The results are in!  And he’s in, with 76.4% of the vote!!!

Jim’s in, by a mere 9 votes (if I did my math correctly)…Phew!!

Mike Ivins/Boston Red Sox

I can say that folks over here are ecstatic!!  There was a loud cheer that went up here in the Front Office as soon as it was announced.  Dick Bresciani, who has long championed Rice’s case, has his eyes glued on the mlb network, listening to the coverage.  It must be a very happy moment for him, Rod, Debbie and the rest of the gang here who have lobbied the voters by sending them statistical information on Rice’s behalf over the past few years.  Good for them!

What are your thoughts and reactions??  Looking forward to hearing from you!

 All the best from a VERY happy Front Office,

“The Voice of the Nation”

 

JIM RICE ELECTED TO NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME

IN COOPERSTOWN, NY

Joins fellow Red Sox outfielder Rickey Henderson in the Class of 2009

 

BOSTON, MA–Jim Rice was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York today, becoming one of 32 Red Sox players to receive the honor. He is the 48^th electee to spend his entire career with one team and just the fourth to do so with Boston, joining Bobby Doerr, Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski.

 

Rice received 412 of the 539 votes cast by eligible members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, 76.4 percent of the total, a gain of 4.2 percent over his total in 2008 when he finished 16 votes shy of the necessary 75 percent. Also elected along with Rice was outfielder Rickey Henderson, with 94.8 percent of the votes. Henderson appeared in 72 games for Boston in 2002, marking the first time that a pair of Red Sox have earned induction in the same year since Carlton Fisk and Tony Perez in 2000.

 

Number 14 reached the Hall of Fame in his 15^th and final year of eligibility on the writers’ ballot, done only twice previously by Red Ruffing (1967) and Ralph Kiner (1975). He and Henderson are the 20^th and 21^st left fielders to be elected and first since Yastrzemski (1989), the man Rice replaced beneath Fenway Park’s Green Monster in 1975. 

 

Over 16 seasons from 1974-89, Rice batted .298 with 382 home runs and 1,451 RBI in 2,089 games, earning eight All-Star selections along the way. He placed among the top five in American League Most Valuable Player voting six times during his career, more than any other player between 1963 and 2005, and won the award in 1978 when he hit .315 with 213 hits, 46 home runs, 139 RBI, and a .600 slugging percentage. The former Red Sox captain also collected 406 total bases in 1978, still the only A.L. player to reach 400 since Joe DiMaggio in 1937 (418).

 

Rice drove in 100 or more runs eight times, had seven different seasons with at least a .300 batting average, and four with 200 hits or more. He topped the 20-home run plateau 11 times and ranked among the A.L.’s top 10 in that category on seven occasions with first place finishes in 1977, 1978 and 1983. He helped Boston to A.L. Pennants in 1975, when he finished second to teammate Fred Lynn in Rookie of the Year voting, and 1986, as well as an Eastern Division title in 1988.

 

He is joined by Sam Crawford, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, Eddie Murray and Rafael Palmeiro as one of only eight players ever to lead the majors in total hits and RBI over a 14-year span, a feat he accomplished from 1975-88. During that period he also paced the A.L. in runs, round trippers and outfield assists.

 

The South Carolina native is the only player in major league history to record at least 35 homers and 200 hits in three straight seasons, doing so from 1977-79. He also led the A.L. in total bases in each of those three consecutive campaigns, a record he shares with Cobb (1907-09) and Williams (1942, 46-47).  

 

Rice, who was one of the first inductees into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1995, ranks among the club’s all-time leaders in at-bats (3^rd), hits (3^rd), home runs (3^rd), RBI (3^rd), games (4^th), runs (4^th), doubles (6^th), triples (6^th), slugging percentage (8^th) and walks (8^th). He has been a member of the organization since he was selected with the 15^th overall pick in the first round of the 1971 June draft. In 1974, he won the International League Triple Crown, batting .337 with 25 long balls and 93 RBI for Pawtucket.

 

Following his playing career, he was a roving minor league hitting instructor for Boston from 1992-94, a major league hitting coach from 1995-2000, and continues to serve the team today as a special assignment instructor, a role he has held since 2001. He also works as an analyst on NESN’s pre and post-game Red Sox coverage.

 

Rice and Henderson will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame in ceremonies in Cooperstown on Sunday, July 26.

 

Ok, well the next few hours probably don’t seem so “short” to Jim Rice, but hopefully he’s able to relax and hope for the best.

