The Bruins find themselves amongst a handful of teams in the NHL with better records on the road than at home. In fact, of the six division leaders as of Wednesday morning, four (Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, and Phoenix) have better records away from home ice.

Whatever the reasoning, be it the distance from the pressure and desperation that wafts down from the balconies of TD Garden or just an inexplicable bucking of a trend, the Bruins have seen much of their success this season on the road.

After dropping three straight — including two at home against Detroit and Toronto — the Bruins seem to have found their remedy on this six-game road stretch that started on Long Island on Feb. 17.

Couple a season-long résumé of road success with the integration of three new components to the Bruins' lineup in Chris Kelly, Rich Peverley, and Tomas Kaberle, and this current trip seems to have come at just the right time.  Players have long attributed road trips as the most effective way to mold teammates into family, and when you can introduce a trio of players from sub-.500 climates to winning on a consistent basis you just might find the solution to lift the fog of nervous energy that hangs over the Garden ice.

The Bruins began the trip by dispatching a pair of last place teams with wins in New York and Ottawa before grinding out an entertaining 3-1 win over the red-hot Calgary Flames who came into Tuesday night's action 11-1-2 in their previous 14 games.

Through three games, everything has gone according to plan, three wins and no losses, while not expending a drop of extra energy with overtimes and shootouts.

But while everything is all hunky dory after beating a Calgary team who had just breezed through the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 in the Heritage Classic, the Habs put the pressure back on the Bruins with a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. The win for Montreal keeps them just four points back in the division behind Boston.

The next stop for Boston just so happens to be Vancouver on Saturday for a matchup with the Western Conference leaders. A regulation loss there would make it a wash for Montreal and Boston between Vancouver and Calgary and may even give the Canadiens a chance — with wins at home over Toronto and Carolina – to wake up Sunday morning tied with the Bruins in points (although Boston would have two games in hand).

Such is life when you live and die by the road.

However, the Bruins' 19-7-4 record on the road has put them in a position where there is no need to panic. Even if the stars align for Montreal this week, Boston will enjoy a pair of games against last place teams and finish off their road trip with a game Sunday in Edmonton before turning the calendar to March with another game in Ottawa next Tuesday.

With six points already in the books through the first half of this current road trip, six more are up for grabs.

As March approaches, so do the Canadiens with first place in the division and home ice in the first round on the line. In that month the Bruins will play seven road games and eight home games, including two dates against the Habs — one on the road on Mar. 8, and another at home on Mar. 24.

While having a stellar road record is the sign of a gritty team, Boston must make their home ice count as a 15-12-3 record at the Garden won't put any psychological strain on whoever their first round opponent may be if the do indeed procure the top spot in the Northeast.

Thus far, the current road trip has been a breath of fresh air, and with a favorable schedule there is no reason the Bruins should not take away at least four more points before returning to Boston on Mar. 3.

When they do return, a new sense of urgency on home ice will be direly needed if the Bruins hope to gain any significant separation from the Canadiens.

The regular season is far from over, however, and the current road trip is far from over as well for that matter. Whether home or away, each win counts as two points in the standings and as we march toward spring each game and hanging point looms large under the ever-expanding NHL microscope.

With a new-look roster taking the time to mold together on the road, the Bruins will look to take a fresh approach when they hope to shed the home ice yips and win no matter where the puck drops. 

How sweet it is, that both of these rivalries matter in the year 2011 and have risen through the ashes of irrelevance into something that evokes the fervent emotions that had fizzled into nothingness not too long ago.

In fact, all four of Boston’s major sports teams are currently engaged at a pertinent and meaningful level with their respective arch nemeses. When was the last time you could say that?

When the Red Sox and Yankees were mired in a downright nasty and irrevocably thrilling rivalry in 2003 and 2004, the Celtics were about as relevant to the Lakers as the Jets were to the Patriots in those respective years. 

In the 1960s and 1980s when a Lakers-Celtics Finals matchup was sure to captivate the senses and minds of Bostonians, most people in the region had no idea New England even had a football team (save 1986), let alone reserve any ill emotions toward any team wearing green in New York.

The list of bad timing can go on and on. 

