RED SOX ACQUIRE RIGHTHANDED PITCHER RAMON RAMIREZ FROM

KANSAS CITY ROYALS FOR OUTFIELDER COCO CRISP

BOSTON, MA--The Red Sox today acquired righthanded pitcher Ramon Ramirez from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for outfielder Coco Crisp.

The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein.

The 27-year-old spent the entire 2008 season with the Royals, going 3-2 with one save and a 2.64 ERA. He ranked among American League relievers with 21 holds (T7^th), 71.2 innings (11^th), 70 strikeouts (13^th) and 71 appearances (10^th), the 10^th-highest total in Royals history.  

He limited righthanded opponents to a .153 batting average, lowest in the A.L. and third in the majors among pitchers with at least 50 games. Only the Cubs' Carlos Marmol (.103) and Philadelphia's Brad Lidge (.105) ranked higher. In his career he has held righties to a .198 clip with an OPS of .586. He has a 2.14 ERA with 97 strikeouts and 44 walks in 105.0 career innings outside of Coors Field. In 2008, Ramirez was one of just three A.L. relievers with at least 70 strikeouts, 70 appearances and an ERA under 3.00, joined by Los Angeles' Francisco Rodriguez and Chicago's Matt Thornton.

Ramirez is 9-7 with one save, a 3.62 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 156.2 innings in 154 major league relief outings with Colorado and Kansas City. He made his major league debut with the Rockies in 2006, going 4-3 with a 3.46 ERA. He placed among National League rookie relievers in strikeouts (4^th, 61), games (T6^th, 61) and innings (T6^th, 67.2). He was limited by two stints on the disabled list in 2007, spending most of the season with Triple-A Colorado Springs where he went 4-0 with a 2.28 ERA in 25 games. The righthander did make 22 appearances at the major league level, going 2-2 with a 8.31 ERA. Ramirez was originally signed by the Texas Rangers as a non-drafted free agent in 1996.  

Crisp batted .283 with 7 home runs and 41 RBI in 118 games for the Red Sox in 2008. He stole 20 or more bases in each of his three seasons with Boston and had a 80.5 % success rate, second all-time among Red Sox players with at least 75 attempts. Overall, he batted .271 with 21 homers and 137 RBI in 368 games with Boston.

RAMON RAMIREZ--2008 AND MAJOR LEAGUE CAREER STATS

Team                          W-L    ERA   G         GS       SV       IP        H         R         ER      BB       SO

2008--Royals             3-2       2.64     71        0          1          71.2     57        23        21        31        70

ML Career                   9-7       3.62     154      0          1          156.2   136      67        63        64        146

--- RED SOX ---

Congrats to AL MVP Winner, Dustin Pedroia!!! 

(and also to 3rd place finisher, Kevin Yoouuuuuuukilis!)

Tim Correira/Boston Red Sox

It's been 13 years since the Red Sox player last won the American League MVP.  And this year's winner could not be any more of a polar opposite from "Big Mo."

Whether you call him Dustin, Petey, Pedie, or simply the Destroyah, one thing is certain.  His flashy glove work, his infectious personality, his "just watch me" spirit, and his "lazers" as he likes to call them, not only won him a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger, but now the American League MVP!

Congrats to Youk as well for a well-deserved 3rd place finish!  Moving across the diamond all season, and hitting in all areas of the lineup, he maintained a steady approach at the plate and on the field.

Now...as we pause briefly to pat ourselves on the back for drafting and developing both of these fine young talents, let's get back to the Hot Stove!

One word...Teixiera...do you want him?  Yes?  No?  Why?

I'm looking forward to hearing the responses...

Team "freezes" ticket prices!

I realize this may not catch as many headlines as what we're going to do about Jason Varitek, or possible free agent moves, but I think it does signal something very important.

As a member of the Front Office, it means that I can take a great deal of pride in the organization I work for.  Could we have raised ticket prices again this year?  Sure.  But we didn't.  And I think that's pretty cool.

To me it signifies that our owners and those in the position to make this kind of call have not made the disastrous mistake that so many owners in other organizations and have made throughout sports history.  That is, becoming detached...arrogant...greedy.  They realized that a lot of fans are struggling out there; that the economy is not so hot right now, and we need to make sure that we do not pile it on and make matters worse for struggling families.

