Is this one of those “remember where you were moments?” 

I definitely remember where I was when the Nomar deal went down.  Do you?  I have a feeling I won’t soon forget about this moment either.  In any event, I was up late last night, reflecting on Manny’s time as a member of the Red Sox and trying to put my feelings into words.  So I came up with this poem…see what you think.

 

How do I say goodbye to what we had?

 The good times that made us laugh

Outweigh the bad

 

I thought we’d get to see forever

But forever’s gone away

It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday

 

Ok, I admit it, that’s not a “Voice” original… I stole one (or truthfully, all) of those lines from the sweet musical stylings of Boyz II Men.  But you get the point…

I think I just lost half of my readership by sending them to that Boyz II Men youtube clip.  And no, I have no idea what it says on the bottom of the video…but I did laugh a lot imagining what it might say…

Anyhow, all his craziness aside, part of me will probably miss Manny. I was here for Manny’s first game at Fenway Park as a member of the Red Sox.  Till my dying day, it will go down as one of my best baseball memories.  By the bottom of the first inning, we were already down 3-0, but with two men on and Manny Ramirez making his Fenway Park debut as a member of the Red Sox, the crowd errupted in a “MANNY! MANNY! MANNY!” chant.  And while the crowd was still chanting the team’s new acquisition, Manny hit a game-tying homerun over the left field wall on the very first pitch he saw.

I remember thinking at that point, that the Red Sox as we had previously known them, were no more.  Everything had changed.  Manny had equalized the game, gave the fans hope, and made everybody feel like we suddenly had an edge (two really when you count Pedro) on every other team in the majors .

Two World Series titles later (and one WS MVP for Manny), everything around here has changed.  We are suddenly the odds-on favorites almost every year.  We’re about to break the MLB record for consecutive sell-outs (knock-on-wood).  Fenway Park is no longer too old. 

But so too has the perception of Manny Ramirez changed.  The general consensus that I’ve gathered from talking to fans around town and from the emails and blog comments that I’ve received is that it we had a great run with Manny, but it’s time to move on.

So move on we shall…Welcome to Boston, Jason Bay!

I’m sure the trade (or the days leading up to it) sent a lot of you scrambling to mlb.com to find out exactly who this guy is.  I’m sure many of you left pleasantly surprised after taking a look at his accomplishments (in a less than stellar lineup nonetheless).

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m VERY excited to see him play here everyday and see what kind of an impact he is going to have on the lineup and in the clubhouse.

Playing in a much smaller market, he hasn’t gotten a ton of national attention, but Bay, who won the 2004 NL Rookie of the year, is a very solid player.  He’s also a two-time all-star and should be hitting the prime of his career.  Don’t expect Manny Ramirez, but I think it is fair to expect to see a really good baseball player.  From all accounts I’ve heard, Red Sox Nation will really take to Bay’s hard work and gritty style of play.  Very exciting stuff! 

It will certainly be different not seeing Manny’s name in the lineup.  But in Bay, we get a younger, faster, and offensively talented outfielder who will be a hardworker in every sense of the word.

So as we head down the stretch here, what are your thoughts on this deal and our overall chances??  But before you answer that, riddle me this?  Over the past 3 years, who has more homeruns, Manny or Jason Bay? (spoiler alert – the answer may surprise you) 

Do you think the team will now be re-energized? How do you think Bay will fare in a vastly improved lineup, and playing half of his games at Fenway Park?  Everyone’s got an opinion on this one, and I don’t expect any of you to be shy!  Send me an email (insider@redsox.com), or post a comment here on the blog!

All the best from inside the Front Office,

“The Voice”

As a life-long Red Sox fan, there are 4 points during the year that I really look forward to: The Playoffs (when we’re fortunate enough to make it), the Winter Meetings, Opening Day, and the Trading Deadline.

With the Trading Deadline just hours away, I find myself constantly hitting refresh on mlb.com to find out of there are any new rumors or trades.  I also find myself listening to other people’s conversations in the office, just to see if I can pick up any hot gossip. Based on the emails I’ve recieved over the past couple of weeks, and the comments you all have posted here on the blog, it looks like you’re aching for some relief pitching help, and some more offensive production.

