Red Sox captain and longstanding catcher Jason Varitek has announced that he’ll retire during a press conference scheduled for Thursday.   He’ll turn down a largely-symbolic minor league contract and spring training invite, but he’ll likely stay with the franchise in some organizational capacity.

The news, while probably not a shock to most Red Sox fans, still has to hurt a little.  Tek’s spent 15 years behind the plate at Fenway, and he’s been captain of the team for seven.  According to the Boston Globe, he’s one of only four players in Red Sox history (joining Yastrzemski, Williams, and Rice) to have played so long for Boston without playing for another team.  That’s some good company to keep, but Tek can also boast a unique accomplishment within that group: he’s won two world series championships.

Varitek, a three-time All Star, is a career .256 hitter with 193 home runs and 757 RBIs.  He caught a major-league record four no-hitters, including 2008′s inspirational Jon Lester no-no.  The Globe also notes that Varitek is the only player in baseball history to have played in the Little League World Series, the College World Series, the World Series, the Olympics, and the World Baseball Classic.

We all have our Jason Varitek memories.  The picture of Tek mashing his mitt into Alex Rodriguez’s face during that heated at-bat in that July, 2004 game at Fenway has a prominent place in frat houses and bars all over New England.  We all remember that game – the Red Sox were losing 3-0, frustrated, getting no-hit in the third inning.  A-Rod got in the way of a Bronson Arroyo pitch, things were yelled, insults were thrown (legend has it that Tek told A-Rod to “settle down.  We don’t throw at .260 hitters,” which, heh).  A punch, a brawl, and maybe a spark?  The Sox came back to win, 11-10 on the strength of a comeback ninth inning.  Some people say that mitt to the face, that brawl, was the beginning of the Red Sox’ underdog run to the 2004 championship.  Fans tell each other that Varitek inspired his team, made them believe, stood up to the Yankees, their dynasty, and their highest-paid marquee player.

My Jason Varitek memory is a little different.  I was a softball catcher in college, and I used to work softball camps over the summer (you know the kind – they take place on college campuses, they run for about a week, the coaches are college coaches and their players).  I worked with campers of all ages and with all levels of ability and experience – some of my girls were picking up a shin guard for the first time, and some of my girls were being recruited by colleges themselves.  As a result, there was a lot of breadth in what I taught: some of my older campers needed to learn when to call for a drop curve as opposed to a changeup as opposed to a slider; some of my campers needed to practice blocking the plate a few feet up the third baseline, instead of right on the white; some of my younger campers needed to be shown how to cross the straps on their brand-new shin guards so that they fit better (tangent: dear shin guard manufacturers – women have skinnier calves then men).

I guess that, in the moment, during indvidual drills, I was trying to teach my campers how to Catch: how to frame a pitch, how to field a bunt, how to uncoil yourself from your crouch and throw that quick, compact, straight laser down to second base (hint: it’s all in the hips).  Things that I learned from my own coaches, from books full of diagrams, and things I taught myself from innumerable hours of practice and repetition.

In a broader sense, though, I was also trying to teach my campers how to be Catchers: how to lead the eight teammates out there with you (only a catcher can see every part of the field at the same time); how to look at a hitter’s stance, read her hands, and wordlessly communicate your plan to your pitcher in the five seconds it takes a batter to step in; how to – and how not to – talk to the home plate umpire (jokes and patter, good; arguing balls and strikes, very very bad).

Teaching someone how to be a Catcher is a lot harder than teaching someone how to Catch.  My campers would ask, though, how to lead a team, how to get a pitcher to trust you, how to keep control of a game that’s spinning out of hand.  I’d tell them stories, give them tips, and go over pitch charts with them.  But in the end, when I had no more answers, I’d always say the same thing:

“Do you watch baseball on TV?  Yeah?  You know the Red Sox catcher, Jason Varitek?  Do what he would do.  Watch his games, listen to his interviews, read about him in the paper.  If it’s blocking the plate or getting your team through a tough doubleheader, do what he would do, say what he would say, and you’ll be great.”

