Boston Red Sox:

Bo Sox get new blood to exorcise the curse

The curse of the Bambino is something that most Chowds believed in last season. After Game 7 of the ALCS all Chowds believe that there is a curse. Manager Grady Little left ace Pedro Martinez in a few batters too long (which ultimately cost him his job), the Yanks then came back and now everyone believes, it was The Babe himself that pushed the ball off of Aaron Boone’s bat in the bottom of the 10th inning.

As dramatic as that game was, it was rivaled by the off-season. The Sox and Yanks both entered the “Alex Rodriguez Sweepstakes” and the Yanks came out the victor. The Evil Empire agreed to the terms that the Players Union wanted making A-Rod a hated man in the Chowd nation. The Sox and Texas Rangers had actually come to terms on a deal, but the MLBPA nixed the deal because A-Rod was giving up too much money. GM Theo Epstein moved on to plan b, get one of the best pitchers in the game. In the first big trade of the off-season, Epstein wrestled former CY Young winner Curt Schilling away from the desert for a grocery list of players. He also signed short stop Pokey Reese, who has been filling in nicely for Nomar Garciaparra until he gets off the DL, second baseman Mark Belhorn and got the closer they needed in Keith Foulke. The team then fired Grady Little and brought in hard nosed Terry Francona to lead the Sox to the promised land.
The Red Sox are the embodiment of a home run hitting team. They featured a starting lineup last season that all hit double digit home runs. At the top of the lineup they have centerfielder Johnny Damon, and Mark Belhorn. The heart of the Sox line-up consists of designated hitter David Ortiz, left fielder Manny Ramirez and utility guy Kevin Millar. The batting order is finished out by catcher Jason Varitek, third baseman Bill Mueller, and, while Nomar is injured, shortstop Pokey Reese.

With the acquisitions of Schilling and Foulke the Red Sox have filled two gaping holes in their pitching staff. Schilling joins Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe, Tim Wakefield, and Bronson Arroyo in the one of, if not the, premiere staff in the majors. Foulke will be the main man in a bullpen that showcases Alan Embree, Mike Timlin, and Scott Williamson.

There’s a curse hanging ominously over it, a green monster in left and come October an entire nation turns it eyes to it. It’s not the plot for this summer’s big blockbuster movie, its Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox and baseball’s oldest stadium. Fenway has been standing in the heart of Boston since 1912. It’s played host to many Hall of Fame players, like Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski, to name a few. In the 2003 season the team added 280 seats a top the Green Monster, giving Sox fans a new and exciting view of the field.

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