Has our last few games changed your mind at all?  What do you think we should do?  Try to make a trade?  Get some help from our minor league prospects?  And I won’t even ask, but I’m sure you all have some thoughts on you-know-who being you-know who…

Anyhow, aside from the deadline, here’s what’s putting dents in the Monster this week…

A big “welcome back” to the 12 Massachusetts teens and Red Sox staffers who spent the last two weeks building a baseball field for a Dominican orphanage as part of the Lindos Suenos program!  For two weeks, these 12 kids along with 12 Dominican teens, and Sox staffers spent each morning creating this field from scratch, so that the children growing up in this orphanage would have a baseball field to call their own.  My fellow Sox staffers told me that the teens all took great pride in creating the field because they hoped it would help teach the children of the orphanage the life lessons that the game has taught them over the years: responsibility, teamwork, and the value of hard work.

For your benefit, I asked one of the staffers down there to get an aerial shot of the completed field.  While, a helicopter apparently was too difficult to find, he did manage to get on top of the team bus and take the shot.

The staffers and kids also came back raving about how great Jesus (Jay) Alou was.  For those of you who don’t know, Jay is our Director of the Dominican Academy.  In addtion to being in the game of baseball for over 50 years, Jay has 5 World Series rings to his name, and currently helps develop our young Dominican talent.  While the kids were down there for the Lindos Suenos program, Jay generously gave his time teaching the teens about the game of baseball and even took time to instruct them on a one-on-one level.  Here’s a neat little Jay Alou tidbit for you.  Jay and his brothers Matty and Felipe once all played in the outfield for the Giants at the same time!

Oh, and how could I forget…the winner of the “First Annual Lindos Suenos Mustache Competition?”  Well, he won’t let me divulge his name, but I can tell you that he “handily” beat the competition with his Sal Fasano’esque handlebar mustache.  Well done.

On another note, my email inbox has been flooded with great pictures from all over the country and the world, and I love it!  You have all been to some pretty amazing places with your sox hats and t-shirts.  This week’s photo is of Mike and his son Connor from Illinois.  As you can see, they’re doing their part to spread the Red Sox Nation love!  Great photo, guys!

Lastly I know I mentioned this in the newsletter, but seriously, if you can make it to Futures at Fenway next weekend, you definitely should!  It’s the best
kept secret in Boston, but you can get tickets for as little as $5 (can you say “family friendly!!”).  Or, on the flip side, have you ever wanted to see what everybody’s raving about when it comes to the exclusive EMC Club?  Those tickets are just $30!!  And no, I didn’t accidentally leave off an extra zero on either of those prices.  I would definitely recommend that you get them sooner rather than later, because right now this little secret is between us, but the tickets might go quickly once other people find out.

And I’ll leave you with one of the best pictures I’ve ever seen of Fenway Park.  This one was taken by Megan LaBella of our photography department.  When I asked her if she photoshopped it to get that ridiculous sky, she simply replied, “no, it’s real, and it’s spectacular.”  Indeed.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock…

 

All the best from inside the Front Office!

“The Voice”

Whew…  I’m glad we’re back on the winning track!  Not only that, but hopefully we’ll have Papi back this weekend in time for the Yankees and Angels!  Those next couple of series could be as important as any we will face heading down the stretch.

  

Anyhow, here’s what’s putting dents in the Green Monster this week…

The whole office is buzzing as to whether or not we will/should do something before the trade deadline.  Now, I’m not sure I’m at liberty to say what the rumblings/thoughts are of my co-workers, but I would like to hear what you think. Make a major trade?  For a bat?  To shore up the bullpen?  What say you?  Write a comment and let me know!

Other than that, the only thing I have to report is that in at least one front office bathroom, we now have automatic toilets!  Too much information? 

On that note…

All the best from inside the front office!

“The Voice”

 

P.S. The Voice is on the run this week.  I promise to come back with more next week.

P.P.S. If you have not already done so, don’t forget to sign-up for the Red Sox Insider.  You’ll see more from me and get some great inside scoop on what’s happening at Fenway.

 

Wow…I have to say…as the 11th inning ran into the 12th and then the 12th inning rolled into the 13th, and the 13th into the 14th, I began to wonder if the commissioner had an escape route planned… I’m certain I was not alone.  Thankfully for all parties involved, J.D. Drew and Michael Young helped pull the American League on to victory.  I’m not sure how many people (not named Scott Boras) would have predicted J.D. winning the All-Star MVP in his first year as an all-star, however, I guess it’s not all that out of the blue considering his ALCS heroics last year, and the stellar numbers he’s put up this year.  So a big congrats to J.D. on a great first-half, and a well deserved All-Star MVP award!!