The great organizations know how to make money (to keep their team competitive) and yet hold the line when their conscience speaks up.  As for us, I know this offseason, a lot of money will continue to be spent to improve our team and our beloved Fenway Park.  In fact, renovations to the park are already well underway.  And if you ask me, reinvesting in the team and the ballpark is the way to run an organization.  It may cost a boatload of money, but at least you're spending it on things that will benefit the fans.

I won't continue to toot our horn too much on this, because I know we still do have the highest ticket prices in baseball.  But I just wanted to say that I'm proud and happy that we made the right decision.

By the way, tickets will be first available starting December 13 (as part of our annual Christmas at Fenway event).

All the best from a very active Front Office,

"The Voice of the Nation"

PS - I'm so glad to see that so many have been posting comments to the previous entries.  Please continue to do so!  Or, if you're a little shy, you can always email me directly at insider@redsox.com

 PPS - I'm sorry the best picture I could come up with for this post was of Arnold Schwarzenegger from that horible "Batman and Robin" movie.  If anyone has any more creative suggestions, please let me know...I'd be more than happy to change it.

Hello Red Sox Nation...If there is anyone out there, who still doubts that Dustin Pedroia is a bonafide star, a clutch hitter, and a gritty defensive player... who still questions whether a 5 foot nothin' 2nd year player can be a standout on a major league team...today is your answer.

Yes he can.

Today, Pedroia was awarded the American League Gold Glove for his outstanding play at second base.

And count me among those who think that he can do it again next year...

Yes he can.

So I hope you all join me in congratulating Dustin today on a very well deserved accomplishment. 

Not only was he outstanding in the field this year, but he was also equally great on the offensive end of things.

And I think that ought to be reflected in the AL MVP voting later this month.

Can he win that too?

Yes he can.

(in my opinion anyhow...)

All the best from a very busy Front Office,

"The Voice of the Nation"

PS - My hot stove question for all of you today...Rank the following areas in order of importance this offseason (Starting Pitching, Catching, Outfield, RBI production, Defense, Bullpen, short stop)

So, I'm not sure how many of your jobs include dressing up for Halloween, but ours certainly encourages such behavior...

So far I've seen a prisoner, a winking, moose-hunting veep candidate, a little kid (complete with PJs and a Teddy bear), Carmen Sandiego, 3 contestants from Double Dare, a brace-wearing Tom Brady, Billy Madison, Mr. T, the Tin Man, Dorothy, the Queen of England, Steve Urkel, a non-licensed Plumber, and of course a grown man in a gorilla suit (not the one you're thinking of...)

Anyhow, a very Happy Halloween to all!  And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a belated congratulations to the Phillies and all their fans!

All the best from inside a very festive Front Office,

"The Voice of the Nation"

PS - On the baseball front, Tek filed for free agency today...what do you all think of the chances he's in a Sox uniform next year?  And if you think he should stay, what kind of contract do you think we should offer him (dollar figures and number of years)?

PPS - We picked up Wakefield's contract option for the 2009 season.  One decision down...quite a few to go!

Well, a valiant effort by everyone.  Fact of the matter is, when all was said and done, we just had too many injuries, and ran into too good of a pitcher come Game 7.

You gotta tip your cap to Matt Garza.  He had the game of his life.  But as crushed as I am, I'm not nearly as devastated as I was after Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS.

For starters, I was actually pretty surprised we were able to make it past the Angels in the ALDS.  They were the best team in baseball all year.  After making it past them, I figured we were playing with the house's money.  This was especiaally true after we were down 3-1 against the Rays.

But it sure would have been sweet to make it back to the World Series with a chance to defend our title.

On the night of Game 7, a group of about 40 members of the Front Office gathered in a suite at Fenway to watch the game.  It was intense, it was thrilling, and it was very very sad.  We tried everything...moving into lucky seats, wearing the same shirts as the night before, etc.  But in the end, it just wasn't enough.  Like many of you, as soon as the last out was recorded, someone shouted "shut this off!" and the TV screens immediately went to black.

There's nothing worse than getting to a game 7 and watching the opposing team celebrate.  Maybe I'm just not mature enough for this not to bother me, but if that's wrong, I don't want to be right.

So...here we go!  Our offseason is officially here.  The question is, what do Theo and Baseball Operations do?  Do you think we should re-sign Tek?  What should our rotation look like next year?  Do we make any big trades?  Where do you think we need the most help?