Thanks for everything, Tek.  I came to Massachusetts close to the same time you did (P.S. – who misses Heathcliff Slocumb?).  I’m from New York and I grew up watching Girardi and Posada call games for the Yankees: but, I like to think we got to know New England, and the Red Sox, together.  That means something to me, and Fenway will feel different now that I know you won’t be hopping down behind the plate.  Enjoy your retirement, and make sure you ice your knees.

Inside I'm doing a jumpy clappy dance.

If you’re planning to head down to Fenway Park this summer, I recommend arriving early and taking the tour. I’ve done this tour twice and loved it just as much the second time as I did the first. No ballpark in the majors oozes with as much history as Fenway.

Both tours I took started with a trip to the field to watch batting practice. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Sox BP, but who cares… I was standing ON THE FIELD at Fenway Park. That first time, back in 2008 before a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, I remember standing there slack-jawed, staring at Troy Glaus thinking he didn’t look that giant on TV. That dude is big. Trust.

Believe me when I say it took every ounce of willpower in my soul not to kick off my sneakers and run barefoot across the infield grass. I’ve always envied Drew Barrymore for getting to do this in Fever Pitch. Lucky bitch. But, alas, I was interested in sticking around for the game (since this was the one and only time I sat on the Green Monster.)
» Continue reading “Heading to Fenway Park? Take the Tour!”

In any other situation, this would make me weep.

I know I promised I was never going to speak of the Red Sox propensity for drinking in the clubhouse again, but I thought this latest news at least warranted a mention. Finally, the Red Sox organization has stepped up to the plate and banned beer — and pretty much all alcohol consumption — in the clubhouse. Hale-freaking-lulljah!

My hope is that this ban puts a little more focus on the playing of the game of baseball and less on the playing of drinky-drinky while I eat my bucket ‘o chicken. There aren’t many employers that allow drinking on the premises. (Unless you work at my office… where we have an in-office happy hour every Friday, but that’s beside the point.)

It’s not as if the Sox are setting a precedent by banning alcohol — out of the 30 teams in the major leagues, over half (19) have some sort of rule keeping liquor out of the clubhouse. It’s definitely important for player safety — just ask the St. Louis Cardinals who banned alcohol in 2007 after a player was killed in a drunk driving accident. No fan wants to have to live through that again.

David Ortiz appeared to be heavily in favor of this decision. In the Boston Herald article today, he was quoted as saying:

“We’re not here to drink. We’re here to play baseball. It ain’t no bar.”

Bobby V was asked by ESPN about any other rules he discussed with the team in today’s meeting.

Valentine said, “Not to embarrass themselves or the team, the community, their teammates, themselves. I don’t think that’s a new rule. It’s a long-standing rule of life.”

I agree, Bobby. Evidently many of the players were not aware of such a rule last year.

Where the magic happens.

My favorite radio morning team, Dennis & Callahan on WEEI, are down at the brand spanking new JetBlue Park in Fort Meyers for the start of Red Sox spring training and they’ve been busy interviewing some of the new guys. I love D&C! They keep me company while I get ready for work every morning. I may have professed my love for them before…. and @JohnDennisWEEI and I are total Twitter bffs so there’s that.

This morning they interviewed a couple of the bullpen newbies — Mark Melancon and Andrew Bailey. I’ll admit, I don’t know a lot about them other than they played on teams visiting Fenway Park so it was nice to hear them chat with D&C. I learned some good stuff.

Mark Melancon is a soft-spoken guy who evidently is a giant thrill seeker during the off-season. He didn’t really sound like a crazy who swims with great white sharks but turns out he is! This past winter, while teaching at a baseball camp in New Zealand, Mark and his wife had the opportunity to make pretend they were shark bait. Sounds like he’s prepared to face the AL East now!

Click HERE fo the Mark Melancon WEEI interview.

Andrew Bailey, on the other hand, was also a treat — mostly because he talked about controlling the pace of the game as a closer. Jonathan Papelbon was another big offender being painfully slow between pitches. Bailey? Not so much.