Now here’s what’s putting dents in the Green Monster this week…

Well…I can’t say I didn’t ask for it!  I asked all of you to send in your best pictures from all around the country and the world where you were decked out in Red Sox gear.  And I received a ton!  I have to say they were thoroughly entertaining to look at.  It’s so impressive how expansive and well traveled our fan base is!  I’ll try to profile a fan picture every now and then here on the blog, so keep sending the photos.  Here we see Gary, obviously a big Red Sox fan.  Jay, from Maine, sent me this picture of himself with his Red Sox hat at the Grand Canyon.  I’m looking forward to seeing some more great photos from all of you!

Lastly, I want to give another (very well deserved shout-out) to my co-workers who are spending two weeks down in the Dominican Republic right now.  In case
you missed it, they are down there as part of the Red Sox Lindos Suenos program. 
In this, the program’s 5th year, the 12 Massachusetts teen participants, and 12 Dominican teen participants are building a baseball field for an orphanage in San Pedro.  All reports I’ve heard say that the kids and the Red Sox staff members who are leading their trip are having a great time working on the baseball field, playing with the kids at the orphanage, and playing baseball each afternoon.  They even won their first game yesterday against a team from Savana Perdida!  Congrats!  There are also reports that there is a mustache-growing contest amongst members of the Red Sox Front Office who are leading the trip.  Several attempts to obtain photo documentation/confirmation have been unsuccessful thus far… 

Now here’s hoping that the AL winning the home field advantage for the World Series will mean something to all of us come October!

All the best from inside the Front Office!
“The Voice”

Some thoughts off the top before we get into what’s been going on inside the Front Office this week…

Thanks for all of the comments last week!  I got some great suggestions for re-naming the blog, but I want to keep the competition open a bit longer, so keep the suggestions coming!  Oh, and my apologies, I’m a blogging rookie and have no idea what “tag cloud” means…somebody asked me in last week’s comments and I can’t say I have the foggiest notion.  If someone wants to fill me in, that would be great.

 

Ok, here’s what’s putting dents in the Green Monster this Week…

18 runs??? really?  Boy it’s good to be home!  As I mentioned in the free Insider e-newsletter, I was just down on the field for our pre-game ceremonies for today’s (Wednesday) game.  I wanted to be sure I was down there because today is Seats for Soldiers Day at Fenway.  Essentially, it’s a way for the players, organization, and season ticket holders

to honor the service of our active men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.  Over 1,000 tickets were donated to those actively serving.  As part of the special pre-game ceremonies, we just saw a live transmission on our videoboard from over 80 soldiers in Camp Fallujah, Iraq.  Sox fan Sergeant Major Neil O’Connell, of West Yarmouth, MA spoke live to all the fans in attendance, and cheered on his hometown team.  Very very cool moment.  I think NESN carried the ceremony live, so if you can, try to check it out.  Also, if you were at the ballpark and didn’t get the chills when the Ceremonial First Pitch was thrown out by Michelle Saunders (above), a recipient of the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, you aren’t human.  Ms. Saunders is veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom who once carried a mortally wounded soldier from a battle site, while under heavy fire, breaking her own back in the process.  She spent 22 months recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center.

 

Also spotted around the ballpark this week were five of the six newly selected Governors of Red Sox Nation. 

There is one governor for each state in New England.  And for you out-of-towners, do not fear…due to popular demand, applications are now being accepted (visit redsoxnation.com for more details) for Red Sox Nation Gubernatorial positions in the remaining 44 states, and the District of Columbia!

 

And one more note before I get back to watching the game (aren’t day games the best??)…Somebody also mentioned that while gummi bears are a great break room snack, that Swedish Fish would be an even better recommendation for our break room.  I’ll have you know that your comment would make one unnamed Front Office curmudgeon very pleased.  For weeks he kept filling our break room suggestion box with that very recommendation.  Eventually the curmudgeon got his way and we got the Swedish Fish.  Though we probably only get them once a month (and they go VERY fast!). 