As for the rest of you, I hope you all have your fingers crossed for Jim!  The announcement is expected at 2pm today, but as soon as we find out, I’m going to post it right here!  Or, if you prefer, you can watch the announcement live on mlb.com

Here’s hoping number 14 finally gets the call!

“The Voice of the Nation”

“You can never have enough pitching.”  I’m not sure who first uttered these words, but in all my years in baseball (and watching baseball for that matter) I’ve never seen this statement proven wrong.

So, a day after we signed his former Dodger teammate Brad Penny, on Saturday we announced the signing of Takashi Saito to a one year contract.  He’s a proven veteran arm we can add to our bullpen arsenal.  In his brief major league career, he has been just about as solid as they come as a reliever.  See the official release below for all the details…

 
 

RED SOX SIGN FREE AGENT RIGHTHANDED PITCHER TAKASHI SAITO TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT WITH OPTION FOR 2010

 

BOSTON, MA–The Boston Red Sox today announced that the team has signed free agent righthanded pitcher Takashi Saito to a one-year contract through the 2009 season with a club option for 2010.  No further terms were disclosed.

 

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

 

Saito, 38, went 4-4 with 18 saves and a 2.49 ERA in 45 relief appearances for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008. He struck out 60 and walked just 16 over 47.0 innings but missed nearly two months on the disabled list.  

 

The righthander began the season going 3-3 with 17 saves and a 2.18 ERA through his first 39 games. He converted 15 of 16 save opportunities from April 29 to July 9, including each of his last nine during that stretch, before landing on the 15-day D.L. on July 18 with a right elbow sprain. On September 3, Saito was transferred to the 60-day D.L., where he stayed until September 13 before making seven more appearances for the Dodgers over the remainder of the season, including one in the NLDS against the Cubs.   

 

In 2007, he tallied a 2-1 record and finished fourth in the N.L. with a career-high 39 saves, earning a spot on his first All-Star squad. He logged a 1.40 ERA, the second lowest among qualifying major league relievers behind Seattle’s J.J. Putz (1.38), and trailed only Boston’s Jonathan Papelbon (.146) among that group with a .151 opponents batting average against.

 

Saito debuted for the Dodgers in 2006, going 6-2 with a 2.07 ERA in 72 relief outings. He led all major league relievers with 107 strikeouts in just 78.1 innings of work and tied for ninth in the N.L. with a club rookie record 24 saves. He finished among the top 10 in N.L. Rookie of the Year (7^th) and Cy Young Award (8^th) voting.

 

For his major league career, he is 12-7 with a 1.95 ERA in 189.2 innings over 180 games. He has converted 81 of 91 career save opportunities for an 89.0 percent success rate, the fifth-highest in baseball since the save became an official statistic in 1969 (min. 80 saves). He is one of two pitchers ever to record at least 40 relief appearances and an ERA under 2.50 in each of his first three major league seasons, along with Red Sox Hall of Famer Dick Radatz (1962-64).

 

Prior to joining the Dodgers, Saito pitched 14 seasons in the Japanese Central League, going 87-80 with 48 saves and a 3.81 ERA in 339 career games/178 starts for Yokohama Baystars. There he earned All-Star honors four times and was named the 1998 Comeback Player of the Year after undergoing shoulder surgery the previous season. He attended Tottoku Fukushi University before being selected in the first round of the Central League draft by the then Taiyo Whales, which later became the Baystars.

 

Today’s move puts Boston’s major league roster at 40 players.

 

 

Sorry again for the terrible title of this entry. I’m trying to get all of the puns out of my system before the season starts…

Anyhow…Brad Penny is officially a member of the Red Sox…official release below.  Thoughts??

By the way, the boiler in our office still seems to be broken.  Seriously, most of my co-workers are wearing jackets all day long.  One very fragile co-worker has even been seen wearing his winter hat while at his cubicle.

It’s quite the scene here in the Front Office…

All the best from a very weekend-eager Front Office!
“The Voice of the Nation”

 

RED SOX SIGN FREE AGENT RIGHTHANDED PITCHER BRAD PENNY TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT

 

BOSTON, MA–The Boston Red Sox today announced that the team has signed free agent righthanded pitcher Brad Penny to a one-year contract through the 2009 season. No further terms were disclosed.

 

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

 

Penny, 30, went 6-9 with a 6.27 ERA in 19 games/17 starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008. He struck out 51 and walked 42 over a career-low 94.2 innings after spending three separate stints on the disabled list with injuries to his right shoulder.

