Red Sox Lock Up Youkilis Through 2012

From Peter Gammons: The Red Sox locked up another of their young stars to a long-term deal Thursday. Boston avoided arbitration with Kevin Youkilis, agreeing to a four-year contract with the first baseman worth more than $40 million, sources told ESPN's Peter Gammons. The deal includes an option for a fifth year. Youkilis enjoyed a breakout season in 2008, hitting .312 with 29 home runs and 115 RBIs.

For Jim Rice, The Hall Finally Calls

After a long wait Jim Rice was finally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today receiving 76.4% of the vote, 75% was required to earn election. Rice will be joined by Rickey Henderson who was named on 94.8% of ballots. Rice played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox from 1974-89. Rice was an 8 time all star and the 1978 American League Most Valuable Player. In his rookie year of 1975 he finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting and third in the American League Most Valuable Player voting, both awards were won by teammate Fred Lynn. In 1974 while playing at Pawtucket he was named the AAA Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player and won the Triple Crown. Rice finished in the top five of American League MVP voting six times.

Red Sox Unveil Uniform Changes

Not bad, I like returning to the blue text on road jersey, and I like that it's in the Red Sox font now.

Red Sox Avoid Gorilla Escape Repeat

The Boston Red Sox and Theo Epstein have agreed on a new contract. Terms of the deal were not announced. ‘‘We are all on the same page with regard to our vision for the organization," Henry wrote in an e-mail this afternoon. "The negotiations were pleasant and were all about rewarding Theo for the great, great job he has done in bringing two world championships to the Red Sox. We look forward to the difficult task of trying to win a third." Henry clarified in a later e-mail that while the main negotiations were complete and "lawyers are handling the details," the sides haven't settled all matters.

Red Sox All Star Predictions

Just checking in with my predictions for Red Sox All Stars. I hope to be able to resume daily posting here following the All Star break. David Ortiz (elected starter, wont play) Kevin Youkilis (elected starter) Dustin Pedroia (elected starter) Manny Ramirez (elected starter, to DH) JD Drew Mike Lowell Daisuke Matsuzaka Jon Lester Jonathan Papelbon

Geremi Gonzalez 1975-2008

The Red Sox family has lost another member on this holiday weekend. Geremi Gonzalez who spent parts of the 2005 season with the Red Sox making three starts and 28 total appearances died Sunday in his native Venezuela after being struck by lightning on a beach. Gonzalez played for five teams during his career compiling a 30-35 record. He last played in 2007 in Japan. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Gonzalez family.

Cancer Survivor Lester Tosses No Hitter Against Royals

Red Sox lefty Jon Lester tossed a no hitter against the Kansas City Royals. Lester struck out nine batters including the final out of the game, he walked just two batters. The no hitter was the 18th in Sox history and first since last September when rookie Clay Buchholz tossed one against the Baltimore Orioles. Jacoby Ellsbury made a highlight diving catch in the fourth to preserve the gem. It was only the second time the Royals have been no hit, it came just over 35 years after Nolan Ryan got them on May 15, 1973. It was the fourth no hitter called by catcher Jason Varitek. After a run of over 30 years without a no hitter for the Sox this is the fourth since 2001. Hideo Nomo had one in 2001, Derek Lowe in 2002 and Buchholz last season. Boston won 7-0 and extended their winning streak to four games. It was the 411th consecutive sellout at Fenway, 44 games short of the major league record held by the Cleveland Indians.

Why Julio? Because This Is Boston!

After last night's loss in Detroit, the media was asking questions to Julio Lugo, the bum of a guy who calls himself a shortstop. They were asking specifically about what happened in the ninth inning when he lost the game for Boston. He answered and then it was followed up by a reporter who was trying to make a connection between last nights error and his three error game in Toronto last month. “I don’t care, but sometimes it would be nice to say something positive,” he said. “But all the time it’s negative things, you know? Sometimes, you know, people should say something that’s positive. But every time it’s something negative . . . bring it up, bring it up, bring it up. Why? Lugo needs to learn something, he's not in Tampa Bay anymore, around here people actually care about their team. Many fans have tried to stay positive about his sorry-assed playing since he joined the team. We were willing to take the shitty fielding because he was supposed to hit, well he hasn't done a damn thing since he came to Boston and there's no reason the media or fans should console his worthless ass with saying positive things.

