Janet Marie Smith was standing on the concourse of Fenway Park prior to World Series Game 2 when a friend approached. After a minute of conversation, the man asked Smith where to find the elevator, only to realize the mundanity of his question when posed to an architect lauded as having changed the trajectory of baseball.
“It’s like asking Picasso where he painted,” he said with a laugh.
“Go right up there and take a left,” Smith pointed and said with a soft Southern lilt, deflecting a compliment so many others have heaped upon her.
Smith has worked on projects as a vice president of planning and development for four clubs: the Orioles, the Braves, and both World Series participants this year, the Red Sox and Dodgers.