The boys have been busy racking up post-season individual honors- here's a quick snapshot look at all the hardware the guys have taken home so far this season:
World Series MVP - Mike Lowell, 3B ALCS MVP - Josh Beckett, SP Gold Glove - Kevin Youkilis, 1B Silver Slugger - David Ortiz, DH Delivery Man - Jonathan Papelbon, RP
The Sporting News Awards
Rookie of the Year: Dustin Pedroia
All-Star: David Ortiz, DH
Player of the Month
April: Hideki Okajima, Rookie of the Month
May: Dustin Pedroia, Rookie of the Month
September: David Ortiz, Player of the Month
September: Jacoby Ellsbury, Rookie of the Month
Player of the Week
May 14-May 20: Daisuke Matsuzaka
May 28-Jun 3: Dustin Pedroia
Jul 23-Jul 29: Manny Ramirez
Aug 20-Aug 26: David Ortiz and Mike Lowell
Aug 27-Sep 2: Clay Buchholz
And here is the release schedule for the remaining postseason awards:
Nov 12: Rookie of the Year, AL & NL
Nov 13: Cy Young, AL
Nov 14: Manager of the Year, AL & NL
Nov 15: Cy Young, NL
Nov 19: Most Valuable Player, AL
Nov 20: Most Valuable Player, NL
December: This Year In Baseball Awards
Don't forget: you can still vote for all the TYIB Awards through December 5th, and there are Sox up for honors in every category but one, including:
Starter- Josh Beckett
Performance- Clay Buchholz's No-Hitter
Manager- Terry Francona
Closer- Jonathan Papelbon
Rookie- Daisuke Matsuzaka, Dustin Pedroia
Setup- Hideki Okajima
Play- Dustin Pedroia preserves the no-hitter
Defense- Mike Lowell
Hitter- David Ortiz
Blooper- Red Sox camera struck by ball
Postseason Moment- ??
Bye Bye Bleachers
The renovations at Fenway Park are officially underway. There are two big remodeling projects for the offseason: (1) constructing a new restaurant (called "The Bleacher Bar") behind the garage door in center field that will be look out across the Park, (2) brand new bleacher seats across the entire outfield, that will look identical to the seats that were previously at the Park. There will also be many "second-deck" repairs- replacing the roof over the grandstand seats where it is rotting away, completing the State Street Pavillion, and replacing the temporary boxes constructed for the 1999 All-Star Game with a permanent structure.
As you can see from these photos from misconmike, all of the bleacher seats in the outfield have already been removed. The seats that were taken out were offered to season ticket holders and sold at the price of $550 a pair.
But someone was smart enough to keep a red seat out there marking Ted's historic homerun- albeit not the red seat we're normally used to seeing.
Here's a shot of the area underneath the bleachers, sections 34, 35 and 36 -- this is where the Sox batting and throwing cages used to be before they were relocated back behind the dugout along the hallway leading to the clubhouse. Now, this area is where the new restaurant will be located.
The Fenway folks haven't yet decided if the restaurant will stay open during the games- or if the restaurant's lighting will affect fielders and batters too severely:
"This is squarely in the batter's eye," said staff architect Janet Marie Smith. "We'll have to see if the players are comfortable with the glare. No doubt, though, folks in the restaurant will be able to watch batting practice, and then in January, come in and see the snow fall."
I found this little tidbit, tucked away in the Globe's article, quite fascinating (and by contrast, the article also mentions that AT&T Park in San Francisco is on 21 acres):
The Fenway property, according to Smith, totals 7 1/2 acres, or about half the size of Wrigley Field, home to the Chicago Cubs.
I also ran across this article in Business Week, which talks about the efforts to make Fenway Park as "green" as possible.
Sox On The Town
The baseball season may have ended, but that doesn't mean the Sox aren't busy. Members of the team held benefits, made appearances, attended basketball games and signed autographs at different places around the country this week. Here's a rundown of the goings-on... and some notes about what's next on their busy social calendars.
First up: some catch up video from last week's trophy tour. Here's a quick little clip of the trophy at the Bruins game (with John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino) and at the Celtics game (with Tim Wakefield, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz and Manny Delcarmen).
video courtesy of NESN
On Saturday, Jacoby Ellsbury made an appearance for autograph signings at the Natick Collection (don't call it the Natick Mall) in Natick, MA. The asking price? $90 for autographs on a photo, and $125 on balls, bats and other items.