Players Of The Week

This week we find a group of first time winners, from a long time leader to young players who hope to make a difference for the Red Sox for the next several years. The past week saw some strong outings by the Red Sox starting pitchers and that's one of the reasons the Player of the Week was awarded to who it was. Player of the Week - Jason Varitek The Captain of the Boston Red Sox used his bat effectively during the past week batting .368 with five runs batted in, sure the seven hits in 19 plate appearances doesn't jump out as all that impressive, but Varitek's week went so far beyond that. He showed why he is the leader of this team with his work behind the plate. In the five games he played (Kevin Cash caught Tim Wakefield as usual) Varitek called games that resulted in some impressive numbers. In 34.1 innings from the starting pitchers they held the opponents to just six runs, that translates into a 1.57 ERA, they struck out 26 batters while allowing just 19 hits. on Lester was the star of stars in the rotation this week as the only two-game starter and one of them was a thing of beauty. Pitcher of the Week - Jon Lester In his first start of the week, Lester went head-to-head with Toronto's Roy Halladay and he came out at the end of the day having out pitched the Toronto ace. In his eight innings of work Lester allowed just one hit, a grounder past third baseman Jed Lowrie that probably should have been converted into an out. Lester wasn't around for the win on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth, but his performance brought new life to the legions of Sox fans who were beginning to doubt Lester's abilities. Lester followed that gem up with a solid start against Tampa Bay when he allowed just one run on four hits over six innings. In all, Lester tossed 14 innings allowing just five hits and one run. This award is well deserved for him. Prospect of the Week - Daniel Bard (Greenville) It was tough to pick out someone for this award this week and when I finally decided I couldn't locate a picture of Bard wearing a Greenville uniform, so we're stuck with his Carolina blue Tar Heels jersey. Bard has had a great season thus far coming out of the bullpen for Greenville and last week was no different then any week before for him. Bard appeared in three games going six total innings. He allowed four hits and one walk while striking out 11 and allowing no runs. On the season Bard has gone 22 innings allowing nine hits and four walks while striking out 34 batters, he has yet to allow a run on the year. If Bard continues his dominance he could find himself in AAA before the year is out and could be a prime candidate to appear in Boston's bullpen sometime in 2009 as the Red Sox continue working the top players of their system into the big league roster.

Schilling Vows To Pitch For Sox This Season

Curt Schilling will throw a ball for the first time this year as he begins his journey back to the Red Sox pitching staff. There is no timetable for when he will return. Click here for the story.

Yankee Fan Kills Red Sox Fan

A Nashua New Hampshire woman is accused of running down a 29-year old man with her car after she had an altercation at a bar over her being a Yankee fan. Several people outside the bar deep in Red Sox Country began chanting "Yankees Suck" after seeing a Yankee sticker on her car. Matthew Beaudoin, 29, was standing with a group of people when Ivonne Hernandez accelerated for 200 feet as she drove towards the group. Hernandez has been charged with reckless second degree murder. Click here for full story.

Weekend Review

What a great weekend for Boston sports. A Tampa Bay sweep, a Celtics scare and then a blowout. It was a very busy weekend so lets take a quick look back to recap. - After blowing a first half lead in game 6 in Atlanta the Celtics stormed back at home Sunday with a convincing 99-65 win over Atlanta. The Celtics next play Cleveland starting Tuesday night. - The Red Sox continued to be a tough team at home as they swept the Tampa Bay Rays out of first place. The Sox now hold a three game lead in the east as they head to Detroit for a four game set. - Brandon Moss will be unavailable after having emergency appendectomy surgery this weekend. - Craig Hansen was recalled from Pawtucket to take Moss' roster spot, let's hope he can give us some lights out innings. - The Boston Globe ran a great article about Charlie Zink in the Globe Magazine this weekend, it's worth a read. Later today I will have a preview of the Celtics/Cavs series as well as the new players of the week from the past week.

Spring Training To Sarasota?

