Slide 1
Joey Pecora
My name is Joey Pecora and my project is on the Boston Red Sox. I’ve been a fan of the Boston Red Sox
for as long as I can remember. Since I was born and raised in the State of New York, one of the most
common questions I get is, how can you be from New York and be a Red Sox fan? Well, there are a couple
of reasons. First of all, it’s something that was handed down to me from my father. While my father was
growing up in Oneonta, NY the Red Sox had a short-season Single-A farm team there. Naturally, many of
the locals became Red Sox fans.
Also, upstate NY is, for the most part, considered a part of New England, and the Red Sox are the only
team in the New England area. Baseball is so big in the Northeast that you practically learn to pledge your
allegiance to a particular team very early on in childhood. As a child, you’re taught to show an uncanny
loyalty to your team. You learn to show pride in your team through good times and bad times. Come to
think of it, it’s similar to a marriage! See, in the Northeast baseball is life. Baseball is to the Northeast
what high school football is to Texas, only bigger. In fact, the strong New England fan base is known as
“Red Sox Nation.” In essence, we are a nation of Red Sox fans. The nickname represents the size of the
territory that Red Sox baseball caters to, and the rabid ness of the fans.
Considering the history of the Red Sox franchise, we’ve learned to consider our inherent loyalty to Red Sox
baseball a burden, or even a curse. Once perusal through my Red Sox timeline will enlighten you further
on this. It’s said to be like inheriting a lifetime of misery. The Red Sox come close to winning as often as
you would expect a great franchise to, but there is always some occurrence that brings a promising year to
an abrupt halt.
Slide 2
My topic is enormous. When I first started thinking about doing my project on the Red Sox, there were
countless directions that I could pursue. But, due to time constraints, I narrowed my project down to meet
a few simple objectives. I like to think of this as “Red Sox 101.” My first objective is to provide a brief
summary of the history of the franchise. I will draw attention to many of the important events that have
taken place since their origin in 1901. Second, I want to discuss the 2003 roster and highlight some of their
accomplishments. Third, I plan to explain the purpose and structure of the minor league system. Fourth, I
have pinpointed 6 of the top prospects from the Red Sox minor league system. This will give the audience
a look at what is on the horizon for the club. Finally, I want to dedicate some time to Fenway Park, the
home of the Boston Red Sox since 1912. If you’re talking about the Red Sox, you have to talk about
Fenway Park. It’s the most historical and storied ballpark in all of baseball.
Slide 3
Historical Perspective
1901 - 1950
1901:
1903:
1904:
1907:
1912:
1915:
1916:
1918:
1933:
1941:
1946:
Inaugural season for the Boston Americans and the
American League
First World Championship
Second World Championship
A uniform and name change
Fenway Park opens
Third World Championship
Fourth World Championship
Fifth World Championship
Tom Yawkey takes over a struggling franchise
Ted Williams hits .406
American League Champions
The Red Sox’ inaugural season was played in 1901 in the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston, MA.
The ballpark seated 9,000 fans and had additional standing room behind ropes in the outfield. Compared to
today’s standards, it was an enormous ballpark. It measured 320 feet down the lines and 530 feet to center
field. In 1901 there were two major league teams in Boston, the Boston Americans, or Pilgrims (now the
Red Sox), and the Boston Nationals (later known as the Braves). The teams shared the Huntington Avenue
Grounds. In 1903, the Nationals moved to Milwaukee and left the Americans as the only team in town.