Manny Delcarmen was at King's Back Bay on Tuesday practicing his bowling form in preparation for his upcoming charity benefit "Bowlin' Strikes for Schools" on November 17th. This is the third time Manny has held the event, to benefit Boston public schools through the Boston Educational Development Fund. Tickets are on sale, for bowlers or spectators ($50 (General Admission-does not include bowling); $100 (Individual); $450 (Team of six))- and the 2007 World Series Trophy will be on display at the event.
Manny also was spotted on Tuesday at Cigar Masters, the store in the Back Bay where he bought cigars back in September to celebrate the birth of his son. He reportedly signed some autographs and took pictures with fans.
Busy bee Kevin Youkilis has been all over the place. Back on November 1st, Kevin was inducted in the James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame at his alma mater, the University of Cincinnati. Next, Kevin attended the Joslin Diabetes Center's annual High Hopes Gala last Saturday night, and brought along a donation of $50,000 from his Hits For Kids foundation- and a jersey that he signed during the live auction went for $5,700. He popped up again at the Celtics game on Wednesday night (arriving at the end of the first quarter), and then was announced and received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Then on Saturday night, Kevin's own foundation hosted the Crackin' It Up benefit at the Mohegan Sun, and raised over $350,000. The highlight of the evening's festivities was a comedy sketch in the style of the Newlywed game, with Kevin and his fiance Enza, Tito Francona and his wife Jacque, Jacoby Ellsbury and his girlfriend Kelsey and Manny Delcarmen and his wife Anna.
Asked what the skipper does - or doesn't do - around the house that irritates her, Tito's long-suffering spouse, Jacque, joked: "I'm not sure where to start." A kickoff for Kevin Youkilis's charity Hits for Kids, the laugh fest at Mohegan Sun was ably emceed by sitcom star Mike O'Malley and featured a "Newlywed Game"-style show scripted by "Saturday Night Live" regular Seth Meyers. Without exception, the Sox' significant others said their players are error-prone away from the field. "When he takes his clothes off, it's always right in the middle of the room," said Manny Delcarmen's wife, Anna. Of Jacoby Ellsbury, galpal Kelsey Hawkins said the future star falls short when it comes to unpacking his bags. "He leaves his suitcase on the floor and just lives out of it," she said. Youkilis's fiancee, Enza Sambataro, gave the Gold Glove first baseman props for being a perfect dad to her young son Mikey, but wondered why Youk can't pick up after himself. "He leaves water bottles everywhere," she said.
There was also a silent auction, including a dinner for the winner and ten friends with jacoby that went for $9,000, and a poker table signed by every member of the '07 Sox, including Manny Ramirez's mother and aunt, that went for $6,600. Here's a video clip from the event:
video courtesy of NESN
Josh Beckett was honored by the San Antonio Spurs before the Miami Heat game on Wednesday night in San Antonio, and given his own special Spurs jersey. Josh is from Houston, but very recently bought a home in San Antonio so he could be closer to his ranch out in Cotulla. "I have a ranch in South Texas and I got tired of the five hour commute from my ranch," said Beckett, explaining why he moved. "[San Antonio is] a great city. You have the big city life with the small town atmosphere." Josh has season tickets to the Spurs, but spent Wednesday night's game down at the scorer's table courtside. One tip, Josh: don't pull a Lebron James and show up at any Celtics-Spurs games wearing that new San Antonio jersey.
And I was hoping to locate some video of the pregame festivities, but no such luck- these random snippets of Josh sitting courtside with his girlfriend Whitney will have to do... but be careful: blink, and you'll miss him. I am a little in love with that shirt he's wearing... western-style shirt with pearl snaps? Very nice, Mr. Beckett.
video courtesy of ESPN
Speaking of the Celtics, Tito Francona was courtside for the Celtics-Hawks game in Boston on Friday night.... and even got in on the action by holding the ball for a Lucky the Leprechaun stunt dunk. "I told [Tito] he needs to go to a beach somewhere and just get away," said his good friend, coach Doc Rivers.