 

He began the season going 5-2 with a 3.19 ERA in his first seven starts through May 2 but lost each of his next seven decisions and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 17 with mild tendonitis in his right shoulder. Penny was limited to four games/two starts over the remainder of the season due to two more trips to the D.L., including a season-ending 60-day stint that began on September 24.

 

In 2007, he posted a 16-4 record in 33 starts and set a career-high with 208.0 innings pitched. The righthander led the majors with a .800 winning percentage, tied for second in the National League with 26 quality starts and ranked third with a 3.03 ERA. Penny was named to his second consecutive All-Star team after starting for the senior circuit in 2006 and finished third in 2007 N.L. Cy Young Award voting.

 

Penny is 94-75 with a 4.06 ERA in 249 games/245 starts over nine years in the major leagues with the Florida Marlins (2000-04) and Dodgers (2004-08). He tied for third in the N.L. with 32 total wins from 2006-07 and ranked eighth among N.L. qualifiers with a .600 winning percentage from 2004-07, and 10^th during that span with a 3.61 ERA.

 

He has a 3-2 record and 6.26 ERA in eight career post-season appearances and joined Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell on the 2003 World Series Champion Marlins, going 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA in two starts against the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic.

 

Penny was originally selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth round of the 1996 First-Year Player Draft. He combined with lefthanded pitcher Luis Arroyo on the first no-hitter in Portland Sea Dogs history on August 8, 1999, his first game in the Marlins organization following a mid-season trade from the Diamondbacks.

 

The Red Sox today also outrighted righthanded pitcher Charlie Zink to Triple-A Pawtucket. Righthanded pitchers Virgil Vasquez and Dewon Day were claimed off waivers by the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays respectively. With the addition of Penny, these moves put Boston’s major league roster at 39 players.

 

Two important releases went out today:  First of all, I’m sure many New Englanders will be pleased to hear that we have officially signed Cumberland, Rhode Island native Rocco Baldelli to a one year deal. 

Secondly, and maybe more importantly for fans who might be able to make it to Fenway Park on Friday(TODAY!)…there will be an autograph signing (benefiting the Red Sox Foundation) at the Souvenir Store from 4:30pm – 6:30pm.  Signing autographs will be members of the Red Sox Annual Rookie Program.  More details and a photo of the Rookies on their visit to Fenway Park today can be found below (after the Baldelli release).

So what do you all think of the Baldelli signing?  How ’bout the fact that he will be wearing #5, the first Sox player to do so since Nomar?

 

RED SOX SIGN FREE AGENT OUTFIELDER ROCCO BALDELLI TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT

 

 

BOSTON, MA–The Boston Red Sox today agreed to terms with outfielder Rocco Baldelli on a one-year contract through the 2009 season. No further terms were disclosed.

 

To make room for Baldelli on the 40-man roster, righthanded pitcher Charlie Zink was designated for assignment.

 

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

 

Baldelli, 27, batted .263 with four home runs and 13 RBI in 28 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. The righthanded batter spent a majority of the year on the disabled list with a mitochondrial disorder. He was placed on the Rays 60-day disabled list on March 28 and reinstated to the roster on August 10 following two rehab assignments. He made 16 starts for the Rays in 2008, 13 at designated hitter and three at rightfield.

 

In five seasons of major league action, Baldelli has compiled a .281 average, 94 doubles, 52 homers and 234 RBI in 447 games, all with Tampa Bay. He was 4-for-20 with two home runs and six RBI in his post-season debut this past fall.

 

Baldelli appeared in 156 games during the 2003 season and 136 games during the 2004 season, but has since appeared in just 155 games over the last four years due to injury. After missing the entire 2005 season with knee and elbow injuries, the Rhode Island native rejoined the Rays on June 7, 2006 and led the club in runs scored (59), doubles (24), RBI (57) and home runs (16) over the final 103 games of the 2006 season. In 2007, he appeared in 35 games before suffering a season-ending hamstring injury on May 15.

 

In 2003, he finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting after leading major league rookies with 184 hits and ranking tops among A.L. rookies in batting average (.289), stolen bases (27), triples (8) and multi-hit games (53). He also led all American Leaguers with 14 outfield assists. 

 

Baldelli was the sixth overall selection by Tampa Bay in the 2000 First Year Player Draft. During a standout amateur career, he led Rhode Island’s Bishop Hendrickson High School to four consecutive baseball titles.

