Everyone's used to the two Red Sox unis we see every week- the home whites, with "RED SOX" across the chest in red letters, and the road greys, with "BOSTON" across the chest in red letters. But on very rare occasions, the Sox have broken out a third home alternate uni, a red jersey with "RED SOX" across the chest in navy letters. Those red jerseys are rarer than the fabled Notre Dame green jerseys- and I've been curious why we never see them dress out in red.

Larry Lucchino, President & CEO of the Sox, says it's the decision of the starting pitcher (not the front office or the manager) whether or not the team will don the alternate red jerseys for a game. Lucchino says that if the starting pitcher feels like wearing the red, he just informs the manager and the team dresses out in the red. Lucchino indicated there may be some superstition about wearing the red jerseys coming from the Sox players, which could explain why we hardly ever see them on the field.

So when have the jerseys been worn this year? As far as I can tell, just twice: once on May 20th, when Kason Gabbard was the SP (and he got the W), and then again on August 19th, when Julian Tavarez was the SP (and he got the loss). So, it's a .500 record for the year when the Sox are in red.

Verdict on the reds? I like them- I think they look sharp. But I do like that they're used on rare occasions- makes 'em more special. And the fact that it's the SP's decision is cool... but with Beckett, Dice-K, Wake and Schilling, I doubt we'll ever see one of those four pick to wear them.