'
Here's some video footage of the dunking fun:
video courtesy of NESN and Comcast
And now for some upcoming events:
Kevin Youkilis will be signing autographs tonight in Manchester, NH at BC Sports in the Mall of New Hampshire from 6:30-8:00pm. Then, Kevin will be at the Cask 'n' Flagon tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday) at 5pm-- because he will be shaving off his goatee (!) for charity. Now that's gonna be something to see- how odd it will be to see his bare chin again... won't it get cold in the winter temperatures?
Curt Schillingwill be in New York tonight, Monday the 12th, to attend the "Salute to Our Troops" at Radio City Music Hall- and other attendees will be: Minka Kelly, Connie Britton, and Adrienne Palicki from "Friday Night Lights", Joely Fisher, several members of the "Rescue Me" cast, and Miss Universe Riyo Mori.
Jacoby Ellsbury will get a hometown hero's welcome back in Madras, Oregon- the town is throwing a parade in his honor this Saturday the 17th. Jacoby, his family, youngsters from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Madras and Warm Springs and little league teams will participate in the procession, and then Madras city officials and representatives of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs will honor him in a ceremony afterwards.
Coco Crisp Wuz Robbed
Baseball Musings ran the defensive numbers on the Probabilistic Model of Range* for all centerfielders over the 2007 season, breaking them out by individual and by team. And surprise, surprise- look what he found:
#1: Coco Crisp
#2: Ichiro Suzuki
#3: Felix Pie
#4: Curtis Granderson
...
#20: Torii Hunter
#31: Grady Sizemore
One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?
* Basically, for each fieldable (non inside the park home runs) ball put in play, six parameters are used to determine how difficult it was to field the ball. A probability of turning the ball into an out is calculated, and those probabilities are summed. That gives us expected batted balls turned into outs. We turn that into a predicted DER (defensive efficiency record), compare that to the actual DER and calculate a ranking- the Probabilistic Model of Range.
The Witching Hour
Midnight has come and gone, without any mention of some crazy, off-the-wall, unexpected miraculous deal. Even though I have always thought there was no way a contract was going to get signed without Mike testing the free agent waters first, I still couldn't help but get hopeful about 10:00 pm that maybe I was wrong, and maybe I'd be shocked by a last-minute breakthrough. Even when Nick Cafardo posted earlier that negotiations had hit a wall, I still continued to hold onto a teensy sliver of hope. Sometimes, I am entirely too sentimental for my own good.
Now comes the part where we get the madlibs/fill-in-the-blank reporting on the situation. Every article about Mike Lowell must mention at least 5 (if not all 7) of the following:
- Mike being "thrown in" the Beckett trade
- his age
- the Yankees
- Johnny Damon comparisons
- having a "career year"
- World Series MVP
- Alex Rodriguez
No doubt that in the 15 minutes that's elapsed so far while Mike's been on the open market, he's probably already fielded 4-5 phone calls with offers. The sharks are already circling. Why do I imagine that Jeffrey Loria will put a call in, and offer Mike a used Playstation 2, the spare change in his pocket and a packet of Big League Chew (and then cackle madly at how genius he is)?
Every Dirt Dog Has His Day
And Monday was the day of Dustin-y: Dustin Pedroia steamrolled over the competition (OK, there really was no competition) to pick up the 2007 Rookie of the Year Award. The voting wasn't even close: Dustin had 132 points, the second-place finisher Delmon Young had just 56 points. (and fellow Sox teammates Daisuke Matsuzaka (12 points) and Hideki Okajima (3) came in fourth and sixth place, respectively)
Dustin held two press conferences to discuss the win- one over the phone from his home in Chandler, AZ with the Baseball Writers of America who voted him the winner, and one later in the afternoon from the campus of Arizona State where he played college ball. And just like a Josh Beckett press conference has at least 3 cusswords, every Dustin Pedroia press conference has at least 3 references to people or things that suck or stink. I love this guy (even if I most decidedly do NOT love the fashion choices he made- the fugly cap he stole off Fidel Castro, and the fuglier shirt that is clearly a Big Papi reject that he shrunk in the dryer).
- his height
- the fact that his listed height is not accurate
- preconceived notions about his height
- how big his attitude is in comparison to his height
- David Eckstein
- "scrappy"
- "gritty"
- some variation on the "little guy, big heart" theme
Are they giving all the reporters this list and telling them that if they work in mentions of all of those things, they get a prize or something?