Sure, not all these rivalries are clicking on all cylinders right now, but they are all clicking at a high enough level to make any rivalry meeting a must-see in 2011. Perhaps the Patriots and Jets are the only rivalry involving one of Boston’s four major sports teams that has reached a new peak. With that being said, the other three aren’t too far behind on the intensity meter. 

Getting back to hockey, the Bruins and Canadiens reignited their dying flame in 2002 and 2004, when Montreal beat Boston in the first round of the playoffs.  Both times the Bruins were the higher seed — the No 1 seed in ’02 and the No. 2 seed in ’04.

But it wasn’t until the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs when hockey truly returned to the city of Boston, and with it, a time-honored rivalry. Although top-seeded Montreal went on to win that quarterfinal series in seven games, it was a wild 5-4 victory in Boston (when the Bruins needed to come from behind three times) that brought hockey back to the Hub after far too long.

The two old foes would meet again the following year in the first round, only in 2009 the Bruins would come in as the No. 1 seed and dispatch the Canadiens in four straight.

It is not time to start obsessing over the standings quite yet. Even though Montreal is 3-0 against Boston so far this season, the Bruins hold a slim two-point lead in the Northeast Division with a game in hand over the Canadiens. Interestingly enough, if the playoffs were to start Wednesday, the Bruins would have the third seed and host the Canadiens in the first round.

It is wishful thinking, but plausible. At least it matters to the fans again every time these two teams square off. 

How fortunate are Celtics and Lakers fans to have this rivalry back?  The Celtics and Lakers have now met in the NBA Finals 12 times, with Boston holding a 9-3 advantage.

With the recent renewal of this rivalry, a Celtics-Lakers Finals matchup is one that generations can share. Fans from both cities have grandparents, parents and now children who have been able to witness historic clashes between two of the most storied franchises in all of sport. Take a second to let that sink in.

Some rivals clash every year on a regular basis, offering fans countless memorable moments to reminisce about. But what is so unique about the Celtics-Lakers rivalry is that when fans of either team share their favorite memories, they are inherently referring to some of the all-time greats of basketball, who were playing on the biggest stage the NBA has to offer.

It is hard to fathom just how wondrous such a phenomenon is. The Celtics and Lakers have met in multiple Finals in the same decade in three different decades. The two met six times in the ’60s (not including their first ever meeting in 1959), three times in the ’80s, and twice in the past decade (counting 2010 as last decade for argument’s sake).

We have all witnessed basketball greatness in Boston and Los Angeles, but harnessing the magnitude of these moments is the true gift of this rivalry. It is great NBA theater.

Even though we are well into February, one cannot mention rivalry in New England with out delving into the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, and what fun they seem poised to have this summer. 

The Red Sox enjoyed an offseason in which they bolstered their bullpen, traded for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and swooped in to sign outfielder Carl Crawford. The 2011 offseason was a wondrous coup for the Sox, similar to the Yankees’ 2009 offseason when they signed A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira, and C.C. Sabathia. We all know what happened that year.

The Sox and Yanks meet at least 18 times per season and have gone 9-9 in each of the last three, respectively.

It has been seven years since the Sox and Yanks have met in the postseason. Both teams have won at least one World Series since 2004 and both have won two since the turn of the century. Long gone are the decades where the Yankees rack up titles while the Sox conjure up ghost stories to explain an 86-year drought. The playing field is level now between these two franchises.

Boston and New York both feature tough lineups, and while the Red Sox have the edge in the pitching department on paper … well, its only paper.

If both teams play to their potential, and barring any debilitating injury bug like the Red Sox suffered last season, we should see both teams end the year with 90 or more wins and a playoff berth. At that point, the Red Sox and Yankees would be just three wins away each from their first postseason meeting since 2004.

Come the end of summer, assuming the NFL can sort out that Collective Bargaining Agreement mess, we will be greeted with the missing cog in the local rivalry scene, yet another Boston-New York matchup: Patriots versus Jets.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan — the perfect villain for this rivalry — showed New England that they could back up their talk this year. It’s not the Patriot way, but Ryan gets just as much (perhaps more?) out of his players that Bill Belichick does out of his.