1903 marked a banner year for Boston. Not only did the Americans become the only act in town, they also
won their first World Championship. Behind the stellar pitching of Cy Young, they defeated the National
League Champion Pittsburgh Pirates five games to three. The following season the club won the American
League pennant again. Unfortunately, the National League Champions, the New York Giants, refused to
participate in the post season. Therefore, Boston was crowned World Champions again by default. In
1907, owner John Taylor gave the team an identity that remains today. Taylor decided that the team would
start wearing white uniforms and bright red socks. Consequently, the team became officially known as the
Red Sox. The futuristic vision for the Red Sox didn’t stop there. In 1912 the Red Sox moved out of the
Huntington Avenue Grounds to a new state-of-the-art ballpark called Fenway Park. It’s still home to the
Red Sox and is currently the oldest ballpark in the major leagues. The new look pumped blood into the
franchise. The Red Sox were a dominating force in baseball from 1915 through 1918. The Red Sox rode
the arm and bat of Babe Ruth to win three consecutive World titles. Regrettably, the Red Sox’ luck was
about to run out. Due to financial problems, team owner Harry Frazee decided to sell Babe Ruth to the
hated Yankees after the 1918 championship. Ruth was sold to the Yankees for $100,000 in cash and a
$300,000 mortgage payment on Fenway Park. Frazee sold off other top performers as well; and, needless
to say, a long drought was in store for the Red Sox. By 1933, the Red Sox were in desperate need of an
ownership change. Their best players were moved, bad organizational decisions were made, and as a result
the franchise lived in the cellar of the American League standings. In fact, they finished in last place nine
times. So, in 1933, Tom Yawkey bought the team and would rule the franchise for four decades. Mr.
Yawkey had his work cut out for him because it takes a long time to rebuild a franchise. But, he was
determined to get it done. In 1941, Ted Williams pumped some life back into the Red Sox. Williams
became the first American League hitter to hit for an average of .400 or better since Harry Heilmann did it
in 1923. It’s a fascinating story. Williams went into the last day of the season scheduled to play a double
header against the Philadelphia A’s. He was hitting .400 on the nose. With the Sox eliminated from postseason play, nobody expected Williams to play, thereby securing a historical achievement. But, Williams
demanded to play that day. He ended up going six for eight and raised his average to .406. Williams is
always remembered for his famous remarks after that day when he said, “Ain’t I the best damn hitter you
ever saw?” It wasn’t until 1946 that the Red Sox broke their pennant drought. That year, Ted Williams
won the League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and carried the Sox to an American League
championship. But, it was all for not. The Sox lost a heartbreaker in game seven of the World Series to the
Cardinals.
Slide 4
Historical Perspective
1951 - present
1967:
1975:
1976:
1978:
1986:
1988:
1990:
1995:
1998:
1999:
2003:
“The Impossible Dream”
American League Champions
Tom Yawkey dies
One-game playoff for the AL pennant
American League Champions
American League East Champions
American League East Champions
American League East Champions
American League Wild Card
American League Division Series
American League Division Series
When 1967 rolled around, the Red Sox were in search of their first pennant in twenty-one years.
Amazingly, after two straight ninth place finishes, the Sox won the American League pennant. It’s often
been said that Carl Yazstremski (“Yaz”) put the team on his back and carried the team to the pennant. Yaz
accomplished an amazing feat that year by winning the Triple Crown, and unsurprisingly, the MVP award.
It should be noted that nobody has hit for the Triple Crown since. But, once again, the Sox lost in seven
games to the Cardinals in the World Series. 1975 was a season to remember. The Sox won the pennant
behind rookie sensations Jim Rice and Fred Lynn. Lynn became the first and only player to ever win the
MVP award in his rookie season. Unfortunately, the Sox lost in the seventh game of the World Series once
again. This time it was to the Reds. The following year was a difficult one for the Red Sox family. Sadly,
Boston’s beloved owner, Tom Yawkey, died without ever achieving a World Championship. Mr. Yawkey
left control of the franchise to his wife, Jean. One of the most devastating years in Red Sox history was
1978. The Sox finished the season tied with the New York Yankees, yielding a one-game playoff for the
American League pennant. The scene was set for a historical showdown at Fenway Park. The Sox took
the lead early in the game, but lost it late on Bucky Dent’s infamous home run over the Green Monster in
left field. It should be noted that the home run was only Dent’s fifth of the entire season. To this day,
Bostonians’ refer to Dent as “Bucky Bleeping Dent.” It was yet another heartbreaking loss. The Red Sox