His college coach is sitting just off-camera during the press conference, and mentions at one point a text message Dustin sent him back in April when Dustin was slumping- and how Dustin never lost confidence in his abilities. Here's the exact text of that message Dustin sent his coach, at 4:17 p.m. on April 19:
Book it
i am going to hit 300 even after the horrible start i'm having right now
you taught me how to deal with this
1 for my last 26 no biggie
an explosion is going to happen soon
Seriously- did I mention how much I love this guy? He is made of awesome.
Other highlights from the ASU press conference--
On gaining acceptance in Boston:
"It took some time. That first month was obviously tough. It helped out at the end- I got some big hits, and the fans kinda took note that you don't have to be the biggest guy to help your team win the World Series."
On the media constantly harping about his height:
"They do a lot. But I think it's to the point now where I don't think there's anything much more to say. Yeah, I'm... 5'7" or 5'8" or whatever the heck they list me at. And we won the World Series and I was a part of that, so there's nothin' else you can say."
On being underestimated:
"I've been the underdog my whole life. If I'm walking down the street, and (somebody tells you) I'm a baseball player, you'd probably start laughing. I got to try and prove everybody wrong every day. I still have to. I won Rookie of the Year, but guess what? Next year they're going to doubt me again because I had a bad April. I gotta hit higher than .182 next April."
But the funniest part was at the end, when the questions turn to Pac-10 rivals of his alma mater, Oregon State, USC and in-state hated rival Arizona.
On Jacoby Ellsbury- with a deadpan delivery:
"He gave us a boost [when he came up], we needed it. He was phenomenal. But I still let him know that when we played against Oregon State when I was here that he never even got on base."
On ASU's upcoming football game with Arizona and USC:
"What's UofA's record?" [4-6.] "Wow. They stink. I mean, I hope ASU's gonna win. Who do they play this next week? They play USC, right? Let's talk about USC first." [question: Does USC stink?] "No. No they do not stink."
On Tito Francona being an Arizona alum:
"When we went to UofA - [to his coach] you remember, they have (Francona's) jersey retired in a baseball (painted on the outfield wall) - we used to pepper balls off it. They had to end up repainting it after the series, I used to tell him." [question: you used to tell Francona?] "Oh, every day. The truth kind of hurts sometimes."
Here's the first video clip- I've broken up the complete, 11 minute conference into two clips (because no one should have to live with an edited, 5 minute chunk of video when there's 11 minutes of great footage):
video courtesy of WBZ
I've got the second video clip, plus a whole bunch of pictures from the day, all after the jump...
I think we all know which toy pile is more impressive.
When reached for comment, Josh said*:
"What the hell? I didn't think I'd have to talk to reporters if I didn't win... why don't you go find someone who actually gives a shit? I got some beer that needs drinkin', some deer that need shootin', some rookie pitchers that need learnin', and two World Series rings that need polishin'. Give C.C. my regards, and tell him I'm sorry he didn't have a chance to actually show up at the ALCS- maybe next year."
*OK, not really- but you know he's thinking it.
I'll take this:
Over this:
Any day of the week. And twice on Sunday.
On a serious note: congratulations to C.C. He was phenomenal throughout the regular season, and is one of the big reasons why the Indians were so dominant. And on top of being an ace pitcher, he seems like a great guy as well- so it's hard to hate on him too much for winning the Cy Young he so definitely deserved. (but I'm still allowed to pout a little, OK?)
State of Influence
They may be the Boston Red Sox, but Red Sox Nation spreads from coast to coast (and beyond). I put together this little survey of the Sox that gives a snapshot look at just what level of representation each of the 50 states has on the ballclub- including where the ballparks and farm teams are located, as well as well the players, coaches and GM were born, went to college and reside currently. This is nothing serious or scientific- just a look to see what states can claim bragging rights.
Based on this snapshot, the Red Sox are mostly influenced by the states of: Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, Arizona and California.
Most Sox were born in: California & Texas
Most Sox went to college in: Arizona & Florida
Most Sox reside in: Florida & Massachusetts
David Ortiz made the talkshow rounds on Regis & Kelly and then on Conan O'Brien -- but he's not done with TV yet.
Longhorn God Vince Young, Ocho Cinco and Big Papi
I would love to hang out with that trio...