 

For perseverance despite his mitochondrial disorder, Baldelli was voted the winner of this year’s Tony Conigliaro Award, presented to a major league player who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage that were trademarks of Tony C. The award will be presented tonight at the Boston Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s annual dinner.

 

______________________________________________________

 

Rookie Program Autograph Session

And, as promised, here’s a picture of the members of the Red Sox Rookie program on their visit to Fenway Park today – and before I get all the questions – they’re wearing hard hats because, as has been the custom since the new ownership took over, we’re making improvements to Fenway Park, and well…as they say…safety first!!!

                                Mike Ivins/Boston Red Sox

AUTOGRAPH SESSION TO BENEFIT THE RED SOX FOUNDATION SCHEDULED

FOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 9 AT OFFICIAL RED SOX TEAM STORE

Players Participating in 2009 Red Sox Rookie Program Expected To Attend Signing

 

BOSTON, MA–An autograph session to benefit the Red Sox Foundation will take place on Friday, January 9 from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. at the Official Red Sox Team Store, located at 19 Yawkey Way, across from Fenway Park.

 

For a donation of $20.00 to the Red Sox Foundation, fans will have the opportunity to receive autographs from  Boston’s top upper level prospects. The players are taking part in the Red Sox 2009 Rookie Program, a two-week session designed to expose the players to the expectations of being in the major leagues for the Red Sox.

 

The autograph session will be open to fans of all ages on a first come, first served basis. There will be a limit of one autograph of each player attending per person. Fans may bring items to have signed or can purchase merchandise to be autographed at the Team Store.

 

The players attending the Rookie Program who are expected to take part in the autograph session are pitchers Daniel Bard, Dewon Day, Felix Doubront, Kris Johnson, Richie Lentz, Wes Littleton, Adam Mills and Dustin Richardson; catcher Mark Wagner; infielders Lars Anderson and Argenis Diaz; and outfielders Zach Daeges and Josh Reddick.  The list of players is subject to change.

___________________________________________________________

Ok, everyone here is getting ready for the annual Boston Baseball Writer’s dinner tonight.  So there should be some good Red Sox related articles in the papers tomorrow!

All the best from a very chilly Front Office (our boiler is broken),

“The Voice of the Nation

 

 

According to some reports, and depending on how much weight you want to put in those – I never put any weight into them until I see our official release sent to me, we could be signing 30 year old pitcher Brad Penny.  Penny struggled last season with the Dodgers (to the tune of a 6.27 ERA), but his upside looks something like this: a 3.03 ERA in 2007, a 4.33 ERA in 2006, a 3.90 ERA in 2005, a 3.09 ERA and a 3.15 ERA in 2004 (while spliting the season between the Marlins and Dodgers).

Penny has some postseason experience, and although his performance was a bit shaky, he did earn a World Series Ring in 2003 with the Marlins, during which he had a 2.19 ERA in 12.1 innings pitched. 

How would you feel about all of this?

Also, on a far more substantiated and confirmed signing front, we have agreed to a contract with catcher Josh Bard.  As you may recall, Bard was with us briefly, before he and Cla (pronounced “Clay”) Meredith were sent to the Padres in the trade that brought Doug Mirabelli back to Boston.

Do you think Bard will have a bounce-back season this year?  Do you think he will get his confidence to catch the knuckleball?  How well exactly do you think he will do?  I want to hear your predictions for Bard’s batting average, home runs, RBI, and passed balls for 2009.

I’m curious as to what all of you think…dare I say, “a penny for your thoughts?” (sorry…that was really bad, I know.)

All the best from the Insider’s Home Office (gotta love the holiday break!),

“The Voice of the Nation”

 

This guy seems to be headed to the Bronx…(so instead of picturing him in a Sox uniform, does anybody have a good caption for this photo they’d like to share?)

If you believe the reports that have been coming in today, it sounds like Mark Teixiera has agreed to an 8year contract with the New York Yankees.

I wish I could give you the Front Office reaction to this news, but alas, I had already left for the holidays.  Buuuut…if I had to imagine what the reaction would have been, it would have gone something like this, “well, it would have certainly been nice to have him, but heck, we have Mike Lowell!”  Lest anyone forget, Mike Lowell also goes by the title of “2007 World Series MVP.”

To be quite honest with you…I’m ok going into the 2009 season with him at 3rd base, and Youk at first base.