If the Pats had beaten the Jets in January, the Jets would still just be a minor thorn in the side of the Patriots — perhaps how the Yankees may have viewed the Red Sox before ’04.

But it was the Jets who went to the AFC Championship for the second time in as many years. There has always been an abundance of animosity between the two teams, from Belichick leaving the Jets for the Pats, to Spygate, to Tripgate and even to foot jokes.

There is much fun and excitement in store for Boston sports fans in 2011. Take the spectator joyride one game at a time and try to grasp the fact that this could be the most thrilling year you will ever have as a Boston sports fan, thanks in large part to such enticing and deeply rooted rivalries culminating at once.

The game against the Lakers was classic Boston basketball.  While Kobe Bryant was chucking up 11 fourth-quarter shots on his way to 41 points (16-of-29 shooting), Paul Pierce elected to continue to play team-first basketball and shoot just eight shots total in the second half — two in the fourth quarter after shooting at a scorching 5-of-6 clip in the third — on his way to a 32-point performance.

Rajon Rondo dished out 16 assists, with 15 coming in the second half, Ray Allen shot 8-of-12 from the floor, Nate Robinson was dynamite off the bench after disappearing for the last few weeks, and Kevin Garnett put together a complete game in every possible way.

When Garnett is at his best, so are the Celtics. The man gets “it” as well as any other great Celtic, and you can bet that when the final horn sounded, No. 5 in green had no idea what his numbers were and that has nothing to do with the fact that he split his head open fighting for a loose ball with Pau Gasol. Fact is, Garnett just doesn’t care about stats — just winning.

And just winning is what the Celtics have done all season, with the occasional lapses that come over the course of an 82-game NBA schedule — look no further than losses at Cleveland, Washington and Phoenix, among a few others.

Over the next couple of months, expect the Celtics to continue to play hard, passionate, team basketball. After ending the 2009-10 season with a 27-27 record down the stretch, Boston fell behind in the Eastern Conference standings and had to head back to Los Angeles for Games 6 and 7 in the NBA Finals last year because of it.

As we know, the Celtics dropped both games and the series — a cruel fate that has motivated Boston to seemingly spit in the face of Father Time.  Ray Allen looks as good as he has ever looked in a Celtics uniform and, at age 35, is making it difficult for 20-somethings to keep pace with him on the offensive end of the floor.

At 33, Paul Pierce is shooting the best he has ever shot in his career at 51.2 percent (7.5 percent higher than his career average), while Kevin Garnett, 34, looks fresh and as intense as ever to disprove all the prognosticationd that he was “finished.”

Against current playoff teams, the Celtics are 20-5, including wins against the top two teams out West in the San Antonio Spurs and Lakers, as well as a 4-1 combined record against the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat, who sit at two and three in the East, respectively.

With the aging nucleus of Pierce, Garnett and Allen, Celtics fans need to soak in every last second for however long this run can sustain itself.

Game in and game out, Celtics fans are able to witness greatness. Allen could be the purest shooter of all time. Garnett,  who slam balls off his head and relentlessly swats away opponents’ shots after the whistle to prevent any satisfaction of getting an extra feel for the basket, could be the fiercest competitor. And Pierce, a loyal servant to the green throughout his entire career, could go down in history as the most underrated professional athlete in the history of Boston sports.

Lest we forget, Rondo’s emergence into the top tier of NBA point guards has allowed Boston to shoot a league-high 50.1 percent, and that percentage went up after the Celtics shot 60.3 percent in Los Angeles.

Rondo is a master of deception and has court vision and ballhandling skills that rival those of all-time Celtics great Bob Cousy. By all accounts, Rondo has matured from the mistakes of his early days and seems capable of shouldering the load when the clock inevitably strikes midnight on Boston’s aging “Big Three.” 

The clock continues to tick, and there is nothing Celtics fans can do but watch each hand count down with a sweet elegance and excellence that has helped restore basketball prominence in Boston. 

Every game the Celtics play, fans are guaranteed a chance at beholding greatness.  If not from the players wearing green jerseys, the opposing team must produce a great effort to beat the C’s.

So don’t wait for the playoffs to check out what this Celtics team is all about. Enjoy the ride now, and see some of the finest team basketball ever played in NBA history.