The New York Times is reporting that Big Papi has been asked to be a part of a new series on IFC called "Framed"- which is being produced by Big Papi endorsee Reebok. It will be an interview/profile show, each episode focusing on a different athlete-- but the twist is, that a celebrity will be the one conducting the interview and directing the episode. Papi's episode will be directed by Carlos Mencia because Papi said, "he shares my pride for my Hispanic roots" and "working with him will be a lot of fun." (Papi better not have any original material, or it might end up on Carlos's next album.)
Other participants include: Nelly profiling Allen Iverson, Regina King profiling Vince Young, and Paz Vega profiling Thierry Henry. The series is slated to start on December 14th and run through January.
The Two Guys Who Didn't Vote For Beckett
So who exactly were the two genius minds who completely left Josh Beckett off their Cy Young ballots? Surprise, surprise- one of them is a Yankees writer from New York, and the other is from the venerable USA Today.
In one corner, we have Mark Feinsand, who is in just his first year as the Yankees beat writer for the New York Daily News. This was also his first time voting for the awards. What a shocker, right? And in the other corner, we have Jorge Ortiz, the baseball writer for USA Today. Man, I was really hoping both of them would be New York guys so I could easily write them off.
Both of these guys voted Sabathia-Carmona-Lackey (in that order). Both left Beckett off of their ballots. And both now, after seeing post-season play, regret their votes.
"If they gave me a Cy Young ballot on Nov. 1, I would have voted Josh Beckett first and left the other two spots blank, because nobody would have been close," Feinsand said.
"You feel a little foolish after what happened in the postseason," Ortiz agreed.
The milk is already spilt, guys- ain't no use trying to cry and weasel your way out of those picks now.
"Look," Feinsand said. "I went to BU. I have a lot of friends in Boston. The last month of the season, one of my good friends up there tried to convince me to put Beckett on my ballot. I looked over the numbers carefully, and decided Sabathia, Carmona, and Lackey were more deserving. The ballot is supposed to be secret, but I told my friend I left Beckett off. So when the playoffs started and Beckett did what he did and Sabathia struggled, my friend called me up after every game and said, 'So how do you like your Cy Young candidate now?' "
Yankees fan who lived in Boston (they always seem to be the most bitter kind), is a first-year voter AND a first-year beat writer, had friends who tried to point out the error of his voting ways and he STILL manages to somehow, curiously, be one of only two guys who left Beckett completely off his list? There is so much fun ammunition there I don't even think I know what to do with it.
Hot Stove Update
Lots of breaking news and rumors on Mike Lowell. WHDH is reporting that four teams have contacted Lowell with a four-year offer: the Braves, Angels, Cardinals, and Yankees. "A source close to the Lowell side of the negotiations [says] that each offer is a 4-year contract, worth between $55-60 million." By contrast, the Sox offer left on the table by Lowell was a 3-year deal reportedly to be between $36-45 million.
I love these rumors from "sources close to the negotiations". We'll see if this one pans out.
The other component of the breaking Lowell rumors, and one that's been mentioned by WHDH and NJ.com, is that the Yankees' offer is for Mike to play first base-- presumably because they are going to re-sign A-Rod to play third. Dan Graziano reports:
"A person familiar with the negotiations, who requested anonymity because discussions are still ongoing, said the Yankees have been in contact with Lowell's representatives about the idea of him signing to be their first baseman. The idea would be to bring Lowell, who came up through their farm system in the mid-90s, back into the organization while simultaneously weakening the Red Sox by taking him out of their lineup and infield."
According to WHDH, "Lowell is now waiting to see if the Red Sox will up their initial offer and try to keep him in Boston, in lieu of these newest offers from the four previously mentioned teams."
Normally, I intentionally avoid mentioning A-Rod or discussing the maelstrom surrounding his contract negotiations (because I'm of the opinion that feeding that media circus only helps him- and, plus, I'm frankly quite sick of the overload of attention focused on him by everyone)... BUT, I'm making an exception to note how hilarious the whole "The Yankees would only negotiate with A-Rod if Scott Boras was not involved" versus the new spin Boras is frantically trying to get out there that "Boras is deep in negotiations with the Yankees who are going to give him a deal worth $300 million" (subtext: "LOOK HOW BRILLIANT I AM EVERYONE! I WAS NOT DUMPED BY A-ROD!").
