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Fenway Park foul pole sparks national outrage during Fenway Bowl between North Carolina, UConn

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko•about 21 hours•

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Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Fenway Park’s “Pesky Pole” sparked some outrage during the Fenway Bowl between North Carolina and UConn Saturday.

Why? Well, it was an obstructed view during the telecast and we can’t imagine what it’s like in person. It’s the latest talking point about college football bowl games being played in baseball stadiums and why it should be done away with.

Well, we don’t see that happening anytime soon, but the Fenway Bowl certainly didn’t help matters.

The Pesky Pole is down in right field, known for its unique placement and weirdness during Red Sox games. You can get a cheap home run over the short porch in right field, just inside fair territory.

Fenway Bowl causes outrage with obstructed view

But, it doesn’t make for a good viewing experience in the Fenway Bowl, that’s for sure. In fact, the Fenway Bowl may have lost some luster without Bill Belichick!

The new UNC coach did not travel with the team. Instead, interim coach Freddie Kitchens, who’s expected to be on Belichick’s staff, led the team on the sideline.

So no Fenway Bowl for Belcichik, who coached the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles. No homecoming. A bummer!

Belichick is working through his plan to build the UNC program after taking over for Mack Brown, and athletics director Bubba Cunningham said he hasn’t been at bowl practice. His reason is simple. The Super Bowl-winning head coach doesn’t want to be a distraction, Cunningham said.

“He’s totally dialed into building the roster,” Cunningham told Thamel. “He didn’t want to go to practice or be a distraction to the kids or the coaches for the bowl game.”

The UNC position marks Belichick’s first foray into the college football world after a decorated career in the NFL. He has 302 wins, sitting just 16 shy of Don Shula’s all-time record, but will instead take his scheme to the college game. He’s doing so at a familiar place, too. His father, Steve, served as an assistant at North Carolina in the 1950s.

After taking the UNC job, Belichick moved quickly to make a big hire. He brought in former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi to take the same role in Chapel Hill, and he’ll play a key role in roster building. The duo has been hard at work since arriving, recruiting at both the high school level and in the transfer portal.