Here’s some food for thought…Can you name who Player A and Player B are?:

Player A:

.312 Batting Average

29 Home Runs

115 RBI

.390 On Base Percentage

Player B:

.308 Batting Average

33 Home Runs

121 RBI

.410 On Base Percentage

Here’s the big hint – One is Mark Teixiera and the other is Kevin Youkilis (both of whom coincidentally, happen to be Gold Glovers at first base).  Still thinking about it?  C’mon, give it your best guess.  Guess now.  Ok, now look at the bottom of this entry for the answer.  Kudos to those folks that knew off-hand which was which.  Now even if you guessed right, did you really think it would be that close?

Which begs the question – do you think Youk will get this same kind of contract?

And also,now that Teixiera is seemingly getting fitted for pinstripes…where would you like to see us direct our attention (and dollars)?  Somehow, I feel like I might get a lot of “TEK!!” responses.  With that said, who else do you think we should go after??

All the best from a Front Office on Holiday Break (though, to be honest, we never really stop working),

“The Voice of the Nation”

STATS ANSWER: Player A is Kevin Youkilis.  Player B is Mark Teixiera. 

Continue reading →

Wow…I was just at our first-ever Fenway Park Yard Sale.  People are getting some great gifts for their friends and family down here today…The yard sale was open today for citizens of Red Sox Nation who were selected at random. 

Megan LaBella/Boston Red Sox

Basically, we opened up a whole bunch of items that we either found deep inside Fenway Park, or that were removed during construction/renovation of the Park.  There are some really great peices of memorabilia down there.  There are framed pictures of players, game worn player jerseys, game used player bats, bricks from Fenway Park, actual seats from Fenway Park, tables chairs, media guides, etc. etc.

 

Megan LaBella/Boston Red Sox

Everything is actually really resaonably priced (way under what they would sell at any memorabilia store).

Megan LaBella/Boston Red Sox

 

Megan LaBella/Boston Red Sox

 

Good times at the Great Fenway Park Yard Sale!

All the best from the Front Office,

“The Voice of the Nation”

When I came into the office this morning, a lot of people said they heard incorrect information about the uniforms today.  So, just to clarify a couple of things, I wanted to state the following:  The “B” logo hat (which we all know and love), will be worn every time we don our home white primary uniform.  It will also be worn every time we wear our new primary road jersey (seen below in gray).  The hanging sox hat (modeled quite well below, by an unnamed member of the Front Office) will ONLY be worn as part of the alternate red and blue uniforms.

Mike Ivins/Boston Red Sox

If you have any questions about the uniforms, just let me know!  insider@redsox.com

At this point, I think I’m officially a registered expert in the field of Red Sox uniforms (I’ve been doing a lot of research on the topic today, so that I’ll know what I’m talking about).

All the best from the Front Office!

“The Voice”

Let me know what you think!  I’d be very curious to hear!

Here’s the new “primary road jersey.”  This is the one you will most often see the team wear on the road.  It has a little flair for the 1980’s jerseys (for those of you that remember them).  Though it is different in a couple of different ways. The font on the front is in “Red Sox Font” as opposed to the ones from the 80’s where it was a little more of a “block” font.  This new one also has the “hanging sox” logo on the sleeve (the one closest to the heart – how poetic!)

 

Mike Ivins/Boston Red Sox

Now, here is the “alternate road jersey.”  This one has a similar feel to the Batting Practice jersey’s you sometimes see the team wear.  In my opinion, it’s good.  It’s classic.  No harm done.  Joseph Abboud said it was his favorite of the jerseys.  So take that!

Mike Ivins/Boston Red Sox

Now, here is a familiar one, with a slight change…This is the “Alternate home jersey.”  To most, this will look exactly the same as the red jerseys we’ve worn in recent years.  The only real change is that the navy blue “piping” that went down the middle of the jersey and edge of the sleeve, has been removed.

Mike Ivins/Boston Red Sox

And lastly, we have a new “alternate cap.”  This cap will be worn only with the alternate blue and alternate red jerseys.

Mike Ivins/Boston Red Sox

And a nice artsy one courtesy of the Big I…

Mike Ivins/Boston Red Sox

 

Oh, and don’t worry, no changes to the classic white home primary jersey.

Tell me, tell me.  Do you like them?  Which is your favorite?  What would you do if you could design them?  Of course, you can always email me and let me know: insider@redsox.com

All the best from a very fashionable Front Office!
“The Voice of the Nation”

PS – Today, all around Boston, members of the Front Office will be sporting the new duds.  If you see one of them, and compliment them on it, they’ll give you their new shirt, right off their back!  Keep them eyes peeled!!