The dream is over.., at least until next year.
There were a few bright moments for the Sox this year, but for the most part this season was a hot mess. The injury bug bit them early, and often, and the pitching was uneven at best. It was frustrating, but all things considered it could have been worse. Despite the patchwork lineup, they finished the season with 89 wins, and they definitely went out in style, taking 2 of 3 from the Yankees and relegating them to wild card status.
The Pawtucket Posse of Nava, Kalish, Patterson, McDonald, Anderson, Navarro and Reddick did an admirable job plugging holes in the lineup, and I’m pleased that we have that much talent in the pipeline.
Tito did a great job managing the final game. Well timed substitutions gave the players a chance to take a bow, some perhaps for their last time in Boston, and feel the love from the fans. It’s not easy to play for the win and still be able to pull off something like that. The man has a lot of class.
Speaking of taking a bow and having a lot of class, honoring Lowell on Saturday night showed that the front office can be a classy bunch also.
While I’m on the topic of the front office, not everything they do is good. Take ticket prices for instance. I have a friend who has season tickets right behind the Sox dugout, and I used to be on the list to buy a few games a year to help defray their cost. This season I asked to be taken off the list, unless they were going to go to waste, that is. It killed me to do it, but part of the deal is that you have to take all 4 tickets, and the parking pass, and it was getting a little too pricey for me. Field Box tickets were $130 apiece this year, and the parking pass is another $50. That’s $570 before I even leave my house. Add to that a little food and drink, and you’re spending the equivalent of a car payment and a trip to the grocery store. I just can’t justify those costs anymore, and I’m not sure who can. From a season ticket perspective, that’s a huge chunk of money. Here are some facts and figures from an article on Bloomberg about how the Sox keep the sellout streak going with bulk sales to resellers like Ace and Stub Hub: “List prices of tickets at Fenway this season average $52.32, second-highest behind the Chicago Cubs, according to Team Marketing Report. But tickets trade at an average of $89 on the online secondary market, the highest in baseball, according to SeatGeek.com, a forecasting website. Ace is asking $1,435 for its best seats, which carry a $250 face value, to an Oct. 2 game against the New York Yankees.” Not a bad deal for the Sox, seeing as they and MLB get a percentage of the reseller’s profit back, and they’re not the ones stuck with the tickets if they don’t sell. Plus, the fact that they’re sold out creates a buzz that allows the resellers to get top dollar. Very clever.., unless you’re a fan.
If Tek doesn’t come back, I’m gonna miss him, and I think the team will, too. Although he’s no longer an everyday player, he’s still a presence in the clubhouse and a fountain of knowledge for the younger guys.
How about Jed Lowrie, was he on fire down the stretch or what? I hope he can carry the momentum into next season.
Papelbon, on the other hand, needs another pitch or two, and that’s all I have to say about that.
Well, as we like to say around here; there’s always next year, and spring training is right around the corner…
That is all
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