This means the Sea Dogs will continue to act a the developmental prism that sent five players from their Opening Day roster to Fenway Park by the end of the season in 2010.

Portland lies In the heart of "Vacationland," where thousands of Red Sox fans travel each summer from all over New England to dine on the freshest red lobster in the world, shop along the cobblestone roads of the Old Port, and to check out some of the finest young talent the Boston organization has to offer.

Thanks to the imagination of Charlie Eshbach — who recently upgraded from General Manager to President of the Sea Dogs — Hadlock Field has fittingly developed some of the finer features of Fenway Park to best prepare the Sea Dogs for what will be in store for them in the coming years and add a distinct charm to the ballpark. 

When the Sea Dogs and Red sox first announced their first PDC in 2003, Eshbach organized the construction of the "Maine Monster."   The wooden wall stands 37 feet high in left field just as the "Green Monster" in Fenway.  However, the Maine Monster rises 315 feet down the foul line from home plate (5 feet further back than Fenway), and at 160 feet long it is 80 feet shorter in length than the Green Monster.

There is even Morse Code that appears in the Maine Monster with the initials of Sea Dogs owner Dan Burke and his wife, much like the Green Monster that has the initials of Thomas and Jean Yawkey.

What about seats on top of the Maine Monster?

"Well, it took the Red Sox 91 years to install the Green Monster Seats, so we’ll have them up in about 84 years," joked Chris Cameron Assistant General Manager of the Sea Dogs, who later explained that railroad tracks behind the Maine Monster were one of several issues that made such expansion unlikely any time soon.

In 2003, the Sea Dogs renamed their skyboxes after former Red Sox greats such as Ted Williams, Dom Dimaggio, and Dwight Evans.

Over the years, Eshbach and his team have added several nuances to Hadlock just like the Maine Monster and the Sky Boxes.  They have added the U.S. Cellular Pavillion in right field where the seating is modeled after the Green Monster seats in Fenway.

Jerseys are hung above the stands behind home plate with the names and numbers of former Sea Dogs who are currently playing with the Red Sox. 

Certainly, the Sea Dogs will be pleased to add a highly anticipated new addition to the wall when Adrian Gonzalez — who played for the Sea Dogs in 2002 when they were the double-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins — makes his Red Sox debut.

There has always been a buzz for the Sea Dogs in Portland, even when they were the Marlins affiliate from their inaugural season in 1994 to final season in 2002.  But since 2003, the buzz has developed into a load roar, as Portland has always been a strong northern supporter of Red Sox nation.  After all, Maine was originally part of Massachusetts during Colonial times.

When a former Sea Dog gets the call to the big leagues, the entire city of Portland becomes enthralled in the excitement.  Video updates from the Red Sox games are placed up on the video board in between innings during Sea Dogs’ games, and no moment causes more calamity than when a recent call up comes through for the Big Club.

One such example was on Aug. 6 when Ryan Kalish, who began the season with the Sea Dogs, hit his first Big League homerun (in Yankee stadium no less).  In between innings of a game against the Richmond Flying Squirrels the video went up and 7,368 people went bananas.  Perhaps more special than the reaction from the fans was that of the Sea Dogs’ players who all stood outside the dugout jumping around and giving high fives in elation as if Kalish had just hit a game-winner in their game.

Portland is no stranger to moments like this one.  The Sea Dogs and the community are a family rooted by seven years of passion and success.  A relationship that strengthens the web that has made the Red Sox fan base amongst the most unique and tight knit communities in sport.   

The relationship between New England and the Red Sox has spanned generations, which is something the Sea Dogs and the city of Portland hope they will continue to be a part of and direct contributor to.

It has been a beautiful marriage between the city of Portland, the Sea Dogs, and the Red Sox over the past seven years and with a contract extension that will go through 2014, a 10-year anniversary celebration will, deservedly, soon be in the works for 2013.

Who knows, maybe the Sea Dogs will celebrate ten years by finding a way to put up those Maine Monster seats after all. 

