts.

2. 📲 Americans hooked on Chinese apps

3. 🔙 Back that Mass. Up: News from around the commonwealth

New store brings vinyl records to Beacon Hill

4. 🎧 New store brings vinyl records to Beacon Hill

Customers search the crates at Music Research Library. 

On the job hunt? 

5. Where’s Townie? Post Office Square

Three people sit at a bench and one person is seen in the distance walking down the veranda in Post Office Square.

6. Quote du jour: 🏆 "We win" 24 hours a day

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu holds up a Black umbrella with the Red Sox logo while on the field at Fenway Park.

Today's weather: Looks like spring. Sunny in the low-50s.

Situational Awareness: Political pioneer and activist Mel King, the first Black person to compete in a general election for Mayor of Boston, died yesterday morning at the age of 94. (GBH News)

Today's newsletter is 935 words — a 3.5-minute read.

💧 Deehan would like someone to explain the difference between mineral water and regular seltzer to him.

📏 Steph learned this week that they are definitely not as tall as Dustin Pedroia.

Fenway Park’s theme nights let fans celebrate common ground with one another while they cheer on (or curse out) the Red Sox.

Here are some of this season’s home game events.

🧩 Autism Acceptance Day: Saturday, April 1. Red Sox face the Baltimore Orioles.

Women’s celebrations April 3. Red Sox play the Pittsburgh Pirates.

AAPI celebration: Wednesday, May 3. Red Sox play the Toronto Blue Jays.

🕍 Jewish Heritage celebration: Tuesday, May 30. Red Sox play the Cincinnati Reds.

🇬🇷 Greek celebration: Thursday, June 1. Red Sox play the Cincinnati Reds.

🇵🇱 Polish celebration: Monday, June 12. Red Sox play the Colorado Rockies.

🏳️‍🌈Pride celebration: Tuesday, June 13. Red Sox play the Colorado Rockies.

Girls of Summer: Wednesday, June 14. Red Sox play the Colorado Rockies.

Juneteenth celebration: Sunday, June 18. Red Sox play the New York Yankees.

🇵🇷 Puerto Rican celebration: Tuesday, July 25. Red Sox play the Atlanta Braves.

Disability Pride: Wednesday, July 26. Red Sox play the Atlanta Braves.

🇮🇳 India celebration: Tuesday, Aug. 8. Red Sox play the Kansas City Royals.

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic celebration Thursday, August 10. Red Sox play the Kansas City Royals.

🇮🇹 Italian celebration Tuesday, Aug. 29. Red Sox play the Houston Astros.

Hispanic celebration: Thursday, Sept. 14. Red Sox play the New York Yankees.

🇮🇪 Irish celebration, Sunday, Sept. 24. Red Sox play the Chicago White Sox.

🎬 Cocomelon celebration: Sunday, April 16. Red Sox play the Los Angeles Angels.

🪐 Star Wars celebration: Thursday, May 4. Red Sox play the Toronto Blue Jays. (Also, EMS Appreciation Day.)

📺 Sesame Street Day: Sunday, Sept. 10. Red Sox plays the Baltimore Orioles.

Fangirl Fantasy: Haylor Night: Friday, April 27. Red Sox play the Cleveland Guardians.

🌮 Taco & Tequila Fest: Saturday, April 29. Red Sox play the Cleveland Guardians.

⛳️ Gold Night: Friday, May 12. Red Sox play the St. Louis Cardinals.

Indiana Jones event: Wednesday, June 28. Red Sox play the Seattle Marlins.

❌ XSet: Wednesday, July 5. Red Sox play the Texas Rangers.

Fan Expo: Friday, Aug. 4. Red Sox play the Toronto Blue Jays.

🎶 Country Fest: Monday, Aug. 7. Red Sox play the Kansas City Royals.

🎶 Jerry Day: Wednesday, Aug. 9. Red Sox play the Kansas City Royals.

🧙 Harry Potter Day: Saturday, Sept. 9. Red Sox play the Baltimore Orioles.

🍺 Fenway Beer Fest: Saturday, Sept. 23. Red Sox play the Chicago White Sox.

💼 Sports and entertainment career fair: Tuesday April 4. Red Sox play the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Tuesday, April 4. Red Sox play the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Friday, April 14. Red Sox play the Los Angeles Angels.

Friday, May 12. Red Sox play the St. Louis Cardinals.

Wednesday, May 31. Red Sox play the Cincinnati Reds

🎓 Boston College event: Friday, April 28. Red Sox play the Cleveland Guardians.

🚔 Law Enforcement Appreciation: Tuesday, May 2. Red Sox play the Toronto Blue Jays.

🚑 EMS Appreciation Day: Thursday, May 4. Red Sox play the Toronto Blue Jays. (Also, Star Wars Day.)

🎓 Suffolk University event: Tuesday, May 16. Red Sox play the Seattle Mariners.

🩺 Nurse night: Wednesday, May 17. Red Sox play the Seattle Mariners.