The Boston Red Sox have begun discussions with Sarasota officials about possibly moving the teams spring training to the city when their current lease in Fort Myers allows for a buyout in 2011. For more information check these stories. Boston Globe Boston Herald Ballpark Digest Providence Journal

Holy Curses

Construction worker entombs Red Sox shirt at new Yankees Stadium! A construction worker who is part of the crew building the new Yankee Stadium is a die hard Red Sox fan, and he may have locked the new stadium into a lifetime curse when he entombed a Red Sox shirt into the concrete in the visitors clubhouse last August. How serious is this? It was front page news in New York City Friday morning as the New York Post headline screamed "CURSES!" The Post story didn't name the construction employees who tipped them off because the employees were not authorized to speak to the media. The Workers say they fear that they unwittingly helped hex their beloved Bronx Bombers. ESPN, CNNSI, FoxSports and Yahoo Sports are all running the story on their websites.

Ringing In A New Fenway Season

The Boston Red Sox kicked off their 2008 home season with a tremendous ceremony honoring the 2007 World Series Champions. All four major sports trophies were in the house Tuesday as all time greats of the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins joined members of the current New England Patriots and members of the 2004 World Champion Red Sox team to bring the rings out to the field, they also brought with them trophies from their sport. The Celtics players brought the NBA trophy, one they hope to win again this season. The Red Sox guys carried out the '04 trophy, the Patriots players had one of their Lombardi trophies and the Bruins players carried the Stanley Cup. When the World Series banners were dropped down from the Green Monster like in 2005, they dropped a wall sized 2004 banner and then dropped a 2007 one over it, the wind started blowing the 2007 banner up to keep the '04 one showing. The Boston Pops were once again there to perform throughout the ceremony. The rings were presented in groups, led my the manager and coaches, then trainers and staff, the catchers, infielders and so on. Johnny Pesky again got a big ovation. Eight players had slightly different rings. On the side with the name of the player was a Boston "B" logo and a World Series trophy, the eight members of both championship teams had trophies on either side of the "B". No idea if coaches from both teams or Pesky's were also like that with double trophies. David Ortiz was the last to receive his ring and then led the team to center field to raise the 2007 Championship flag, Pesky and Ortiz raised it up the flag poll. Bill Buckner was on hand to toss out the first pitch and received a long standing ovation. He tossed a strike to Dwight Evans. In the game, Daisuke Matsuzaka had another strong outing as Boston beat Detroit 5-0 behind Kevin Youkilis' 4-4 afternoon. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith performed God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch. A video was also unveiled with Neil Diamond wearing a Sox jacket leading Fenway in the singing of Sweet Caroline, the video played on the center field video screen and at the end Diamond shouted out "GO RED SOX". I have searched and searched and this is the best video I could find of it. I hope the video becomes an everyday thing at Fenway instead of just the audio track. The Red Sox should also release the video that was played on the screen on its official website so those not in attendance can actually see it.

