As Bethany noted in a comment on my last entry, I have been a little notably absent over the past few days.  We baseball folk (especially in the Front Office) are a very superstitious bunch.  And since I didn’t post the lineups for game 2 of that double-header, we have won every game since.

But I suppose it could just be the posting of the lineups and not the posting in general that we can attribute this recent success to.

In any event…yes, we have finally (almost) caught up to the Rays.  I think I saw somewhere that technically, they are .001 percentage points ahead of us in the standings due to the fact that we’ve played more games.  But I think we can wash that all away today with a big win behind BecKKKKKKKKett.  As you all know, he’s still taking a somewhat cautious path back into the rotation, but if he does well enough tonight, I feel like he might be ready to go to normal pitch counts by his next start, and then be good to go for the playoffs (should we be so fortunate to make it – again…we’re a VERY superstitious bunch).

And can we please take a moment to really appreciate what Coco Crisp has been doing lately??  I mean, talk about guys stepping up at the right time of year!  After hitting .305 in August, he’s now hitting .457 in September.  With Drew out, and Ortiz and Lowell admittedly not at full strength, he’s quieting his critics in impressive fashion.  He’s getting on base, running the bases well, and as always, been playing solid defense.  You want your players and team to get hot as they head towards the playoffs, and Coco (no matter where he’s been hitting in the lineup over the past couple of months) has been as hot as they come.  Sorry to digress, but it deserves to be noted.

So here’s hoping to a solid Beckett performance tonight!

All the best from a very quiet (yet very excited) Front Office,

“The Voice of the Nation”

PS – In case you’re wondering about the absence of pictures on the blog lately, apparently we’ve been having some technical difficulties.  But our good folks in our IT department are working on fixing the problem.

Here are the lineups for the 12:35pm game:

Red Sox

9 ellsbury

4 pedroia

Dh ortiz

5 lowell

3 casey

7 bay

6 lowrie

2 varitek

8 crisp

Sp byrd

 

Blue Jays 

4 inglett

6 scutaro

9 rios

8 wells

3 overbay

Dh lind

2 barajas

5 rolen

7 snider

Sp burnett

 

We’ve got Crisp back in the starting lineup tonight after he began the game on the bench in the last game of the Tampa Bay series.  Let’s see if he can keep up his hot streak!

Red Sox

8 crisp

4 pedroia

Dh ortiz

3 youkilis

7 bay

5 lowell

9 kotsay

6 lowrie

2 cash

Sp wakefield

 

 

Blue Jays 

4 scutaro

7 wilkerson

9 rios

8 wells

3 overbay

Dh mench

2 barajas

5 rolen

6 mcdonald

Sp purcey

 

Registration for the random drawing for ALDS tickets begins today!

I wanted to make sure you were all aware of the following.  This is a portion of a press release we sent out a couple of days ago:

 

 

REGISTRATION FOR CHANCE TO PURCHASE

RED SOX POSTSEASON TICKETS BEGINS THURSDAY

Fans will have chance to purchase tickets for possible postseason

games at Fenway Park through random drawing;

Registration and Random Drawing presented by Iomega, an EMC Company

 

BOSTON, MA – Registration for a random drawing for the opportunity to purchase tickets for any 2008 Red Sox postseason games that may be played at Fenway Park begins at 12 noon EDT, Thursday, September 11.  Fans may register for the drawing online at www.redsox.com.  The 2008 postseason ticket online registration and random drawing processes is being presented by Iomega, an EMC Company.  EMC is the Official Information Infrastructure Provider of the Boston Red Sox.

 

The random drawing for tickets to any American League Division Series games that may be played at Fenway Park will take place on Monday, September 15. Fans that are selected for the opportunity to purchase tickets for ALDS games will be notified via e-mail on Tuesday, September 16.  The e-mail will provide winners with instructions on how to purchase online between 12 noon and 6 p.m. on Friday, September 19.

 

For fans who do not have internet access, or those not selected in the online random drawing, a limited number of tickets will be set aside for purchase by telephone (while supplies last) beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday, September 19 at (617) 482-4SOX.  No tickets will be available at the Fenway Park ticket office.

 

Fans with disabilities may call (877) RED-SOX9 beginning at noon on Friday, September 19 to purchase accessible seating (while supplies last).  Hearing impaired patrons may call the TTY line at (617) 226-6644.

 

There will be a one-game, two-ticket purchase limit for each winner selected.  Ticket prices for the ALDS are $130 for Field Box Seats and Loge Box Seats, $100 for Pavilion Box Seats and Right Field Box Seats, $55 for Grandstand Seats, $35 for Bleacher Seats and $30 for standing room.  All orders for the American League Division Series will be subject to a $6 per-ticket convenience fee and a $15 per-order processing fee.