🎓 UMass Amherst event: Friday, June 2. Red Sox plays the Tampa Bay Rays.

🎓 Harvard University event: Tuesday, Sept. 26. Red Sox play the Tampa Bay Rays.

🎓 Babson College event: Wednesday, Sept. 27. Red Sox play the Tampa Bay Rays.

Saturday April 15. Red Sox play the Los Angele Angels.

Thursday, June 29. Red Sox play the Miami Marlins.

Thursday, July 6. Red Sox play the Texas Rangers.

Wednesday Aug. 30. Red Sox play the Houston Astros.

Wednesday, Sept. 13 Red Sox play the New York Yankees.

Sunday, April 2. Red Sox play the Baltimore Orioles.

Wednesday, April 19. Red Sox play the Minnesota Twins.

Tuesday May 2. Red Sox play the Toronto Blue Jays.

Monday, Aug. 28. Red Sox play the Houston Astros.

Friday, Sept. 22. Red Sox play the Chicago White Sox.

These are Fenway Park's theme nights

Theme nights let fans celebrate common ground with one another.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale walks to the pitchers mound upon arriving to Fenway Park on March 28, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. Photo: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

Fenway Park’s theme nights let fans celebrate common ground with one another while they cheer on (or curse out) the Red Sox.<ul><li>Here are some of this season’s home game events.</li></ul>

Sports

When fans pour into Fenway Park Thursday, they’ll find a revamped kids concourse, new field lighting, additional pitch clocks, larger 18-inch bases and other fixes to improve the game day experience.

Driving the news: The Boston Red Sox are kicking off their season against the Baltimore Orioles. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:10pm and the game will be broadcast on NESN.

The Red Sox locker rooms got the ultimate facelift with 16 television displays and new maple lockers.

The lockers have more storage space, power and USB charging stations and a safe.

Why it matters: Tourists from all over the world come to Boston to see the historic 111-year-old baseball stadium, even when the home team’s not doing so hot.

Each home game generates about $6.5 million in both direct and indirect tourism spending, according to a Red Sox report.

What they’re saying: “The city just feels great when the Sox are home and when they’re playing and when they’re playing well,” says John Borders IV, the city’s director of tourism, sports and entertainment.

State of play: The Red Sox are hoping for a better season than in 2022, when the team finished last in its division.But optimism is low following shortstop Xander Bogaerts’ departure to the San Diego Padres and a slew of injuries.

All eyes are on first baseman Triston Casas, the Red Sox's No. 2 prospect who was considered perhaps Boston's best hitter in spring training.

Another player to watch is 29-year-old outfielder Masataka Yoshida, who comes from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He drew praise for taking a fastball from veteran Atlanta Braves pitcher Charlie Morton deep earlier this week in the final spring training game, hitting his first home run for Boston. (Here’s the likely roster.)

A pitching cage and a separate cage where people can play a VR baseball game are in the kids concourse at Fenway Park.

The new pitching cage is alongside the “Home Run Challenge” VR cage at Fenway. Photo: Steph Solis/Axios

Perhaps the silver lining is that the team’s lackluster performance has driven down the crowds in the past decade, making seats more available and cheaper.

K-12 and college students can get tickets for just $9. 

Yes, but: Red Sox chairman Tom Werner says don’t count out the team just yet.

“Any time we don’t make it to [the playoffs]… it’s a disappointment. We know that, but we have definitely turned the page,” he said. “It’s been a great vibe with spring training all of March, and [we’re] looking forward to getting going here on Thursday.”

Red Sox are the priciest team to watch in person

In light of Major League Baseball rule changes, the Red Sox added 18-inch bases in the infield, decreasing the distance between bases by 4.5 inches from first base to second and second base to third. Photo: Steph Solis/Axios

The tunnel from the clubhouse to the dugout has new LED light fixtures and other upgrades. Photo: Steph Solis/Axios

Fenway Park's kid concourse is presented by L.L. Bean.  Photo:Steph Solis/Axios 

The new Red Sox lockers. Photo: Steph Solis

When fans pour into Fenway Park Thursday, they’ll find a revamped kids concourse, new field lighting, additional pitch clocks, larger 18-inch bases and other fixes to improve the game day experience.Driving the news: The Boston Red Sox are kicking off their season against the Baltimore Orioles. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:10pm and the game will be broadcast on NESN.

Reminders of the state’s new sports betting market are on ads everywhere: the radio, podcasts, TV, TikTok, Twitter and even on the T.

The big picture: The ad blitz might seem annoying to those who don’t care for sports betting. For those who are addicted, though, it can be a constant trigger.

Why it matters: Mobile sports betting gives sports fanatics the chance to place wagers on their favorite teams at their fingertips, raising concerns about the potential for compulsive gambling.

But the technology includes tools that let bettors limit how much they want to spend and temporarily block themselves from placing bets.

Driving the news: Gaming regulators embraced the flexibility earlier this month, approving a more nimble temporary prohibition policy for bettors seeking a “cool off” period.

