The Triumphant Red Sox Blog

Baseball is a well-seasoned game, but the some of the technology teams are now using would have seemed like science fiction to old timers.

I've had this article bookmarked for a few months but am just now getting around to posting it. Make sure to also check out the "Related Stories" links before the comments section.

Labels: technology

Given the proliferation of smartphones and mobile apps, you would think Blogger would have come up with a highly functional mobile interface. Perhaps they have, but so far all I can find is Blogger Mobile. I signed up last weekend and, just a few minutes ago, attempted my first mobile post. So far, nothing. Disappointing.

Labels: trials of a blogger

Just got this from the Jimmy Fund. I'm happy to pass it along in memory of my brother, who was a Jimmy Fund patient from 1968 until his death from leukemia in 1971.

BOSTON - Red Sox pitchers Tim Wakefield and Clay Buchholz and President and CEO Larry Lucchino joined Dana-Farber President Edward J. Benz Jr., MD, along with pediatric and adult patients and their families, today to kick off their appointment as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund Co-captains.

The two pitchers will be ambassadors for the Jimmy Fund to raise awareness and build support for cancer care and research at Dana-Farber. They will also lend their support to some of the charity's signature events throughout the year, visit adult and pediatric clinics, thank donors, and more.

"We're proud to have Tim and Clay 'pitching in' for Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund," said Benz. "The combination of one of the Red Sox' most established and distinguished veterans and one of the team's brightest new stars reinforces the durability of the bond between the Sox and Dana-Farber."

The Boston Red Sox are unequalled champions in the fight against cancer. The Red Sox adopted the Jimmy Fund as their official charity in 1953, and since then, the two organizations have established a deep bond — unlike any other between a professional sports team and a charity. The Red Sox have teamed with the Jimmy Fund to save lives, seek cures, and dramatically change the quality of life for adults and children facing cancer in New England and around the world.

Buchholz, who served as this year's honorary spokesplayer for Dana-Farber's Rally Against Cancer^SM fundraiser, is thrilled with his newest role with the Jimmy Fund.

"Being involved with the Jimmy Fund is an honor for any Red Sox player, as we are all aware of the long-standing relationship," said Buchholz. "I feel extremely fortunate to be part of this tradition and will do what I can to support Dana-Farber's important mission."

Wakefield has been a longtime supporter of the Jimmy Fund, visiting with clinic teens during their road trips to Spring Training and a Red Sox road game each season, and participating in various WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethons. In 1998, he started the "Wakefield Warriors" program, through which patients from Dana-Farber and Franciscan Hospital for Children visit with him and watch batting practice before all Tuesday games at Fenway Park, and after the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series it was Wakefield who brought the coveted trophy to Dana-Farber for pediatric and adult patients to admire.

"I’ve often said how special it is to be a member of the Red Sox because of the passion New Englanders feel for baseball," said Wakefield. "It’s the same way with the Jimmy Fund. Every time I walk out to the mound and see that Jimmy Fund emblem out on the Green Monster, I am reminded of the special role the team has played in helping fight cancer since Ted Williams visited with patients at Dana-Farber back in the 1950s."

The Jimmy Fund, an official charity of the Boston Red Sox, supports the fight against cancer at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, helping to raise the chances of survival for children and adults with cancer around the world. Since 1948, the generosity of millions of people has helped the Jimmy Fund save countless lives by furthering cancer research and care.

Join Wakefield and Buchholz in their fight against cancer: Text KCANCER to 20222 to give $10 now (message and data rates apply; ten dollars will be billed to your cell phone; for terms, visit hmgf.org/t).

Photo (courtesy of the Jimmy Fund) — CONFERENCE ON THE BED: 2010 Red Sox Jimmy Fund co-captains Tim Wakefield and Clay Buchholz visit with Jimmy Fund Clinic patient Camila, 4, and her sister Catherine,6, Lopez-Perez on Friday. As co-captains, Wakefield and Buchholz will serve as ambassadors for Dana-Farber's Jimmy Fund to raise awareness and build support for cancer care and research. They will also lend their support to some of the charity's signature events throughout the year, visit adult and pediatric clinics, thank donors, and more.

Labels: good causes, players

The season opening post comes to us from an anonymous Canadian guest blogger, who was somewhat surprised to learn that C.C. Sabathia is on my fantasy baseball team.

Dear Theo,

You may recall that I am your most loyal fan. You may also recall that I bleed Red Sox blood and have cheered the loudest of anyone, even in the Jimy years.