That's A Mighty Big Ring You Have There
The horror at the monstrosity they call the 2003 World Series ring seemed to be pretty universal - so I thought I'd share a couple of photos of Josh actually wearing the ring, so y'all would have a better idea of just how monstrously large it really is.
For comparison purposes, I've got a couple of photos of other players wearing other World Series rings after the jump...
I spoke with William Nakai, a fluent Navajo speaker who put together a list of Navajo colloquial baseball terms for the Navajo Times following Jacoby Ellsbury's meteoric rise this year-- and thought I would share his list of Navajo terms with y'all as well.
socks red - Yiis'tlee' Lichii (proper Navajo)
balls - yii'nilth'nii (he let it go)
strikes - yii'sih (he missed it)
one strike - taa'la'i'yii'sih
second strike - naa'kih'dih'yii'sih
third strike - taa'dih'yii'sih'dooh'naah'jiih'hal'te'
hits - yiis'taalth (he hit it with a stick)
runs - a'heeh'nal'wod (he ran completely around [the bases])
outs - naah'jiih'hal'te' (he was taken out)
change of innings - aalth'na'iil'dee' or aalth'na'naa'kaih (they switched)
first base - la'sil'tzooz (first bag)
second base - naa'kih'goone'sil'tzooz (second place bag)
third base - taa'goone'sil tzooz (third place bag)
home base - hogaan'dih'silth'tzooz ("hogan" or home base)
You never know when these might come in handy...
Random Sox Theatre: Cartoon Timlin
Periodically throughout the offseason, I'll be posting new installments in Random Sox Theatre -- goofy little tidbits of Red Sox video goodness that you may or may not have ever seen before, but that deserve a second look. If you have any suggestions or tips for future installments, please shoot me an email!
Installment One: Mike Timlin in Arthur
Back in 2006, the animated versions of Mike Timlin, Johnny Damon and Edgar Renteria appeared in an episode on the "Arthur" cartoon show ("The Curse of the Grebes") to deliver a message about believing in your team... and not believing in silly superstitions (TOO LATE, guys- I'm already deeply committed to my ridiculous sports superstitions).
In an ironic twist, given his penchant for bow hunting, Mike plays a deer named "Wimlin". Johnny plays an indistinguishable mammal named "Playmon", and Edgar plays an indistinguishable mammal named "Blenteria". Names have been changed to protect the innocent- although it's funny that Wimlin caps off his autograph with #50, and Playmon with #18.
Here's the video clip- enjoy!
Sox On The Town
While everyone was busy yesterday freaking out over what teams (if any) made offers to Mike Lowell, he was down in South Florida to attend the retirement of his jersey back at his elementary school. Mike and the other members of his eighth grade baseball team were all reunited back on the baseball diamond at Epiphany Catholic School- and Mike's #4 jersey was retired by the school as part of a ceremony honoring him for all his accomplishments this year.
Lowell ran around the bases of his childhood ball field and said he'll never let go of the memories and lessons he learned at Epiphany.
"This display that you did for me today is something that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life," he said.
Meanwhile, Alex Cora attended the Celtics-Nets game at the TD Banknorth Garden on Thursday night. It's the newest fad amongst the Red Sox- Tim Wakefield, Jacoby Ellsbury, Manny Delcarmen, Clay Buchholz, Kevin Youkilis, and Tito Francona have all sat courtside for the Celtics this season so far. (Josh Beckett is the lone wolf supporting the San Antonio Spurs.)
Upcoming Events:
Nov 17: Clay Buchholz - baseball clinic
Nov 17: Jacoby Ellsbury - hometown parade
Nov 17: Manny Delcarmen - bowling benefit
Nov 18: David Ortiz - relief drive
Nov 18: Manny Delcarmen - autograph signing
Nov 20: Jason Varitek - soldiers' breakfast
Nov 26: 2007 World Series Film premiere
Dec 02: Jonathan Papelbon - autograph signing
Dec 12: Curt Schilling - SHADE fundraiser
David Ortiz will be spearheading a relief drive at the Stop & Shop Supermarket in Plainville this Sunday, the 18th, all to benefit the victims of the Dominican floods. From 1:30 to 5:30 pm, everyone that stops by and donates some non-perishable groceries gets to have their picture taken with the 2007 World Series Trophy. Then Big Papi will ship all the donated groceries to the flood victims. It's a win-win-win all around.