Only the Bruins can find a way to take eight out of 10 possible points during a moderately crucial five-game road trip in early winter and leave their fan base grinding their teeth in exasperation. The B's let the two extra points get away by blowing a pair of third-period leads and losing in shootouts — in Atlanta on Dec. 30 and Buffalo on Jan. 1.

Frustrating? Yes. 

But keeping things in perspective, it's always a positive road trip when you pick up points in each contest.

Since getting blanked 3-0 by the Ducks at the TD Garden on Dec. 20, the Bruins are 4-0-2 and have leapfogged their old rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, for the top spot in the lackluster Northeast Division.

The Bruins have survived dry spells from top scorers Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton, as well as the ever-dangerous Marc Savard, who still seems to be getting his sea legs back under him since his return from post-concussion issues.

Horton and Savard rose from the land of the dormant with a goal each against Toronto on Monday. Lucic snapped a seven-game points drought with an assist on Savard's goal and leads the team with 28 points (16 goals, 12 assists).

Tim Thomas has been looking more and more like the Vezina winner who led the Bruins to the top seed in the Eastern Conference two years ago.

While Thomas returns to form, Tuukka Rask salvaged his own sanity with a solid 36-save performance in the 2-1 win over Toronto. Two nights earlier, he was benched after allowing three first-period goals on 16 shots at Buffalo in his first action since Dec. 15.

Kudos to coach Claude Julien for having the guts to go right back to his second-year Finnish goalie, the black and gold’s saving grace and MVP last season.

Less than a month ago, many were calling for Julien's head. But his team appears to have turned the corner, and now he has a chance to take a talented group with some young and dangerous players in a very weak division to the next level — a level many felt was within grasp before injuries tore a catastrophic hole through the Bruins in the 2009-10 season. 

The Northeast Division is ripe for the taking, not just this year, but for years to come. The Ottawa Senators are in shambles, Buffalo is young and inexperienced, Montreal is as consistent as Carey Price, and in Toronto, Brian Burke will be heading back to the drawing board without the aid of a high draft pick. Their first-round pick will be heading to the Hub thanks to the Phil Kessel trade, the same deal that produced the No. 2 pick in last years' draft, Tyler Seguin.

General manager Peter Chiarelli has given Julien his full blessing and support.  The only question is: Can Julien deliver?

Buy in. 

That's what a coach needs for any system to be successful. Fans, sportswriters and even team presidents might not like the system, but as long as the players do and can produce in it, that's all that matters.

The "underachiever" tag has followed many current Bruins players around like a biblical plague. Underachievement has been a basic fact of life and the preferred postseason aftertaste for Bruins fans since 1972.

Yet, there is an unbelievable amount of hope rising on Causeway Street. The once-slumbering Bruins have found the only thing that is promised to every franchise. Opportunity.

They should follow the Patriots' approach, and take everything day-by-day and game-by-game. It would be easy to look ahead with the Canadiens, Penguins and Eastern Conference-leading Flyers looming.

For Julien, Thomas and the Bruins, the most important game of the season so far will be Thursday night, when the Minnesota Wild come to town.

Divisions cannot be won in January, but they certainly can be lost.  The upcoming months represent a great opportunity for the Bruins. However, opportunity waits for no one.

But as with any high-profile deal, some bona fide prospects found themselves heading to Southern California. Well, more likely Portland, Ore., and San Antonio, Texas, where the Padres’ Triple-A and Double-A clubs, respectively, reside.

Casey Kelly, top pitching prospect and Baseball America’s No. 1 overall prospect in the Boston organization, is perhaps the sexiest name heading to San Diego. However, the Padres also acquired first baseman Anthony Rizzo and outfielder Reymond Fuentes in the trade — two prospects with big-time potential – and a player to be named later.

With talent heading from coast to coast, early indicators suggest that this could become a win-win for both sides and could one day be comparable to the 2007 trade that sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston with Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez (don’t forget Jesus Delgado) taking their talents to South Beach.

It is no secret what Gonzalez brings to the table for the Boston Red Sox, and with his powerful and consistent bat in the middle of the order, his addition could help atone for the shift in the AL East balance of power when the Red Sox lost out on Mark Teixeira during the winter of 2008.