“That,” said Kelly Shoppach, the catcher who was behind the plate for Bailey’s first side session of the spring, “was the fastest 35 pitches I’ve ever caught. He got up on the mound, he got ready to go, he threw it, it was right on the money.”

He’s like the Bizarro Papelbon. He waits for the batter to get in the box and he throws the ball. I think I’m going to like this guy!

Click HERE for the Andrew Bailey WEEI interview.

Welcome to the jungle boys… I hope you’ve been practicing your bullpen music skills.

View from the plush EMC Club... not too shabby.

We hear it every year — baseball games are too long! The Red Sox are one of, if not the biggest offenders of long, drawn out games, routinely going past the three hour mark and occasionally hitting the four hour mark. The Red Sox and Yankees have been responsible for some of the longest games in MLB history — as a matter of fact, they own the record for the longest 9 inning game — a 4 hour 45 minute affair in August of 2006, which just happened to be part of a double header! My ass just fell asleep thinking about it.

I have mixed feelings about the game times. On one hand, when I’ve scored great seats, I want the game to go on forever. The one time I sat on the Monster, there were two rain delays and the game went into extra innings. I was up there happily forever! And there was the game where I had seats in the EMC Club — um, best seats EVER — and the stupid game barely lasted two and a half hours. Boy did that piss me off. But then nothing irks me more than when I’m sitting in Fenway on weeknight and the clock strikes 10pm and it’s only the 7th inning. Crap… I’ve got a two hour trip home!
» Continue reading “Red Sox: Are You Ready to Speed Up the Game?”

In today’s Red Sox edition of “Whoops!  We should have thought of that,” we learn that a Chicago Cubs fan living in Fort Myers found a great way to stick it to the team that snatched Not That Chris Carpenter from Chicago’s ivy-covered grasp just yesterday.

When the Red Sox announced that JetBlue had secured the naming rights for the Red Sox’ new spring training home last March, Eric Engelman ran to his computer and, using his wife’s Go Daddy account, bought the domain name www.jetbluepark.com for eight dollars.

Click on the link.  We’ll wait.

Do you see what I see?  As of this morning, jetbluepark.com redirects not to an informative website laying out the amenities, features, and seating chart of the Red Sox’ idyllic new complex; not to a website where Red Sox stars tell the people how much they enjoy flying JetBlue; it doesn’t even redirect to redsox.com.

Nope.  It redirects to yankees.com.

Well played, Mr. Engelman.  I fully expect that the Red Sox brass will be calling you and offering to take that domain name off your hands for a lot more than the eight dollars you paid for it.

The Theo Epstein Compensation Issue is over, folks!  The Boston Globe reported today that the Chicago Cubs will give up their 13th-ranked prospect, relief pitcher Chris Carpenter, in exchange for Boston’s former general manager.  Both teams will also give up a player to be named later.

The subject Chris Carpenter is, as the Globe so eloquently puts it, “not the more established starter by the same name who plays for the Cardinals.”

No kidding.  This Chris Carpenter is a 26-year old righty who has lodged ten major league appearance for Chicago.  He has a high-90s fastball but, apparently, also has some control issues.

I mean, let’s see how he does, I guess.  I’m not expecting greatness from Not That Chris Carpenter, but another bullpen option won’t hurt.

Photo: David Goldman / AP

With the start of spring training (finally! *tosses confetti*), I’m so ready to move on from the horrors of last season’s complete melt down. From here on out, I vow to never mention the clubhouse chicken eating or beer drinking ever again. Like many of the players, I want a fresh start. I want to look forward to the season ahead rather than dwell on the collapse of 2011. Maybe that will get me out of my mid-winter funk.

Judging by early interviews out of Fort Meyers, it looks like I’m not the only one looking for a new beginning. I’m sure every one of the members of last year’s team would like nothing more than to never speak of last September again.