would finally make it back to the World Series in 1986. In an amazing comeback, the Sox defeated the
California Angles to win the American League pennant. But, an amazing season turned forgettable within
a week’s time. The Sox faced the New York Mets in the World Series and actually had the championship
all but wrapped up. The Sox were one strike away from winning the World Championship. They were
already celebrating in the clubhouse when it all unraveled. After a wild pitch and perhaps the most
infamous error of all time (a routine ground ball went through the legs of first baseman, Bill Buckner), the
Sox gave the game to the Mets. The Mets scored twice and won the game in stunning fashion. The Mets
came right back to win game seven and the World Championship the next day. The Red Sox assembled
some very good teams in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, but they clearly weren’t championship material. In
1988, the Sox clinched their second division title in three years. But, they were completely overmatched in
the American League Championship Series (ALCS). The Sox were swept by the Oakland A’s four games
to none. The team met the exact same fate in 1990 as the A’s extended the Red Sox post-season losing
streak to ten games. In 1995, Mo Vaughn won the MVP award and the Red Sox won the American League
East. However, the Sox suffered an overwhelming sweep in the playoffs to the Cleveland Indians. This
sweep extended their post-season losing streak to thirteen games. In 1998, Nomar Garciaparra and newly
acquired Pedro Martinez propelled the Sox to the American League Wild Card with their first ninety-win
season since 1996. The Red Sox snapped their thirteen-game post-season losing streak by winning game
one of the American League Division Series (ALDS) against the Indians. But, they ended up losing the
next three games to lose the series. The Sox were right back battling for a championship the next season.
Pedro Martinez won the Cy Young award and Nomar Garciaparra won his first batting title. This vaulted
the Sox into the playoffs with a ninety-four-win season. Down two games to none in the ALDS, the Sox
accomplished the improbable. They rallied back to win the next three games and capture the series. But, it
was all for not. They ended up losing the ALCS to the Yankees in five games. This brings us to 2003, and
we all know what happened this season. The Sox won the American League Wild Card, which positioned
them for a clash with the A’s in the ALDS. The Sox found themselves facing elimination quickly as they
fell down two games to none. But, just as they did in ’99 against the Indians, they rallied back. The Sox
took the next three games from the A’s and won the series in dramatic fashion. Things were looking great
in Red Sox Nation. This looked like it could be the year to reverse an eighty-five-year trend. That didn’t
happen. In one of the greatest series’ of all-time, the Sox lost game 7 to the Yankees…once again in
dramatic fashion.
Slide 5
Organizational Chart
There are four playing levels in a major league baseball organization underneath the parent club. The
levels include, Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A, and Rookie, or Instructional League. Each level is property
of the parent club and will consist of one, two or three teams. While there will always be only one Triple-A
and Double-A affiliate, there may be more Single-A or Rookie League affiliates. For instance, the Red Sox
have three Single-A teams (Augusta, Sarasota, and Lowell). Each team below the parent club is referred to
as a “farm team.” The farm system is where the organization places its younger, unpolished players for
grooming. For example, if the Red Sox were to draft a player from a high school, they would place that
player somewhere in their farm system to develop his skills. Based on players’ abilities and the needs of
the parent club, players move (up or down) within the farm system. There are no set guidelines to
determine how, or when a player moves within the system. The General Manager (GM) of the parent club
makes all of these decisions. Though Triple-A is the highest level of baseball in a farm system, players
don’t have to move up to this level before they are called up to the major leagues. For example, if a player
performs well at the Double-A level, and the GM deems him ready for the big leagues, that player can
move directly to the parent club.
Slide 6
2003 Roster
Starting Pitchers
NUM
PLAYER
THW
AGE
HT
WT
19
John Burkett
R
38
6’3”
215
32
Derek Lowe
R
30
6’6”
214
45
Pedro Martinez
R
32
5’11”
180
35
Jeff Suppan
R
28
6’2”
220
49
Tim Wakefield
R
37
6’2”
214
The Red Sox carry 17 pitchers on their roster. Five of these 17 pitchers are called starting pitchers. Their
job is to start and go as deep into a game as possible. The ultimate goal for every starting pitcher is to start
and finish a game by himself. But, in this day and age, complete games are few and far between. So,
generally, managers expect their starting pitchers to last 6 to 8 innings per game. If a starting pitcher’s
performance falls into that range it’s considered a quality start.