Kelly, Rizzo and Fuentes are at the other end of the deal. All three enter the 2011 season age 21 or under, and Kelly (21), Rizzo (21) and Fuentes (20) all have displayed admirable talent in the minors. That’s why they were part of the trade for the Nomar Garciaparra of San Diego. Gonzalez was a Padres fan favorite and will be missed.

Padres fans shouldn’t be disappointed in what they got in return.

Rizzo showed plenty of signs that he is destined for a more-than-adequate major league career soon. On the day he was called up to Double-A Portland last May, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound lefty made his presence felt, scorching a towering home run off the video board in right field and sending one of its electronic panels crashing to the ground during his very first batting practice at Hadlock Field — a fine way to break the ice in front of his new teammates and coaching staff.

The rest of the summer, all Rizzo did was post an .815 slugging percentage, hit 20 home runs and knock in 80 runs, including setting a Sea Dogs franchise record with 32 RBI in August.

With his strong work ethic and undeniable talent, it would not be a surprise if Rizzo returned to Fenway Park in a visiting jersey within the next few years. Although he may have been poised to make the leap over Lars Anderson in the coming season, Rizzo’s journey to the Show may have been expedited quite a bit with the move to the San Diego organization.
 
Then, there is Fuentes, who could be the biggest sleeper in the deal. With his cousin being Carlos Beltran, it is evident that Fuentes has a natural baseball pedigree. Despite his young age, people have admired his all-out style of play and fluid, sound left-handed stroke. 

The Padres will be able to be patient with the young outfielder, who could still be four years away from even sniffing Petco Park. Yet, if Fuentes continues to show signs of a player with an elevated pace of development, he could find himself as an everyday player in the majors within the next four to six years.

The game changer in all of this is Kelly, who has been perhaps the most hyped Red Sox farmhand along with shortstop Jose Iglesias. Many feel the sky is the limit for Kelly, who had his struggles with Double-A Portland this summer in his first year as a full-time starter.

The youngest pitcher in the Eastern League, Kelly posted a 3-5 record with a 5.31 ERA in 2010. The numbers are nothing terrific, not even solid, but his "stuff" can be downright unfair to opposing hitters.

Kelly boasts a devastating 12-6 curveball, a fastball that consistently hits in the low 90s and a changeup that can be as effective as any pitch from any pitcher in Boston’s system. If you watch him pitch, it will become evident immediately that he has the tools to be a top-of-the-rotation guy.

Perhaps the move to the Padres’ organization will be just what the doctor ordered for Kelly, where every minor league start he makes will not be held under a microscope and carefully dissected pitch by pitch. 

Perhaps the expectations for Kelly were too high in Boston, and now he may escape into a minor league hiatus for a year or two and be ready to emerge onto the big league stage as a mature pitcher who has learned to harness the incredible amount of talent that rests with his right arm.

The dust will begin to settle on this deal in the upcoming days, weeks and months before pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Then, we will dust it off, watch it unfold and see all of our questions answered.

For now, the deal looks like a winner. Adrian Gonzalez should help propel the Red Sox back into a playoff contender, while the Padres have stockpiled some serious young talent that could prove to be the cornerstone of a competitive team in the future.

Hideki Okajima

Around Boston on Monday morning, the papers are filled with obituaries about the team. Some praise the gutsy 2010 band of replacements and rookies. Others chastise the closer and the manager’s decision to stick with him in trying times. Others herald Terry Francona’s 2010 season as the best of his career.

Whatever fans take from the 2010 season, when teams don’t win in Boston (or in any professional sports town, for that matter), they have to be held accountable at some level. And rest assured, thousands of Red Sox fans will be ringing up sports talk radio shows to hold everyone accountable: players, ownership, managers, pitching coaches, even friends who changed seats in the bottom of the ninth on Sunday night.

At least the fans will be talking about the Red Sox – one final gasp of Red Sox relevance on the airwaves before Tom Brady and the Patriots officially take over the town.

For the diehards, there will soon be talk about re-signing Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre. Without either, the Red Sox would have painted a much more grim 2010 picture than merely missing the playoffs by a handful of games.

Will the Red Sox let them walk and grab the supplemental draft picks? Time will tell.

