: Thursday, January 26, 2006 1:34 PM —'06 HITS: 467, 959

On The Road To Fenway?


Coco Crisp Stats	David Riske Stats	Josh Bard Stats

John Henry: You Are Now Worthy

by Ernie Paicopolos, Editor-In-Chief

January 19, 2006—Remember the spectacle of John Henry questioning his fitness to serve as the Red Sox principal owner because of his inability to resolve the Grand Canyon-sized rift between Theo and Larry? At the time my gut reaction was, "No kidding, Einstein!" It was his duty to get the disparate parties together in the best interests of the overall organization. He failed. He deserved scorn.

Now, with the announcement that Theo will return in a "full-time" capacity, John Henry has righted that wrong. We should all give him the credit he deserves—as quickly as we had doled out the criticism. He has stepped up and done his job. The organization, the team, the fan base—all will be better for what he has done.

The Halloween Nightmare is over. It's not quite Valentine's Day, but it's the next best thing. Now, let's get to work and fill the holes so that the 2006 season can be worthy of us all.

Sox In The WBC
Blackley, Adam, Australia
Cora, Alex, Puerto Rico
Cox, Tim, Australia
DiNardo, Lenny, Italy
Durrington, Trent, Australia
Guerra, Joseph, Panama
Mota, Guillermo, Dominican Republic
Ortiz, David, Dominican Republic
Petagine, Roberto, Venezuela
Ramirez, Manny, Dominican Republic
Stern, Adam, Canada
Tavarez, Julian, Dominican Republic
Timlin, Mike, United States
Varitek, Jason, United States

StatMan Crothers:Contact Factor

Terry Francona:

''I am thrilled, as I believe most of Red Sox Nation is, that Theo is back. It is only right."

19 Times 18

Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye!

by Joe Pickering Jr. writer and songwriter, www.kingoftheroadmusic.com

December 24, 2005—Wow! The heart and the soul of the 2004 Championship Red Sox team has departed to the land of the Clean Shaven Yankees. Furthermore, Johnny Damon has shorn his locks and beard! What is this world coming to? Has the Curse of the Bambino returned under a new name: The Curse of the Dambino? Or has George Steinbrenner become the new Delilah to our Sampson? Will Johnny lose all his strength and vitality without all that hair? Only the future knows. But, Johnny it is true. Johnny, we hardly knew ye!

Twice in U.S. History the numbers 54 and 40 have been prominent. The first time was in a dispute between of the boundary of Oregon and Canada (then under control of Great Britain). The slogan was 54/40 or fight!! Well there was no fight it was settled by negotiation. This second time in U.S. baseball history, our beloved Red Sox didn't really get to negotiate. Johnny took the 54 million and left the 40M offer on the bare Red Sox table. He has left a broken trail of Red Sox hearts. What really is the practical difference between $54M and $40M? Would anyone out there really have trouble managing on $40M?? How many houses or Mercedes does one need?

Besides, this matter gets personal. I actually lost $25 bucks on Johnny Damon! Never before had I belonged to any of these Red Sox fan Clubs. But, for Johnny I joined his fan club! It cost me $25. I even got a baseball autographed by Johnny Damon with the number 18. (I was the 18 th member of the fan club.) Coincidently, his Red Sox number was 18. But, maybe there is a brighter side to this sad picture. Do you remember a few years back when that Chicago Cubs fan instinctively reached for the ball in the outfield and unfortunately interfered with the catch and the Cubs lost the game. Some time later, a millionaire bought that baseball then had it exploded at the Chicago Cubs Stadium. Well, I have a Johnny Damon baseball with his number 18. I figure it is worth plenty to get all that rejection and anger out and partially mend all of our hearts. Are there any billionaires out there willing to explode this baseball in the middle of Fenway Park? Asking price for this baseball is $54M! Well, O.K. I wouldn't be greedy. Make it $40M! I can live within that amount but just barely.

The New Sox


Josh Beckett Stats	Mike Lowell Stats	Guillermo Mota Stats	Mark Loretta Stats	Andy Marte Stats

Beckett & Henry—Linked Throughout History


Thomas Beckett	King Henry II	Josh Beckett	John Henry

Commissioner Selig Responds To FN 1904 WS Petition

FenwayNation Video Reviews

"THE NATION"

by Ernie Paicopolos, Editor-In-Chief

November 11, 2005—First things first. The "NYT-Globe-Red Sox Cabal Disclaimer Act of 2005" requires that I tell you this: your humble scribe appears in this new Cine King Studios production about Red Sox fans. Not a lot, but enough that some might shout, "Conflict Of Interest!". OK, there I've said it. However, I do not own 17% (or any other percentage) of Cine King Studios.

As we all know, the 2004 World Championship let loose a deluge of books and DVDs that celebrated the end of the drought. A lot of them focused on the experience of long-suffering Red Sox fans finally getting a chance to gloat. But, as you may have also noticed, a lot of these so-called "fans" were of the "Beautiful People" ilk. You know, your Ben Afflecks, your Doris Kearns Goodwins, and a host of other insufferable front-runners who bored us to tears with their self-indulgent bile.

This new DVD, "The Nation" deals with only two fans of any notoriety—the admirable Johnny Pesky and the decidedly un-admirable Dan Shaughnessy. That's it. The rest of the crew are a collection of "not-ready-for HBO Special" real life Red Sox fans. And, while some of us might go on a little much about our love for the Olde Towne Team, at least it's genuine. You gotta love that.

Film-maker Lenny Manzo and Cine King are local, and, therefore, the heartfelt testimonies you will see on the DVD ring true for everyone who actually grew up here. You will see a range of fans from a loveable nun to a cantankerous bar owner. You'll even hear the ramblings of a 50-something guy who runs a website. The bottom-line is: if you have the "Red Sox Thing" emblazoned on your soul, you will love "The Nation". And, I'd tell you that even if I wasn't in it.

You Can Order The DVD Here

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