You know that a) if you were taller, b) if you were Catholic, or c) if you were Canadian (because I have a weakness for those), I would marry you or at least bear your children. Having said that, I thought I should come clean, this being Easter and all, and tell you that I have C.C. Sabathia in my fantasy pool.

I know that Jon Lester will probably win the Cy Young award and C.C. is a tad rotund. I just felt like finally having a guy not named Schilling who could win the big game. A guy who causes opposing batters to break into a cold sweat when he takes the mound. Now, I know that Luis Tiant had that effect on batters too, but that was because they weren't sure he was paying attention.

Anyway, I love your new loafers. They really bring out the color in your eyes.

C.C. lover,
K.J.

Dear K.J.,

I have to say I found your marriage entreaties quite inviting. You should know that I can a) wear lifts in my shoes, b)say the Hail Mary and Our Father (Bill Belichick taught me those), and c) think Winnipeg is a nice city.

That being said, I am horrified at your pronouncement and ask that you turn in your Red Sox fan membership immediately.

Regretfully,
T.E.

In my own defense, I let the computer draft for me this year and really shouldn't complain, since I also got Tim Lincecum. But here's my own response.

Dear Theo,

Tell Beckett to stop throwing the curve ball until he can figure out how to keep opponents from hitting it out of the park, and then we'll talk.

Hugs & kisses,
K.J.

Labels: guest bloggers, imaginary conversations

They were heady times, the Nomar years. He was a gangly kid with a big nose and an interesting name: Garciaparra, which in a nod to the Mexican tradition is a combination of his father's two family names, Garcia and Parra; Nomar, which is his father Ramon's name spelled backward; and Anthony, the first name nobody ever uses. In the minor leagues, he earned the monikor "shortstop of the future," and he lived up to it when he got to the majors. He was the 1997 American League Rookie of the Year, two-time batting champ, and five-time All Star. Oh, and he was a great shortstop in the era of The Three Shortstops, one of whom (some guy in New York) got all the national attention even though his defensive range was paltry compared to Nomar's.

But then came some injuries, a bad attitude, and a deadline trade that led to the Red Sox' first World Series championship since World War I. Great for Boston, but not so much for Garciaparra, who wasn't quite the same. After nine seasons in a Boston uniform, he spent a season in a half as a Chicago Cub, three as a Dodger, and one as an Athletic. He could still hit, but his defense wasn't what it had been, and injuries limited his playing time.

I for one wasn't surprised to hear that he was retiring, but it was the rest of the news that took me aback. WEEI radio's Lou Merloni, himself a former Sox infielder, first broke the news that Nomar was going to sign a one-day contract with the Red Sox and then hang up the cleats. MLB.com's Ian Browne reports that the return is literally a dream come true:

Nomar Garciaparra, a two-time batting champion and six-time All-Star, revealed last summer that he had a recurring dream of one day playing for the Red Sox again. That never came to fruition, so Garciaparra did the next best thing on Wednesday morning, announcing his retirement at a news conference held by his original team.

Hey, you can't ignore a recurring dream.

After his final day as a professional baseball player, Nomar will embark on a new career as a baseball analyst for ESPN. But he will always be able to say he began and ended his playing career with the Boston Red Sox, the place where he says the fans made him feel at home. Apparently, the Red Sox feel the same way.

"We welcome you home," [Red Sox President Larry] Lucchino said at the press conference. "It gives us enormous pride to recognize the respect you have to the organization, the connection you feel to the organization, the connection you feel to our fans and Fenway Park, and I'm here to fell you the feelings are mutual. When the history of the Boston Red Sox is written again, there will be a very large and important chapter devoted to Nomar Garciaparra."

Labels: fans, memories, players, transactions

The Red Sox spring training equipment truck leaves Fenway in 24 hours for its annual trip to Fort Myers. Nowhere else in Major League Baseball is the departure of the truck such a big deal.

Boston is a baseball town like no other, which is why we anxiously await any milestone that makes us feel that baseball isn't far away. The departure of the truck, pitchers and catchers reporting, the first exhibition game—to the die hard fan, those events are almost as big as Opening Day. They're a bit like the mile markers along a marathon route. They remind us that, despite the weather, we really are moving toward spring.

Karen and I will be there. We plan to make a day of it: head into town around mid-morning, browse the souvenir store, watch the truck load up, wave good-bye (that was Karen waving two years ago), walk across Brookline Ave for lunch, maybe hit the MFA or Museum of Science in the afternoon.

Truck Day also signals the end of my protracted period of procrastination (hey, alliteration!) about blogging. I have no more excuses for delay. I can barely stand the pressure.

Labels: spring training