 

Write a question or comment below…I’ll be here throughout the game (well, so long as you are!)

Now 457 sellouts and counting…

As we head into the final game of this Tampa Bay series, I want to give you a heads-up as to something we’re going to try out tonight.  Tonight from the start of the game, till the end of the game, I’ll be right here, blogging with you, play-by-play.  Besides commenting on the game, I’ll also take any questions you might have about working in the Front Office, or anything else that might be on your mind.  So come on here during the game, leave a comment and we’ll follow the game together!

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

In the “why didn’t we start doing this a long time ago” column…we’ve started a new program this week, where following a game at Fenway, you can now take “post-game tours.”  These tours are really designed for a VIP experience of the Park (ie. impressing a hot date, celebrating an Anniversary, a birthday, wooing the all-important client, or just a big day for the family. 

During these tours, you not only get to have your picture taken in front of the Green Monster, but you get to take a peek inside the Green Monster – which, if you’ve never done, is a must.  You also receive an authenticated American League game-used baseball, a souvenir sample of the warning track dirt, and a discount to the Bleacher Bar restaurant.  Tickets are $50 a person and can only be purchased during the game at Red Sox Nation booths throughout the ballpark.  Now, I’m fully aware that this could be a bit too pricey for some (most notably yours truly), but I think for someone who’s trying to really impress a date, or wants to make their trip a really special occasion, I think this is a very cool option.  And sure to impress…

Anyhow, speaking of the Bleacher Bar, if you haven’t been yet, you should definitely plan on making a trip there.  It’s already one of my favorite places around Fenway.  It’s small, but the music is the best you’ll find in any of the bars – a bit of jazz and classic rock.  And from what I’ve heard the sandwiches are fantastic – I’m having lunch there later this week, so I’ll be sure to keep you up-to-date.  And the view of the ballpark, right out in centerfield can’t be beat.

But really, all the buzz this week, as I mentioned in the Insider newsletter, has been all about our fans breaking the MLB record for consecutive sellouts.  It’s been a huge focus of our owners and pretty much everyone in the organization.  And if you were here on Monday, or at least got to see some of the festivities on the TV broadcast, I hope you got a sense of how thankful we truly are for all of your support. 

My favorite moment of the day came when a fan received a commemorative ticket, said a polite “thank you,” then looked up, and noticed the person who had given her the commemorative ticket was Mike Timlin.  Her eyes tripled in size and she screamed “Holy (cow)!” right in his face.  Classic.  It was just her uncontrollable knee-jerk reaction.

Ok, well, I’ll be back around 7pm tonight…so I’ll hope to see a lot of you then!

All the best from inside the Front Office,

“The Voice of the Nation”

Some interesting changes to the lineup tonight…Red-hot Coco Crisp will be leading off and Kotsay (who went 2-3 last night) will be back in the lineup.  The speculation yesterday was that with Scott Kazmir going tonight for the Rays, that Kotsay would be out of the lineup because Kazmir is very tough against lefties.  Also, Ortiz is out of the starting lineup – presumably due to the aformentioned difficulty for lefties against Kazmir.

1.  Coco

2.  Lowrie

3.  Pedroia

4.  Youk

5.  Bay

6.  Lowell

7.  Kotsay

8.  Varitek

9.  Bailey

SP – Daisuke Matsuzaka

 

Rays

1.  Akinori Iwamura

2.  Dan Johnson

3.  Carlos Pena (the pride of Northeastern)

4.  Cliff Floyd

5.  Willy Aybar

6.  Eric Hinske

7.  Dioner Navarro

8.  Gabe Gross

9.  Jason Bartlett

SP: Scott Kazmir

Again, I can’t really get over this new reality, but is it possible that this offseason (one in which it’s very likely the Yankees won’t participate) will feature the (Devil) Rays in the ALCS??

It’s quite possible, really.  Although they just got swept in Toronto, it still seems fairly likely that the Rays will make the playoffs.  And as we all know, all is fair game once you get there.

And while some have suggested that making the playoffs is the ultimate priority, and that it’s more important that you’re healthy rather than who you play in the first round, does anybody really want to play the Angels in the first round?  (cricket, cricket)

I didn’t think so.  That’s why I contend that the next 6 games against the Rays, and the last couple of weeks of the season for that matter, are truly important.

Now here’s the latest rumblings I’ve been able to pick up in the halls of the Front Office today…

Fans attending tonight’s game can expect some pretty cool festivities for our celebration of breaking the Major League record for consecutive sellouts.  Tonight will be the 456th consecutive regular season game we’ve sold out, breaking the previous record of 455 held by the Cleveland Indians.