Clay Buchholz, along with MLB ballplayers Jay Bruce (Reds), Jason Tyner (Twins) and Koby Clemens, Roger's son (Astros), is conducting a charity baseball camp this Saturday, the 17th, in Beaumont, Texas -- not far from where Clay grew up. Kids age 7 to 18 can participate for a fee of $75, and the proceeds from the camp to University of Houston baseball player David Murphy, a 2007 (Beaumont) West Brook graduate recently diagnosed with Leukemia.
Sox players and alums, not to mention celebrity narrator Matt Damon and other Boston notables, will be on hand at the Wang Theatre on November 26th for the red carpet world premiere of the "2007 World Series Film". In addition to the film, there will also be a memorabilia auction, and Wally will be there as well. For more info on the film, go here- and for tickets to the event go here- proceeds will benefit the Red Sox Foundation.
Jason Varitek and other Boston sports stars (Ray Bourque, Troy Brown and Mike Eruzione) are holding a charity "Leadership Breakfast" at the Four Seasons this coming Tuesday, the 20th, to benefit the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund. In addition to keynote speeches from the athletes, they will also conduct a meet and greet beforehand for attendees.
Jonathan Papelbon, and his brothers Jeremy and Josh, will all be at the World Series Celebration cardshow on December 2nd for an autograph signing in Sturbridge, MA. Cost? $149 for autographs from all three brothers. A slightly more affordable autograph option is Manny Delcarmen, who will be signing at the cost of $25 at the Rockingham Park Mall in Salem, NH on Sunday.
Speaking of Manny, his "Bowing Strikes for Kids" benefit that I previously wrote about is tomorrow. In addition to Manny, and the '04 and '07 World Series trophies, Curt Schilling, Tito Francona, David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis are all slated to be on hand. Manny stopped by the NESN studios (in his Patriots jersey) to talk about the event and other Sox-related thoughts on Mike Lowell, the Manny Delcarmen Band, opening the season in Japan.
video courtesy of NESN
Mike Lowell In Mickey Ears
That's the only thing that was missing from the festivities in Orlando on Friday: a picture of Mike Lowell donning a pair of Mickey ears.
Mike was the honorary grand marshal in Friday's Disney Dreams Come True parade at the Magic Kingdom- and brought his family along for the fun. In addition to riding down Main Street in a convertible with Mickey (in a baseball uni), Mike and his wife and two kiddos also rode a whole host of rides at the park. (Flying Dumbos! Teacups!)
One thing Mike didn't do was talk a lot about his ongoing contract negotiations. From the Herald:
We'll see what the offseason holds. You know I have a lot of decisions to make, things to talk over with my family, and I'm sure we're going to come to something that everyone is going to be happy with.
And here's some video of Mike from yesterday, including a direct plea from Larry Lucchino to Mike Lowell:
I don't want to comment, except to say: Mike Lowell, if you're out there watching this, please understand- this is a sincere effort on the part of the Red Sox organization and all of Red Sox Nation. We want you back here. We want you getting your ring next April here at Fenway Park, and I hope we're able to accomplish that.
video courtesy of NESN
Madras Pride
Jacoby was the focus of all the attention back in his hometown of Madras, Oregon today-- as the Jacoby Ellsbury Day parade (that I told you about back on Tuesday) went off without a hitch. Despite the threat of inclement weather derailing the parade, it went on as planned-- with Jacoby riding down the main street in Madras in the back of a convertible Corvette, with his name and #46 emblazoned on the side.
Jacoby's mom, dad and brothers each also got their own cars in the parade- which included some of the local firefighters and little leaguers and members of Jacoby's Madras High class of '02. At the Madras High gym, Jacoby was presented with a key to the city, an American flag and a Native American necklace. He spoke to the gathered crowds, and also had a little Q&A session with 10 local kids.
I have to give a special shoutout to this gem in the AP report on the event:
[Jacoby] recalled being so nervous he almost threw up driving to the ballpark for his first start for the Red Sox, and pitcher Josh Beckett advising him, "Just don't screw it up."
Beautiful. I enjoy the thought of Beckett mentoring the young players with gruff asides and confidence-building gems like this. Something tells me Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester are in for a treat down in Cotulla this winter.
Here's one video from the parade:
video courtesy of KATU
I've also got more video and a lot more photos of the day- after the jump...