Those options exist along with the state’s voluntary self-exclusion lists for sports betting and traditional casino gambling, which let people block themselves from placing bets for one year, three years, five years or a lifetime.

The state’s GameSense program offers trained advisors on the casino floor and on the phone who answer questions and help people sign up for the self-exclusion list.

Yes, but: While the self-exclusion lists apply across all Massachusetts casinos, the “cool off” feature isn’t easily enforceable on the casino floor where people can place wagers at a kiosk or the sports betting counter without a casino account.

The state’s PlayMyWay program, which holds participants to a self-imposed budget, has similar limits. It’s only enforceable on slots.

What they’re saying: “Having these tools available give you a different type of guardrail,” Mark Vander Linden, research and responsible gambling director at the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, says of the tools to limit spending and gameplay on digital sports betting apps.

Meanwhile, the attorney general’s office recommended regulators restrict sports betting ads on social media platforms believed to be primarily used by minors, naming TikTok and Instagram.

Regulators are still reviewing the suggestion and dozens of other comments about sports betting ad and marketing rules.

For now, sports betting operators can publish ads, as long as they contain a warning about gambling addiction and list the state’s hotline for addiction treatment, 1-800-327-5050.

By the numbers: About 45 people have signed up for the sports betting voluntary-self-exclusion list.

The list for casino gaming has 1,350 people enrolled.

Of note: Those lists don’t include people who have partially limited their gameplay. PlayMyWay, for example, had 31,000 people enrolled in fiscal 2022.

The rollout of the betting market has raised concerns about the potential for compulsive gambling.

Boston-based DraftKings is one of several mobile sportsbooks advertising to locals, and it also offers a "cool off" feature. Photo Illustration: Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Reminders of the state’s new sports betting market are on ads everywhere: the radio, podcasts, TV, TikTok, Twitter and even on the T.The big picture: The ad blitz might seem annoying to those who don’t care for sports betting. For those who are addicted, though, it can be a constant <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="trigger" data-vars-click-url="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/18/1104952410/sports-betting-ads-sports-gambling" data-vars-content-id="71bd3492-5c7b-444e-b1a4-38b1b99f9b20" data-vars-headline="How Massachusetts is tackling gambling addiction after rolling out sports betting" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/18/1104952410/sports-betting-ads-sports-gambling" target="_blank">trigger</a>.

News

Data: Team Marketing Report Fan Cost Index; Chart: Axios Visuals

The team’s performance in recent years may have lowered prices, but we still pay the most compared to the rest of the country.

Driving the news: A trip for four to Fenway Park, plus parking, will set you back some $385, according to the  Team Marketing Report Fan Cost Index. That’s the highest estimate in the major leagues.

The estimate is based on the price of four tickets, parking for one car, two hats, two beers, four hot dogs and four sodas as of May 2022.

Why it matters: This is your reminder to never drive to a Red Sox game. If the cost isn’t a deal-breaker, the traffic should be.

By the numbers: The Red Sox game estimate blows the national average of $256 out of the water.

The Chicago Cubs had the second-highest estimate at $365. At the other end of the spectrum was the Arizona Diamondbacks at $152.

Never drive to a Red Sox game. If the cost isn’t a deal-breaker, the traffic should be.

The team’s performance in recent years may have lowered prices, but we still pay the most compared to the rest of the country.Driving the news: A trip for four to Fenway Park, plus parking, will set you back some $385, according to the Team Marketing Report Fan Cost Index. That’s the highest estimate in the major leagues.

Things to Do

The Red Sox have added avocado fries, gluten-free pizza and other new items to Fenway Park’s menu.

Driving the news: Check out some other new menu items.

The chopped cheese — Savenor’s beef, American cheese, lettuce and Thousand Island dressing on a sub roll

🍹 The non-alcoholic Pain(less) Killer — Coco Lopez coconut cream, pineapple, orange juice and nutmeg

Our thought bubble: The crispy avocado fries were tasty enough to enjoy and tell yourself that you’re being healthy.

Meanwhile, the surrounding restaurants are ringing in Opening Day with their own events.

Bleacher Bar: Here, you can sip a beer at the edge of the stadium without buying a ticket.

Doors will open at 9am. There will be a DJ from 11am - 2:30pm.

Game On!: Doors open at 9am. Patrons can order food and play corn hole ahead of the game.

Here's where to sip a beer at the edge of the stadium without buying a ticket.

The Red Sox have added avocado fries, gluten-free pizza and other new items to Fenway Park’s menu.Driving the news: Check out some other new menu items.

Steph Solis

Stories

Fenway Park has been upgraded for the 2023 Red Sox season

Boston Red Sox have the priciest games to attend in the league

These are Fenway Park's theme nights

Tasty new menu items at Fenway Park

How Massachusetts is tackling gambling addiction after rolling out sports betting

Newsletter editions

🥦 Cheap groceries

🏟 Fenway's facelift

💸 Tackling problem gambling

🚇 Healey's MBTA fixer

👎 Logan's bad month