Ryan Westmoreland: An Incredible Story

If you follow the Red Sox and their farm system, you know that one of their highly-touted prospects, Ryan Westmoreland, underwent extensive and extremely serious brain surgery a few months ago. He recently gave his first interviews, vowing to return to baseball. Here are a few articles that talk about his recovery.

The best article I have read relating to this is one by Daniel Barbarisi from the Providence Journal - it is an excellent feature story, with intricate details of his recovery.

The reason I am blogging about this, besides the incredible story itself, is how it relates to the Red Sox as an organization - they take care of their players. Building a brand starts with treating your employees well, and they certainly know how to do that. Well, people are noticing. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"'The Red Sox, in particular, have been amazingly supportive, all said. Once the seriousness of Westmoreland’s condition was apparent, the team immediately shifted the focus away from baseball, and concerned themselves only with his well-being.

'They were like a family to me,' Westmoreland said. “They took care of so much for me, they’ve been amazing the whole way, whether it’s plane tickets, or letting me sit in Theo’s box –– I can’t say enough about the Red Sox and what they’ve done.'

Westmoreland’s agent, Alan Nero of Octagon Sports, echoed that thought. 'I’ve been in this business 30 years, and I do business with all the teams, and I can tell you honestly, there’s not another organization in the world that would have done for the Westmoreland family what the Red Sox did,' Nero said."

I wish continued progress to Ryan and his family, and laud the Red Sox for their support as well - praying and believing!

(photo courtesty of the Westmoreland family to Providence Journal)

Mike Lowell - The Complainer?

I'm going to say something that most Boston fans probably won't like - Mike Lowell, stop feeling badly for yourself!

An article in today's Boston Herald titled "More Misery for Mike Lowell" Scott Lauber writes about how Mike Lowelll couldn't get a pinch hit in th ninth inning. Lowell's response? "It's par for the course." Amalie Benjamin's article talks about the same thing.

Mike Lowell's story this season is well-documented - the Sox signed Adrian Beltre in the offseason, effectively supplanting Mike Lowell as an everyday player. Beltre has played exceptionally well, so there is no room for Lowell to play everyday, or even a few times a week. It is a shame, I have confidence Lowell still has some gas in the tank. But a player who has been notoriously classy in the past has kicked the class to the curb in favor of whining, complaining, and being a poor sport. I'm sure the Red Sox are trying to trade him, but they're not going to give him up for nothing! Lowell, it happens. You have your health, your family, you are still making millions. You will get your chance, but please, quit the talking in the meantime. I don't want to not like you.

Sox Bid for 2012 All Star Game at Fenway

The Red Sox, in addition to serveral other MLB teams, bid for the chance to host the 2012 All Star game at Fenway Park. Unfortunately, they lost out to Kansas City, which has a new stadium. 2012 marks the year Fenway Park turns 100, so it is easy to see why the Sox desperately wanted to secure the All Star game in Boston. I believe Sean McAdam, a credible and esteemed baseball writer, broke the story, at least in the Boston market. Here is the link to the article. The extra attention the Sox would garner would be susbstantial, in addition to the revenue for the park and the city. This would have been a great PR program for the Red Sox. As Sean McAdam points out inhis story, the Red Sox ownership and executive circle refused to comment on the fact they missed out. In general, they almost never refuse comment. Interesting.

But, allow me to regress for a minute. The 1999 All Star game was extremely special and was held at Fenway. Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez were at the peak of their careers, and it was also during the home-run era (now notorious). It was especially significant because it was one of the last public appearance by the late and great Ted Williams. I've included some pictures above and below to reminisce! Undoubtedy, the Red Sox will have their own unique and spectacular celebration for the 100th anniversary of the Park, they will just have to do it organically and get creative! Nothing wrong with that. A challenge is good for everybody.

WEEI/Red Sox/NESN Jimmy Fund Telethon

Photos courtesy of the Jimmy Fund Telethon website.

The WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Telethon, scheduled to be held this year from August 19-20th is perhaps, (as advertised as well) the most important work that WEEI, NESN, and the Red Sox do each year. The 35 - hour telethon raises money for Dana Farber cancer patients, and includes calls in to the WEEI radio station from researchers, doctors, nurses, parents of cancer patients, and patients themselves. As a listener to WEEI for a long time and someone who has heard the telethon on air the past couple of years, it is nothing short of an incredibly moving fundraiser. People with hearts of stone melt as well. As the telethon conveys, cancer touches just about everyone, and as a community, we need to support each other. Donating even a little bit of money helps. If George Steinbrenner can donate, so can each of us as individuals :)

The telethon, which is sponsored by the Red Sox, raises money for their signature charity of many, many years - the Jimmy Fund. The relationship of the Red Sox with the Jimmy Fund has been well-documented over the past several decades, with Johnny Pesky, Nomar Garciaparra, and other notable Sox players visiting kids over the years. Partnering with a charity is a no-brainer for an organization like the Red Sox - to whom much is given, much is asked in return. The awareness the Red Sox can generate is substantial, and they recognize that. "It takes more than courage to beat cancer" is the slogan of the event, and it is true. The financial backing must be there in order to make advances and eradicate this terrible disease. The Red Sox endorsement makes all the difference to attract attention and awareness to this event.

Kudos to the Red Sox for their continued philanthropic work - the Telethon is in its ninth year and has raised millions of dollars to date. Is anyone aware of other sports teams doing similar work? Let me know if so, I'd love to see what they do.

Peter Gammons on Manny's Return to Boston

As an addendum to my post from last week on Manny Ramirez, check out the transcript of baseball guru Peter Gammons' interview on WEEI regarding Manny's return to Boston. Very good commentary on fan vs. player vs. pure baseball analysts' views of Manny and his time in Boston.

Peter's Gammon's WEEI interview

Here is the link to the audio transcript if you want to listen instead of read.

RL