Slide 7
2003 Roster
Relief Pitchers
NUM
PLAYER
THW
AGE
HT
WT
61
Bronson Arroyo
R
26
6’5”
190
43
Alan Embree
L
33
6’2”
190
23
Casey Fossum
L
25
6’1”
165
46
Bob Howry
R
30
6’5”
220
59
Todd Jones
R
35
6’3”
230
51
Byung-Hyun Kim
R
24
5‘9”
180
38
Brandon Lyon
R
24
6’1”
185
55
Ramiro Mendoza
R
31
6’2”
195
31
Robert Person
R
34
6’0”
193
47
Scott Sauerbeck
L
31
6’3”
220
50
Mike Timlin
R
37
6’4”
210
48
Scott Williamson
R
27
6’0”
185
Since the Red Sox carry 17 pitchers on their roster, and 5 are starting pitchers, the remaining 12 are
considered relief pitchers. The duty of the relief pitchers is to finish games left by the starting pitchers.
There are different categories of relief pitchers, long, short, and closers. Long relievers are called upon to
handle three or more innings of work. Short relievers are always ready for one to two innings of work.
They are generally brought in games to hold leads. The closer is called upon to finish a game in which the
team has the lead (usually it’s a lead of three runs or less). His job is to get the final three outs of a game to
“save” the game.
Slide 8
2003 Roster
Catchers / Infielders
NUM
PLAYER
POS
BAT
THW
AGE
HT
WT
44
Bill Haselman
C
R
R
37
6’3”
225
28
Doug Mirabelli
C
R
R
33
6’1”
227
33
Jason Varitek
C
B
R
31
6’2”
237
53
Andy Abad
1B
L
L
31
5’11”
196
5
Nomar Garciaparra
SS
R
R
30
6’0”
190
2
Damian Jackson
2B
R
R
30
5’11”
185
13
Lou Merloni
3B
R
R
32
5’10”
201
15
Kevin Millar
1B
R
R
32
6’0”
210
11
Bill Mueller
3B
B
R
32
5’10”
180
12
Todd Walker
2B
L
R
30
6’0”
190
The catcher and infielder category is made up of five positions, catcher, fist base, second base, shortstop,
and third base. Many infielders are considered “utility” players, meaning that they can play many different
positions. The catcher acts as a field general. He calls the pitches and relays many of the signs from the
dugout to the field.
Slide 9
2003 Roster
Outfielders
NUM
PLAYER
POS
BAT
THW
AGE
HT
WT
17
Adrian Brown
CF
B
R
29
6’0”
200
18
Johnny Damon
CF
L
L
29
6’2”
190
25
Jeremy Giambi
DH
L
L
29
5’11”
216
29
Gabe Kapler
RF
R
R
28
6’2”
208
10
Dave McCarty
LF
R
L
33
6’5”
215
7
Trot Nixon
RF
L
L
29
6’2”
211
34
David Ortiz
DH
L
L
27
6’4”
230
24
Manny Ramirez
LF
R
R
31
6’0”
213
The outfield category is made up of three positions, left field, center field, and right field. Generally, the
fastest outfielder is placed in center field and is required to cover the most ground. He is the “general,” so
to speak, of the outfield. The player with the strongest throwing arm is usually placed in right field. The
weakest defender is usually placed in left field. All of this is subject to change, depending on the personnel
that any given team has in place.
Slide 10
This slide lists the 2003 Red Sox’ leaders in major categories (five offensive categories and three pitching
categories). A comparison is drawn to reveal how the 2003 Red Sox leaders fared against the rest of the
American League. It should be mentioned that Bill Mueller won the American League batting title with a
.326 average. Also, Pedro Martinez led American League pitchers with a 2.22 Earned Run Average.