Player Development

This post will highlight a series that ran in the New Hampshire Union Leader this week. I believe the series has run its full course, however if it hasn't additions to this post will be added at a later time. Part 1: Productive farm system allows Sox flexibility At the time of his introduction as general manager in 2002, Theo Epstein offered a vision of a Red Sox "scouting and player development machine." He made clear that the team would commit to the creation of a productive farm system that would feed a steady flow of prospects to the majors. It is one thing to articulate such a blueprint, quite another to stick to it. Many general managers have announced similar intentions, but their principles wavered when confronted with an opportunity to reshape their major-league roster. The Sox faced precisely such a crossroads this offseason in the person of Johan Santana. The Twins, faced with the prospect of losing their two-time Cy Young winner as a free agent following the 2008 season, made available a pitcher who has been baseball's best over the past four years. From 2004-07, Santana claimed pitching's triple crown, leading all starters (minimum: 162 innings per year) in wins (70), strikeouts (983) and ERA (2.89). Moreover, the pitcher--who turned 29 this month--ranked among the most durable in baseball, having led the American League with an average of 228 innings a season. Santana's credentials were impeccable. The Sox, fueled by visions of a dynasty anchored by Santana and incumbent ace Josh Beckett, found the prospect of acquiring him in a trade undeniably compelling. Full Article from UnionLeader.com Part 2: Boston's now-bountiful farm system had gone fallow THE RED SOX are now characterized by a robust minor-league system capable of sustaining a pipeline of big-league talent. Just six years ago, however, such a phenomenon seemed like little more than a pipe dream. When the ownership group of John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino took control of the Sox in 2002, a now-fertile farm system was characterized by very different terms. The farm system was widely described as barren in the final years under Yawkey Trust CEO John Harrington. The development was, at least in part, one by design. Once Harrington committed to the sale of the team following the 2000 season, the organization adopted a clear "win now" mandate. As many organizational resources as possible were to be poured into the major-league club. This was done in an attempt to drive up the sale price of the team and to win a single championship after more than six decades of Yawkey governance. "The team was for sale," said former Sox GM Dan Duquette. "The Yawkey ownership was not interested in the organization beyond their control of the team. That's the way any business goes when it's for sale." All the same, practices employed by the club at that time came under significant scrutiny. Stories spread about the team's tight-fisted approach to the draft, where the club would select college seniors over more talented juniors simply because the older players lacked the leverage of being able to re-enter the draft. The infrequency with which minor leaguers reached Fenway Park also came under fire. Full Article at UnionLeader.com Part 3: Sox aimed at consistent approach THE RED SOX' overhaul of their farm system started as an idea. It had to. The farm system the current Sox owners inherited in 2002 suffered from a lack of defined vision. The result was a system that at times seemed to feature as many philosophies as it did coaches. Former Sox General Manager Dan Duquette was helping with plans for a new ballpark and the sale of the club. His attention was drawn away from the farm system, and confusion filled the vacuum. "People were trying to do the right things developmentally that they thought Dan would want done. But with his responsibilities at the major-league level, it didn't afford him the time to focus on the developmental system," suggested Mike Port, Duquette's assistant GM, who served as interim general manager in 2002. "At times, people well-intendedly tried to do their best, but they may not have hit their mark." After the club changed hands, the Sox thus sought an almost complete rebuilding of the farm system from the top down. The team wanted to create standards and defined instructional philosophies. None of this qualified as a reinvention of the wheel. But it did represent a significant departure from the way things had run. "We had a vision for a system that we wanted in place," said Sox GM Theo Epstein. "It wasn't all that dissimilar from what other organizations had in place. It was just a matter of getting people in leadership positions who could take some time, instill those systems and get buy-in with staff." The Sox turned to Ben Cherington to transform theory into reality. The team named him assistant director of player development during the 2002 season, and then promoted the Meriden native to director of player development following the season. Full article at UnionLeader.com Part 4: Boston scouting for success BEFORE THE Red Sox changed hands, the team's approach to the amateur draft puzzled competitors. A team with a $100 million major-league payroll seemed indifferent to the opportunity to acquire high-school and college talent for far smaller sums. The team prioritized, at times, the selection of New Englanders (such as 1999 first-round bust Rick Asadoorian, out of Massachusetts) at the expense of more talented products from elsewhere. Even when the team identified talent, tight draft budgets led to frequently contentious negotiations under former scouting director Wayne Britton. Numerous players refused to sign with the Sox, in no small part because of what they described as hostile interactions with the club. Most notably, even though the Sox found common ground with ninth-round pick Mark Teixeira in 1998 on a $1.5 million signing bonus, he was so put off by the negotiations that he opted to go to Georgia Tech. There, he emerged as one of the best hitters in the country, was selected in the first round of the 2001 draft and signed a four-year $12.5 million contract. The Teixeira incident wasn't isolated. In 1999, the team signed just 19 of its 50 draft picks. “Wayne Britton was an excellent scout,” recalled Mike Port, who served the Sox as assistant general manager under Dan Duquette then became interim G.M. in 2002. “Wayne