Shirts so good

Want to buy a T-shirt at Fenway? Here’s what you need to know

When the Sox win their next game at Fenway, “Dirty Water” will blare over the loudspeakers. When fans leave the park, there will be plenty of places for them to buy their favorite “Dirty Watah” T-shirt.

But, with all the vendors and all the choices, how is a fan supposed to choose?  It could be the one with Manny’s face on Bob Marley’s head or the “Pedroia the Destroyah” shirt.

The first step in buying a T-shirt is deciding exactly what you want — if it’s the traditional Red Sox shirt and you are willing to pay any price, the Souvenir Store on Yawkey Way could be the right stop.

However, if you’re looking for the other tradition — the veritable “Yankees Suck” T-shirt — you’re going to have to turn to one of the street vendors. Specifically, those who sell from carts or just out of their backpack and congregate on the bridge over the Mass Pike and spill over into the Kenmore Square.

The other key to buying a shirt on game day is waiting until after the game. Vendors are not allowed on the streets surrounding the park without an occupancy permit, and those not only cost money, but are hard to come by.

“Those folks have been grandfathered in with their vendors license,” said Kevin Krueger, the founder of Supahfans, one of many different companies that sells T-shirts. “They pay a fee and they can set up and sell their shirts on Lansdowne.”

The city also has peddling regulations that prohibit vendors from selling before 8 p.m.  That’s why the Kenmore Square area is crawling with vendors after the game.

With so many vendors selling similar shirts, there can be some battles between them. Some may give you deals for buying more than one shirt. Shop around and find exactly what you want and then talk about the price. It is also imperative to think about how much you are willing to pay. While some shirts may sell for as little as $10, it is possible you may get what you pay for.

“I always suggest not to buy the first one you see,” Krueger said.  “A lot of them are cheaper and there are a lot of negative shirts. They don’t realize that the vendors go down Kenmore Square, and there are lots of options down there.”