In a recent interview with the Boston Globe, Jon Lester said, ”I don’t think there’s anything else to talk about with it. The biggest thing is, myself, I’m ready to move on from it. I’ve learned from it. It’s something that I’m not proud of. The biggest thing is, especially from last year, is that you learn from your mistakes. I’m looking forward to starting new this year and trying to be that leader we were just talking about.”

Sounds like Jon has a long list of “biggest things” that went wrong with last year. That’s good. I do too! Maybe we can compare notes. I bet mine’s longer.
» Continue reading “Red Sox: I’m Ready To Move On Too”

“I’ve always tried to showcase the side of sports that you don’t necessarily see when you’re watching a game,” Melanie Pellowski told me.  “Statistics are important, and it’s important to be a knowledgeable fan.  But I’ve always been drawn to learning and showcasing who these athletes are off the field.”

Pellowski, a 28-year-old on-air reporter for Providence, Rhode Island-based Cox Sports New England, has made a career out of giving fans the chance to get to know the players they follow on a deeper, more personal level.  Now, as one of the lucky fifty people vying for a spot in this season’s MLB Fan Cave, Pellowski wants to bring her perspective to a larger audience.

Here’s Melanie’s Fan Cave video.  Tell me she’s not awesome:

Melanie’s Fan Cave Video

After telling me she was most excited to meet Evan Longoria in the Fan Cave (“He’s done such a great job with his professional career, and he sets a great example.  The Rays have a fantastic system, and he’s really managed all the expectations that baseball’s put on him,”) Melanie explained the value of her female perspective.  “I know the game, but I’m not a snob about it,” she says.  “I’m personable, and I have a knack for conversation.  I’m able to put these guys at ease, get them to open up, and bring these high-profile athletes down to who they really are.”

For example, here’s another fabulous example of Melanie’s work.  PawSox Superlatives – enjoy:

Melanie also makes a point of making sports accessible to younger fans, especially girls.  As part of her job, she showcases sports that aren’t mainstream, and focuses on high-school athletes who have active artistic, community, or academic lives outside their sport.  “I try to give these kids their due, and give people a chance to be their fan,” she told me.  “It’s good for young people – especially, I think, girls and young women, but really all young people – to just have an understanding of what sports is really about.  Knowing the rules of baseball and knowing a hitter’s batting average or a pitcher’s ERA is important, but it’s also important for young people to feel like these players are relatable and accessible, and to be inspired by them.”

The long-time Red Sox fan (Melanie started following the Red Sox growing up inNew Jersey, and then proudly “let her flag fly” when she moved to Boston for  school) sounded excited and optimistic about Boston’s upcoming season.  She predicts three major plot lines, centered around new manager Bobby Valentine’s ability to lead the team (“he has a great personality for this club”), whether Jacoby Ellsbury will repeat his 2011 breakout season or fall back, and whether Carl Crawford will finally find his niche – and his numbers – at Fenway.

“This will definitely be an interesting year for the Sox,” Melanie said.  “A lot of people are painting them as the underdogs after the end of last season, but I think that depiction will motivate them to pull together and do something special.  This group thrives on being fighters, and they almost play better when they have something to prove.  Dustin Pedroia probably spent the entire off-season ready to go.”

You can vote for Melanie (I have!) here.  Voting ends February 22, 2012.  Good luck, Melanie!

Photo by Me.

Yup, I cried. How could you not cry with Tim Wakefield up there at the podium sniffling and pausing often to compose himself. The tears pretty much started as soon as Tom Werner started talking about Tim’s career. It’s a sad day for Red Sox fans — saying goodbye to such a mainstay in the Red Sox organization is always hard.

I’m in total agreement with Steph’s earlier post — Tim Wakefield IS a class act! I’ve always been a huge fan of Wake. He’s been with the Red Sox since I started dating my (now) husband… and that’s a long time! His dependability and leadership role have made him an integral part of not only the Red Sox pitching staff, but the whole team. Whether it be in a starting role or out of the bullpen, he never wavered or complained (at least that I know of!)
» Continue reading “Saying Farewell to the Knuckleballer”