knows players and ability. But sometimes, in his honesty, he would tell people things they did not want to hear. That might not have been the best negotiating tactic.” It thus came as little surprise when the Sox started overhauling their scouting structure as soon as the current club owners took control of the team in March 2002. The Sox intended to invest as aggressively in acquiring amateur talent as they did in their big-league product. In order to do so, they wanted to rework the top-to-bottom systems employed in their scouting department. Britton was fired the day after Duquette, and replaced by David Chadd. Full article at UnionLeader.com Part 5: Sox preparing the way IT IS one thing to produce a stable of talented minor leaguers. It is quite another to have prospects come to the big leagues and thrive amidst pennant-race pressures. It is difficult to overstate that challenge. One Red Sox official compared the task to drinking water through a fire hose: Most are blasted backwards by the impact. The Sox are trying to defy those physics. While building a productive farm system, the team has also focused on smoothing the progression of players from the minors to the majors. "We try to do a lot to speed that development," said Sox VP of Player Personnel Ben Cherington. "We don't expect players to go to the big-league level and be stars. What we want is confidence that they'll go to the big-league level and be able to compete." The Sox have taken a systematic approach to that goal. As much as possible, the Sox try to make the major-league environment a comfortable one for prospects even before they get there, thereby allowing players to perform to their capabilities once called up. The team's two-week Rookie Development program every winter -- believed to be just one of a handful in baseball -- is an important part of that process. Players who might reach the majors within 18 months live with host families, sign autographs for fans, meet members of the media and learn how to navigate one-way streets around Fenway Park. They also spend time with strength and conditioning coaches, major-league coaching staff, front office members and team owners to learn of the expectations -- whether from fans or teammates -- that await a promotion to the majors. "We look at it to ease the transition to the major leagues," said farm director Mike Hazen. "There are no surprises for these guys when they come up to the major league level and we ask them to perform." Full article at UnionLeader.com Part 6: '05 draft was key to success The champagne had not yet dried by the time the Red Sox began dismantling their 2004 championship team. The franchise's first World Series title in 86 years would not usher in an era of rank sentimentality in the decisions of the front office. Less than two months after the triumph, key contributors Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe and Orlando Cabrera had all left in free agency. The Sox seemed almost empty-handed in their wake. Nothing could have been further from the case. The players brought in to replace that trio -- Edgar Renteria, Matt Clement and David Wells -- did little to erase the memories of their predecessors' accomplishments. But a new generation of Red Sox talent may now be in the process of doing so. The Sox received a pair of draft picks as compensation for each of the departing free agents. A team that had vowed to construct a loaded minor-league system suddenly had a means of doing so in the form of five of the first 47 picks in the 2005 draft. "We gave up a lot to get those picks," said one team official. "We didn't sign key guys. We took a lot of (grief) for not signing those guys. So we really wanted to convert those picks into promising prospects." The timing could not have been better for such a mission. The 2005 draft featured an historic ensemble of talent, the best since the 1985 class that featured a number of potential Hall of Famers including Barry Bonds, Randy Johnson, Barry Larkin and Rafael Palmeiro. Eight of the first 10 picks in the 2005 draft have already reached the majors, with one player (Ryan Braun) having won a Rookie of the Year Award, and two others (Ryan Zimmerman and Troy Tulowitzki) having claimed second. Others, such as top overall pick Justin Upton, seem destined for greatness. For Jason McLeod, who took over as the director of the team's amateur scouting department following the World Series triumph, the draft was filled with both promise and peril. Full article at UnionLeader.com Boston sees future contributors at all levels of their system There was a time when Red Sox farm teams bordered on unwatchable. The cellar proved a common dwelling for an organization where blue-chip prospects were sorely lacking. In 2001 and 2002, the Sox affiliates finished a combined 108 games below .500. A defeatist attitude prevailed below the major-league surface. "Some of the guys here joke about how bad the minor-league teams used to be," noted Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis. For those who were brought up in those circumstances, it is difficult to fathom the current state of the organization. The Sox find potential big-league contributors at every level of their farm system. A year ago, as Jon Lester made stops at three different levels of the minor leagues while working his way back to health, he was struck by what he observed. The memories of his entry into the farm system in 2002 and 2003 seemed distant. "When I played, coming up through A-ball, we weren't competitive. Now, it seems that every team is full of prospects and they're competitive and want to win," Lester said this spring. "We've got a lot of depth. You look in the big leagues and in Triple-A and Double-A, guys who should be in Triple-A this year might be in Double-A just because we've got so many pitchers. "That's a tribute to (general manager) Theo (Epstein) and the organization for scouting. They want guys to win and to get used to winning. If you get that ingrained in people's heads, when they get up (to the majors) it makes it easier for them." According to Baseball America, the Sox feature the second best minor-league system in baseball. That lofty place reflects impressive top-to-bottom talent that could impact the big-league club in both the near and long terms. Full article at UnionLeader.com The above articles were written by New Hampshire Union Leader sports writer Alex Speier.