Slide 11
Disappointingly, the Red Sox didn’t win the World Championship in 2003; however, they were able to etch
themselves into the history books. This season’s team combined to post one of the most formidable
offenses in the history of the game. The team finished with a .289 batting average. They hit a singleseason club record 238 home runs, second in the American League, by one, to the Rangers. Their previous
single-season record was 214 home runs. An astounding six players hit 20 or more home runs in 2003.
They almost had 7, but Bill Mueller finished the season with 19 home runs. Only three teams in the history
of baseball have had seven players reach this feat. The club also set a single-season record for extra-base
hits (591). Seven players finished the season with 80 or more Runs Batted In (RBI), another club record.
Moreover, they averaged an amazing 5.9 runs per game. To put this in perspective, the A’s finished second
to the Sox with a 4.7 runs per game average. All told, this team set new Major League Baseball (MLB)
records for At-Bats (AB), Doubles, Extra-Base Hits, and Total Bases. Undoubtedly, they will go down in
history as one of the best offenses ever assembles.
Slide 12
Fenway Park opened on April 20, 1912. Today, it’s the oldest ballpark in the Major Leagues. Just to give
a time frame reference, the sinking of the Titanic overshadowed opening day at Fenway. The park was
dubbed Fenway because it was built in a section of Boston known as the Fens.
Fenway Park is best known for housing the Green Monster. The Green Monster is the left field wall. It
measures 37 feet in height, by far the tallest fence in MLB. Fenway Park has one of the last hand-operated
scoreboards in baseball on the left field wall. Green and red lights are used to signal balls, strikes, and outs.
Fenway Park is very deceiving from the outside. If you were walking down the street outside of Fenway,
you wouldn’t know that you were feet away from a Major League Ballpark. The outside of the park is
brick and it looks just like another building. If it weren’t for the light towers you might think you were
outside a library rather than a ballpark. It’s amazing.
The maximum capacity at Fenway is now slightly over 33,871. It’s far and away the lowest in the Major
Leagues. There is a constant argument brewing in Boston as to whether a new, modern stadium should be
built. Boston is big on tradition, so for the time being, Fenway is safe. The new ownership is trying to
devise ways to increase the seating capacity. Just this past year, 280 new seats were added atop the Green
Monster.
Slide 13
Pictures from Fenway
This slide shows a few pictures of Fenway Park. Of particular note is the picture of the manually operated
scoreboard that resides on the Green Monster.
Slide 14
The Red Sox farm system is considered “thin” right now, especially at the higher levels. This is due to the
fact that they’ve traded away a number of their highly thought of prospects for players that management
felt could help the team win today. So, the system is in a rebuilding stage. Nevertheless, here are a few
young players that are on the horizon and could soon make their debuts in a Red Sox uniform.
Slide 15
Red Sox Nation
Red Sox Links
Red Sox Sounds
Official Site
ESPN
CNNSI
CBS Sportsline
Boston Globe
Boston Herald
Providence Journal
Mass Live
My Red Sox Excel Project
My Goals & Objectives
The Call of Ted Williams Last At-Bat
Ted Williams – The greatest hitters he’s ever seen
Ted Williams on Nomar Garciaparra
Sherm Feller - Welcome to Fenway
Sherm Feller – Please rise
Test Your Red Sox Knowledge
Criss Cross Puzzle
Word Search
This slide has a number of links, audio, and games. I’ve devised a Criss Cross Puzzle and a Word Search
that people can hyperlink to if they would like to test their knowledge of the Boston Red Sox.
Slide 16
The Red Sox’ biggest rival is the New York Yankees. The rivalry dates back to their opening season in
1901. It’s arguably the most storied rivalry in all of sports. Obviously, every Red Sox fan detests the
Yankees. And, the feeling is mutual as far as Yankee fans hating the Red Sox.
Slide 17
Red Sox Presentation Outline
Hidden Slide
Slide 18
Home
Free Page
Page
Free
Offensive
Sock
Objectives
History
I
I
Fenway
I
History
II
Fenway
II
Roster
IV
Future
Organizational
Chart
Roster
I
Roster
II
Roster
III
Hidden Slide
Leaders
The Red Sox
Sox
Nation
Enemy