Red Sox Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon Begins Today!!!

The next two days are an important time for Red Sox fans and it isn't for the obvious reason. Everyone knows that the Yankees are coming into town but more important is the start of the 2011 Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon live from Fenway Park.

Now most Red Sox fans know about the Jimmy Fund but for the ones who don't it's a Fund that goes to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. All the funds raised goes for cancer research. The Jimmy Fund started in 1948 with a radio broadcast from the hospital bed of a young boy.

The Jimmy Fund has been the official charity of the Sox since 1953. The players and members of the staff has taken it as their own. Players such as the great Ted Williams have been involved in the fight against cancer. Most recently players such as Clay Buchholtz and Tim Wakefield are the faces of the organization acting as co-captains for the fund. Once you become a member of the Sox the Jimmy Fund because an extended part of the family. Players really get to know the patients on a personal level and visit them. They also through the help of the Jimmy Fund give kids the chance to go to games and road trips. Some thing with out the help of others may not be possible. The Jimmy Fund just gives them a chance to be a kid for a day and not worry about the pain and heart break of cancer which is important in the recovery process.

In the next two days if you tune into WEEI or NESN you will hear stories of the familes most touched by cancer. You will hear stories of sadness and triumph of how Dana-Farber has been involved in their lives. We have all been touched by cancer in some way if its a family member, friend, co-worker we have all been hurt by cancer.

I encourage and challenge all member of Red Sox Nation to give something if all you have to give is five dollars I challenge you to do that. Give what you feel comfortable giving knowing it will help the lives of others and help find a cure of cancer research. Hopefully one day we will be able to say there is no such thing as cancer. Until that day we need to all do our part.

The phone number to donate is (877) 738-1234. If you want to donate via text you can give a $10 donation if you text KCANCER to 20222.

For more information on the Jimmy Fund click the link on the right side of the screen it will take you to their website for more.

The Buch Rolls In: Clay Buchholz Gets 4 Year Deal

Well after Clay Buchholz pitching performance against the Yankees on Saturday good news was needed. Well the news is here Buchholz and the Red Sox agreed on a contract extension that will leave Buchholz in a Red Sox uniform for four more years.

This deal is set up similar to the contract extensions pitcher Jon Lester that the team got done last year. Buchholz contract is said to be worth around $30 million dollars, which is what Lester is making on a five year deal with a club option. Buchholz deal is only four years with two club option years.

For those of you who do not know the policy of Red Sox of signing players under contract to long term deals who are already under their control like Buchholz is currently. The player must give up their first year a free agency and must have their arbitration years bought out and have to agree to a club option for at least one year. Buchholz had three arbitration years left under his current deal but no longer has those.

"I owe a lot, just about everything, to the Red Sox," Buchholz said. "They drafted me. They gave me an opportunity to come up in Boston and pitch even though the couple of down years. There are always going to be doubts. This game's not near as easy as some of the guys make it seem sometimes. But I definitely got to the highest point of the highs in this game, and then it took its toll on me and I thought I was better than I was at the time.”

So the Red Sox have their one through four starters locked down until at least 2014. The Red Sox hope that this contract is a deal for his pitching as most believe the Lester deal has been for the team so far. Red Sox fans hope the next deal we hear about is Adrian Gonzalez...

2011 Red Sox Rotation Set

Terry Francona put out the starting rotations and it was not how any of the fans expected it to be. Most fans expected a line up something like this going John Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka. But boy were they wrong. Last week Tito put out the rotation and it will begin with John Lester as many believed but it just goes wild from there. The number two starter of the staff will be John Lackey followed by Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Lackey in the number two spot makes people ask questions and needs an explanation from Francona.

"I think we feel like Lack has a way of matching up with whoever he’s pitching against, whether a guy is a No. 1 or No. 5, you look up in the seventh and you have a chance to win, which we really like. Buck did so good [in 2010], I think we feel like having Buck come out third just enhances our chances to win a little bit. Buck’s numbers would say he can pitch anywhere. I just think Lack’s a veteran, he’s done it. I just think spacing him and Lester, there’s something to be said for that, too. Lack showed up in great shape and looks like he’s ready to go. Ultimately, if they pitch like they should, it’s not going to matter and if they don’t pitch like they should, it’s not going to matter."

The fact of the matter is there is no such thing as a true five man rotation this early in the season. Reason being there will be rain outs and injuries that will change starts throughout the season. Players will miss starts and that will change it for the rest of the season.

The thing that surprised me the most is how last season Josh Beckett was considered the ace of the staff and has moved down so low. Out of a sign of respect the last couple of seasons he has been the opening day starter and some thought that may happen again this season. Last season Beckett had an off year and suffered several injuries. He even got paid big time and that shows favoritism was no play putting him in the fourth spot.

When ask how Beckett felt he said, "Those are his decisions. Just like I would always feel like he would back me up, I back him up on his decision, as well. It is what it is. I don't get paid to make those decisions. Tito makes those decisions. I don't want that job. I never want that job. I'll let him make those decisions and I'll go out and do the best I can to put us in the best position to win."

Let’s hope Beckett has a bounce back year and doesn’t let this effect the way he is pitching since he has a long term deal with the Red Sox.

Defense and Pitching or Offense and Offense? We got it all

What are the 2010 Boston Red Sox team are they a team of defense and pitching or are they an offensive team? Well at the start of the season everyone including the General Manager Theo Epstein was preaching that this season would be all about defense and pitching and then you have your fans who still believe the sox can be an offensive team. Well the past two days the sox have shown both one night we have poor pitching on the mound but we are slugging like crazy and the next day our bats was asleep but they proved they can win with both.

On Monday night our “ace” Josh Beckett took the mound against the jays, who he has struggled against in the past and it would not be any different. Beckett gave up nine hits, and eight runs in three innings pitched. He was only one of seven pitchers that made and appearance in a game that the final score was 13-12 with a Red Sox victory. The Bats was alive as the Sox had five players have a three hit game the best of the season. The red sox was lead by their off the bench captain Jason Varitek as he went 3-5 with 4 RBI and scored two runs for the sox. This was also his first three hit game before now full time catcher Victor Martinez joined the team. The Sox defense was not the best in this game but it didn’t give up any errors so you can’t really complain there.

Now Tuesday night’s game was completely different as starting pitcher Clay Buchholtz showed up to play and did just what the skipper wanted him to do pitch. This was truly a game of pitching and defense from the lowest paid starter on the staff. As he pitched eight innings of great baseball to only give up one run even though he did give up seven hits the defense helped him out. Buchholtz gave up his one run to the leadoff hitter for the Jays in the first inning and he threw shut out baseball after that it looked like the true ace of the staff. As for offense in this game well there wasn’t much as there was only two runs that crossed home plate as one was David Ortiz who was batted in by Jeremy Hermida and a pinch hit walk by Mike Lowell for Ortiz in the top of the eighth with two outs to bring home Dustin Pedroia. The bats were not great but they weren’t awful as we had seven hits as a team but we left 16 men stranded on base. With our bullpen stressed to the max and no one to call on in the ninth inning the skip had to call Ramon Ramirez to the mound to finish the game, which before Tuesday only had one major league save in his career. Ramirez surprisingly came in and successfully received the save with the help of the defense.

So with all of this being said who are the Red Sox this season? I feel it is still too soon to put a title on them just yet because they have showed some nights they can have a slug fest and all the bats are in order, then some nights it will be a classic pitcher’s duel. One thing is for certain if the bats and the pitching show up on the same night I feel sorry for whomever they facing that night, because this Sox team has showed it can be great.