Did Anyone Notice There Were Two Teams In Tokyo?

Tha fans that passed through the gates into the Tokyo Dome were largely sporting Red Sox gear. The cheering was loudest for the Red Sox it was almost as if the game was played back in Boston. Did anyone notice the Oakland Athletics were also in town? Major League Baseball scheduled the games at 6:00 AM ET which is a early rise for Sox fans on the east coast, but an even crazier 3:00 AM PT for those back in Oakland. If that wasn't bad enough at one point during the second game Wednesday the Athletics flag hanging along with the Sox flag, Japanese, American and MLB flags in center field fell from the roof and had to be retrieved by a groundskeeper. And to show just how little respect was paid to the Athletics, DirectTV in a statement apologizing for the outage of the game Tuesday morning said... "We experienced some temporary technical difficulties early this morning that resulted in some channels not being available to customers. The majority of our channels were not affected and we have since corrected the problem. In the case of the Red Sox season opener, we were able to bring the NESN channel back up at the top of the seventh inning. ESPN2 came back on later, after the game was over. (Customers who have NESN or ESPN2 in HD were able to see the entire game.) We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers - and particularly Red Sox fans. ESPN2 is planning to carry a repeat of the game at 2 p.m." So DirectTV was particularly sorry to Red Sox fans, but Athletics fans, not so much. Of course there's also the fact that this weekend, there wont be nearly as much talk about the resumption of the series with the Red Sox back in Oakland as there will be about the exhibition game between the Red Sox and Dodgers in Los Angeles on Saturday. In the middle game of a three game set, the teams will travel over to the Los Angeles Coliseum to play in front of a crowd expected to surpass 115,000 fans. What must the Athletics do to get some sort of respect? Their fans are certainly wondering.

Boston Red Sox + Los Angeles Coliseum =

The largest crowd ever for an American baseball game. 92,000 tickets sold out almost immediatly in February when the Dodgers placed the tickets on sale, this led the team to make available over 20,000 standing room only tickets for the game. The crowd will exceed the baseball record of 93,103 set at this very stadium when the Dodgers honored Roy Campanella, it could also exceed the Michigan/Ohio State attendance of 112,118. Outside of NASCAR, Saturday's game could draw the largest crowd in American sporting history. Fans should expect some scoring too. Manny Ramirez should be drooling from the batters box all game, the left field wall will sit just 200 feet from home plate. Picture of baseball layout in 1958 New York Times story on game

Say It Ain't So!

Jason Varitek, Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon will reportedly be among the names released today as part of the Mitchell Report. For me the most devestating name on the list is Jason Varitek. I'm not sure I can even put my feelings into words right now.... --More soon-- 2:23PM Whew.... after searching the above names in the official report Varitek and Nixon come up with ZERO hits, Vaughn does come up. Garciaparra does, but only once in a source listing... 420 See Jack Curry, Johnson Stays, but Garciaparra Goes to Cubs, N.Y. Times, Aug. 1, 2007, at Sports 1.

Henry & Company Leaving After 2010?

Gotta thank Manramsclan over at SoSH for leading me to this. Back on October 12, Boston Herald Deputy Business Editor Frank Quaratiello followed Red Sox owner John Henry for a day and blogged about it. The blog was posted under News & Business and may have not been noticed by many Sox fans, but Manramsclan certainly noticed it and a hats off to him for posting about it. at 4:40 PM Quaratiello posted this bit that Henry said at 3:20. JH goes into meeting with Werner and Lucchino. They discuss changing the date of the partners meeting and the timeline for installing a new center field scoreboard. JH wants it done by 2010. “We may not be here in 2011,” he says. The scoreboard’s got to go. “What we have now isn’t attractive.” They decide to try to get all work on Fenway Park finished by 2010 and also to try to convince PR maestro Charles Steinberg to stay. Steinberg is getting Daniel Vinik, who grabbed Manny’s foul ball during the ALDS to throw out tonight’s first pitch. So this leads us to the question, are there already plans made for the ownership group that has totally changed the history and future of our beloved Red Sox to skip out of town in the next few years? I certainly hope not, they have changed baseball in Boston like no one else has or could. I fear what a new ownership group would do to the Red Sox.