 

And in case you were wondering about the new break room addition for this week…  Flavor Ice!  Great for the heat we’ve had here lately!  I swear grown-ups work here…

 

Finally, a big thanks to our photo department who provided me with these great photos today (like this one below of the live transmission of soldiers at Camp Fallujah, Iraq) – I forgot my camera at home.  Note the 2007 Championship banner in the background of the soldiers.  It is an exactly replica, specially made, of the one that hangs from the centerfield foul pole at Fenway Park. 

 I love hearing from all of you, so submit your comments on the blog or via email at insider@redsox.com!

All the best!

“The Voice” 

 

Welcome to the second edition of the Red Sox Insider Blog! 

By the way, I’m thinking the blog needs a more creative name than that…it sounds a little too formal and stuffy for what it really is.  What do you think?  Please drop your suggestions in the comments section of the blog.

Anywho…here’s what’s putting dents in the Green Monster this week…

First of all, I know I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but everybody here in the Front Office has been asked to take a “mandatory break” from work today to submit their maximum 25 All-Star ballots online, so I think it’s the least I could do to make a plea for all of you to join us in trying to get our favorite Sox into the All-Star Game.  Who’s with me??

If any of you were around Fenway Park recently, you may have recognized a familiar face.  That’s because our good friend Brian Daubach (left) was back in Boston, catching a few Sox games as a fan, and signing autographs for fans at “Autograph Alley” inside Fenway Park.  He also apparently managed to make some time to find a new job.  Congrats to Brian on his new postion as hitting coach with the Nashua Pride.  Brian joins former Red Sox Rick Miller (manager), and none other than, “El Guapo,” Rich Garces (who is also a coach for the Pride).

I hope those of you who caught last week’s episode of the Red Sox Report enjoyed all the behind the scenes footage from the “Blame it on the Rain” video shoot.  Like I said, I was there for the shoot, and watching it take place has to rank as one of my top 10 experiences working here.  Pure hilarity.

If you did watch it, please comment below and let me know what you thought of it. 

This week’s episode of the Red Sox Report should be an instant classic as well.  The whole episode is dedicated to taking an inside look at the infamous “Cape Cod League.” 
For those of you who don’t know what the Cape Cod League is, I would DEFINITELY recommend checking it out.  Before they were stars, Sox players like Jason Varitek and Justin Masterson (right) honed their skills in this league.  Even if you already know a bit about the Cape Cod League, it’s still definitely worth watching.  Filming for this episode began a year ago at this time, so suffice to say, a lot of effort and thought has gone into this show.  I actually got a brief preview earlier this week, and I can’t wait to watch it in its entirety. 

And as I mentioned last week, if you live out of market, or just don’t have NESN, and you’d like to watch the Red Sox Report, you can catch all of the episodes, at your convenience when you sign up to become a citizen of Red Sox Nation.  Honestly, it only costs like 15 bucks for the year.  In my opinion being able to view episodes of the Red Sox Report online every week is worth that alone, nevermind all the other benefits.  And no, I don’t get a cut from every new citizen of Red Sox Nation, I just have a soft spot for the work our incredibly talented video production department does. But in case you are interested in signing up and getting to watch all these episodes, you can do so here.

Anyhow, a Red Sox exec (who will go unnamed) just came by to ask if I had finished submitting my All Star ballots yet (which I haven’t), so I should get going.  But before I go, I want to put this question out there for you all to debate below: Who is the Red Sox first-half MVP?  Here are the stats for your convenience.  As one of my favorite SNL characters would say, “Discuss amongst yourselves…”

I look forward to seeing the discussion!

“The Voice”

PS – For any of you who might have been curious, it’s my sad duty to report that the gummi bears in the Front Office break room have been replaced with Animal Crackers…

Hello and Welcome to The Insider Blog!

Now, if you’ve found this blog, you probably already know that I’m a member of the Red Sox Front Office, writing this from inside Fenway Park.  I’m not getting paid by the Red Sox to write this blog, and only a couple of top-ranking executives within the organization even have knowledge that I am writing it.

I’m a life-long Red Sox fan, and growing up, I always wondered what it would be like to get a glimpse into the inner-workings and decision-making processes inside the Red Sox Front Office.  Lucky for you the readers, I stumbled into a job here, worked my way up, and (most likely through some clerical error) have been given keys that allow me access to just about every part of the ballpark and the offices.  But to rip-off a line from Peter Parker, “with great power, comes great responsibility.”