Now I can’t say what these celebrations will include, but I think I’m safe in saying that they will be very fan-oriented.  It was after all, you the fans, who this record really belongs to…

So, congrats Red Sox fans!  Kudos on establishing Red Sox Nation as the best fan base in all of baseball!

And while a lot of people today are pondering what will happen to the Pats after losing Brady, my question to you all, heading into this Tampa Bay series is this…Who would you rather the Sox play in the ALDS?  The White Sox, Twins, or Angels?  (We can’t play the Rays in the first round, because they’re in our Division).

Spolier alert…if you’ve DVR’d this afternoon’s game, please watch and then come back and read. 

But for the rest of you who either got to watch the game from home, or were listening to it on Game Day Audio at work, or found some other means to follow it – Let’s discuss, shall we??

I mean, to me, this has all the feeling of a game that can really light the fire under the team as we head down the stretch.  I don’t want to make too big of a deal about it, because yes, it was against the Orioles, who have struggled this season, but still.  Let’s look at a couple of important factors here:

1.  This was a total team effort.  Granted, Pedroia has been unbelieveable, and continued to be so today.  But what about the bunts from Coco and Jacoby.  Or the homerun Ellsbury robbed earlier in the game.  Or the two-run triple from Kotsay??  Or the great bullpen work from Justin Masterson?  Has anybody else noticed the bullpen has been quietly doing their best ’07 impression as of late?

2.  This is not a game we were supposed to win.  Down 4-0, late, I don’t care who you’re playing.  That is an emotional win.  Going into an off-day, with a sweep, culminating in a walk-off victory is going to feel pretty neat.

Anyhow, day games are always fun here in the Front Office.  For starters, it means we get made-to-order omlets in our employee dining.  Which makes everybody a little more pleasant.  Secondly, day-time baseball is just great.  There’s a totally different atmosphere in the ballpark.  Most likely due to the fact that it is a total “Ferris Bueller” crowd – 3/4 of the people in attendance either have the flu, a terrible stomach virus, or (in the more dispicable of cases) are visting lost a loved one in the hospital.

Anyhow, as I mentioned in the Insider e-newsletter, today’s game marked the 455th consecutive sellout of Fenway Park.  This ties us for the longest string of consecutive sellouts in the history of baseball.  The Cleveland Indians held the mark at 455 during their streak which lasted from June 12, 1995 through April 4, 2001.

This really is quite an accomplishment.  For those of you younger fans, who may not remember some of the “leaner” years in Red Sox history, trust me, it hasn’t always been this way.  And as much as we hope that it continues this way for a long time, we must acknowledge that it’s possible that it might not be.  Those who are old (errr…”young”) enough to remember the ’67 Impossible Dream season, will also be able to tell you that during the first half of the ’66 season, there were hardly any fans at the ballpark.  I’m talking about like 20 seats (or more) together, just plain EMPTY.

That’s why these past 5 years in Red Sox history have been so incredible.  And that’s why this is definitely an appropriate time to take a look back and be thankful for all the great times we’ve had.  As fans we can be thankful for making the postseason every year since the streak started, with the lone exception of 2006.  We can be thankful for 2 World Series Championships, and a host of other memories.  But if I may get sappy here for a moment, we, as an organization have a lot to be thankful for as well.  We have the greatest fans in all of baseball.  That bears repeating…the GREATEST fans in all of baseball.  When the national media tells you that you all hate Bill Buckner, you respond with one of the most moving Opening Day moments I can ever remember.  When Mariano Rivera was introduced on Opening Day of 2005, you gave a great, yet respectful mock cheer.  And when Jordan Leandre ran around the bases on Jimmy Fund Day a couple of years back, you knew exactly how profound a moment that was.  Again…the greatest fans in all of baseball.

Anyhow, I think at this point I’m the last member of the Front Office still actually in the Front Office.  I think everybody else has gone out to celebrate the win.  And since I’d hate for them to think that I’m better than that, I suppose I’ll have to go join them..

All the best from the game and from Inside the Front Office!

“The Voice of the Nation”

We’ll get another look at the future tonight, as 21 year old Michael Bowden makes his major league debut.

From our press release today, announcing his call-up:

At the age of 21 years, 356 days, Bowden will be the youngest Red Sox pitcher to debut and start since Abe Alvarez was 21 years, 279 days on June 22, 2004. Bowden is 0-3, 3.38 in 7 games/6 starts at Pawtucket. He had a no decision in his last start on August 23 at Rochester, allowing 6 hits and 3 runs in 6.1 innings.

 

The righthander started the season at Double-A Portland, going 9-4, 2.33 in 19 starts to earn a spot on the Eastern League All-Star Team. Bowden is in his 4^th pro season after being selected by Boston as a sandwich pick between the 1^st and 2^nd rounds in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.

 

Here we go!  Good luck, Michael!

…oh, and he’ll be wearing # 64.