You know what's funny?  All season I feel like people were clammoring for more bullpen help.  But in the end, the bullpen was one of our best strengths during the playoffs.  Okajima stepped up his game; Masterson found a way to get the big outs, and Papelbon, was...well...Papelbon.

Ok, time to continue clearing off my desk (no I haven't been fired - yet) for an offseason office move...

All the best from a very deflated Front Office,

"The Voice of the Nation"

Today's recipe:  Gatorade, greasy food, Advil, Gatorade (repeat as necessary)

Here's a fun little Front Office tidbit for you:  Did you know that an email gets sent out the day after wins like last night to let folks know that Gatorade has been placed in the breakroom?  True story.  Many thanks to Paul for coming through again today.

Now then...where do we begin on last nights game?  I could tell you about how I was roaming through the park last night (in the sixth inning) and overheard a fan ask an usher where he goes to get his money refunded.  The fan subsequently left the ballpark.

I could tell you about how unnamed Front Office employees were packing up their desks (because we have to be moved during offseason renovations).

I could tell you how one member of the Front Office went around telling everybody that we had no chance of winning because it was his birthday, and the Sox haven't won on his birthday since 1999.  By the way, Bill Simmons has a great article about last night's game as it relates to the fateful October 16 date.  Great read.

But in the end, the unnamed Front Office employees had to take everything out of their boxes, the poor birthday boy finally had something to celebrate (even though by the time the Sox won it was actually October 17), and well, that guy who wanted his refund probably wants to build a time machine, travel back to last night and slap himslef in the face.

In any event, people are pretty sluggish in the Front Office today, but happily so.

Can't wait for tomorrow night!!!

All the best from inside the Front Office!

"The Voice of the Nation"

PS - As always, you can email me at insider@redsox.com.

PPS - I think our team photographer already left for Tampa, so I'm sorry for the lack of photos.

PPPS - We're in the second week of a very intense Front Office Biggest Loser competition.  Not an ideal time for this for obvious reasons...

...thrown by Trot Nixon!!!

I know I said I'd probably get fired if I said anything about it before the game, but I couldn't hold it in anymore.  I want to make sure our fans are there to see this.  It should be a great moment for Trot, and a great moment to get the crowd fired up.

    Brian Babineau/Boston Red Sox

To be quite honest with you, our crowd has been a bit dormant lately, and I'm hoping that by letting this one out of the bag, it'll help get fans in their seats for the start of the game.

As "due" as Ortiz, Tek, and Jacoby are...the fans are just as "due."

We all know that we have better fans than the Rays, but honestly, we haven't seen it yet.  I think it's the organization's belief that our fans don't need towels, thundersticks, or cowbells because we're loud enough on our own.  And I happen to agree whole-heartedly. 

But I have to say, walking around the park yesterday, I didn't see that (and yes, the on-field performance can be in part to blame but the crowd wasn't that loud before we started losing either!).

So I'm calling on those of you who are coming to the game to step it up.  And for those of you who know somebody who is going to the game, please let them know, NOW is the time to get loud and make sure that we make Fenway shake tonight!  Dress all in red, paint your face or your belly (wait, strike that...maybe the face is sufficient)...do what ever you can to get your section standing/cheering/making noise.

Come out and cheer for Trot during the pre-game ceremonies.  Let him know how much we appreciated his hard-nosed play day-in and day-out during his time here.  Come out and cheer on our current team and let them know that being down 2-1 means nothing in Red Sox Nation.  Let's take this series back!

Let's do this!

"The Voice"

PS - From what I overheard, Trot was EXTREMELY honored to be asked to throw out the first pitch.

PPS - There are more than a few members of the Front Office over here who are more than a little excited about Trot coming back (ahem...Abby).

Not exactly how we drew it up...but what are you going to do?

Time for everybody to step up their game today.  The Rays ARE legit.

Ok, now that I've stated the COMPLETELY obvious, let's look at it this way.  We're due.  Like seriously due.  Ortiz is due.  Jacoby is due.  Tek is due (though not starting tonight).

Luckily, I happened to overhear a conversation in the office yesterday that makes me think we have something that will get the crowd into the game early today.  I'm not going to say exactly what it is (because I think I might lose my job if I spoiled the surprise), but let's just say, if you're coming to the game tonight, you won't want to miss the pre-game ceremonies.

I'll leave it at that.

(Still) 7 to go!!!

"The Voice of the Nation"