With that in mind, it is my hope that on this page, I’ll be able to give Sox fans a real “Insider’s” look into what actually goes on here in the offices, in the halls, in the conference rooms, and even in the break room (though I’ll try to spare you all the details of how I sort through the gummi bears to get to the red and orange ones).  Yes, we have gummi bears in our break room.

Ok…here’s what’s putting dents in the Green Monster this week…

First of all, we’re going to need a big last minute push to get our Red Sox into the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium!  Please, please, vote for our guys (you can vote up to 25 times).  And please encourage your friends to do the same!  Send out an email, facebook message, away message or whatever you can, to your friends and family.  Vote here!

In case you didn’t see it, on Friday, we had the World Champion Boston Celtics pay us and the Red Sox fans a visit, as their 2008 Championship was celebrated here at Fenway.  I got to spend some time with the owners, players, and staff as they prepared for the Pre-Game Ceremonies, and let me tell you, they were ecstatic to be here.  Seriously, I mean, ear-to-ear smiles all day long.  As a big Celtics fan, it was a pretty awesome thing to see. 

What many people may not realize is that while other members of the team have thrown out the Ceremonial First Pitch in years past, this was Paul Pierce’s first chance.  He was quite excited (as you can see…).  It’s also just great to see the unity among the teams in Boston (from the Front Offices to the players).

 

Move over Gino!  On Friday, the fans at the ballpark were treated to the debut of a new Rain Delay video starring Jonathan Papelbon and Manny Delcarmen. 

 I was fortunate enough to be around when they were filming the video (in case you were wondering, it was filmed in the Jordan’s 3rd base deck at Fenway Park).  Trust me; if you thought the video itself was funny, you would love to see the “behind the scenes” footage.  In particular, I enjoyed watching Pap and Manny trying to figure out who was supposed to “sing” which lines.  The above photo was taken during the actual shoot. 

And here’s your Insider’s heads-up…I just got word from one of my sources down the hall, that there will be a whole segment dedicated to the Behind the Scenes filming of this video broadcast on “The Red Sox Report” at Noon on 6/29 on NESN, re-airing at 6:30 pm, and 10:30pm.  OR…if you don’t have NESN as always, you can become a citizen of Red Sox Nation and watch “The Red Sox Report” online any time, at your convenience.  This is definitely a huge perk of Red Sox Nation, especially for those fans hundreds or even thousands of miles away from Fenway!  Click here to find out more.

Also big props to all the fans who stuck out the rain delay and extra innings affair on Sunday to support the Red Sox Foundation’s Picnic in the Park fundraiser.  Their dedication and generosity to charity were rewarded when many of the Red Sox players came out and signed autographs for them.  If you’re interested in becoming a member of the Red Sox Foundation’s Volunteer team, or want to find out what you can do to help, click here!

Ok, so the real buzz around the office this week is that on Monday, the 2007 World Series Rings were distributed to members of the Front Office.  In addition, other members of the Front Office will receive gifts such as World Series watches.  It takes a lot of hard work, and long hours from a great number of people to make the Red Sox organization great, so it’s with great pride and appreciation that the rings were received.  And fortunately, that includes yours truly!  If you’d like to see what the ’07 World Series Ring looks like or, if you’d like to have a chance to win your very own World Series Ring (identical to that of the players) you can click here to find out more.  We’re on the last few days of the raffle, so don’t miss out.  Take it from me, if feels pretty darn good to walk around town with one of these rings on.

Speaking of which, I had to take my ring off so I could type this entry, and I’m getting anxious not having it on.  So that’s it for this week.  Please let me know if you have any questions or comments!  I’m new to this whole blogging thing, but I think you can comment below; or as always, you can email me at insider@redsox.com

All the best!

“The Voice”

PS – If you just randomly found this blog, and don’t already receive the free Red Sox Nation Insider e-newsletter, you can sign up for it here.  Each week there’s new Red Sox trivia, history, and the best photos from the week.  And it’s FREE.  Sorry, that’s my shameless plug, but it only takes 2 seconds to sign up and has really some really interesting content that you won’t find anywhere else.  Did I mention it’s free?