Did David Ortiz earn an extension, or will the fear of his early-season woes the past two years force the Red Sox to cut ties with their most influential personality since Nomar Garciaparra?

Will Daniel Bard step in as the closer and Jonathan Papelbon pack up and go?

How will Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia respond from their surgeries?

Did Daisuke Matsuzaka’s eight-inning performance on Sunday night lift his value for a trade for an Andre Ethier?

The questions will swirl, and the offseason work soon will begin. One more win for the Yankees or one more loss for the Red Sox, and the 2010 season officially will come to an end in Boston.

The unofficial ending was Sunday night, and arguably, it was a just and rightful ending. Sure, the walk in the 10th was an unintentional surrender, but it did come after a fight.

With the Red Sox down 2-1 to the Yankees in the top of the ninth, Francona had two base runners, Ryan Kalish and Bill Hall, both steal second and third off the greatest closer of all time. Kalish and Hall both ended up scoring to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead.

People should always remember this year’s installment of Red Sox as a group with a lot of heart — a group that refused to die when Alex Rodriguez delivered a seventh-inning home run to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

The rookie Kalish showed true character and grit, diving to make a tremendous catch in the eighth before smacking a single up the middle against future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera in the ninth.  After two steals and a base hit by Hall, Kalish gave the Red Sox life. 

The kid is not just in the lineup just to gain major league experience. He is there to help the Red Sox win. He has a very promising future, whether he stays with the Red Sox or is packaged in a deal to lure some proven talent to Boston.

The Red Sox’ late charge had many thinking about shades of 2004, and there was an actual belief that we were watching the start of an improbable September comeback. With three more games still remaining against the Yankees at Fenway, why not dream a little?

Alas, that dream turned into an all-too-familiar nightmare in the bottom of the ninth inning. And the 2004 excitement gave way to a 2003 defeat. 

Blame whomever you want for the heartbreaking loss. But sometimes, a team just gets beat by a league Most Valuable Player like Robinson Cano.

The Yankees and Rays were better than the band-aid bunch of Red Sox who took the field for much of the 2010 season. Remarkably, they almost punched out of their weight class and into a playoff spot.

No shame, but no satisfaction.

The 2010 Boston Red Sox will play out the rest of their schedule and hope for something way beyond improbable to happen.

In the meantime, enjoy watching a pair of Cy Young contenders in the Red Sox rotation as you ready your best questions for the offseason. 

The white flag is now burning in a hot stove that is heating up.

Highlighting the crop of young Boston talent is a 6-foot-4, 250-pound designated hitter and catcher out of Yale by the name of Ryan Lavarnway. The rising prospect will be joined by five other Sox prospects — Jose Iglesias, Juan Carlos Linares, Jason Rice, Daniel Turpen and Seth Garrison.

Top farmhands from the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners will help fill out the rest of the Javelinas roster.

For Lavarnway, the AFL season (which runs from Oct. 12-Nov. 18) will most likely be spent focusing on his defense behind the plate. As of now, he's the only catcher on the Javelinas roster, which should accelerate his development defensively. Lavarnway split time this season between High-A Salem and Double-A Portland splitting time between catcher and DH.

Offensively, Lavarnway will look to improve upon some of the gaudy numbers he posted this summer.  Between Salem and Portland, the 23-year-old led all Boston minor leaguers in RBIs (102) and slugging percentage (.489).  He also ranked in the top five in the organization in batting average (.288, fifth); hits (133, fourth); on-base percentage (.393, fourth) and home runs (22, second).

A pair of Cuban-born players will round out the Boston position players on the Javelinas in the form of Iglesias and Linares.

Iglesias is no stranger to the AFL, having participated last season after signing with Boston as an international free agent. Although 2010 was a productive year overall for Iglesias, it was also somewhat of a "lost year" for the 20-year-old shortstop who was limited to 57 games due to a finger injury.

The AFL season should be good for Iglesias to continue to gain more confidence at the plate and make up for some lost at-bats. His .315 OBP and 49 strikeouts are alarming, and something he must improve upon.

Linares is a 26-year-old outfielder who signed with Boston as an international free agent in July. His time in Arizona should give the organization a chance to get a better look at him. Linares played in four games with the GCL Red Sox before a promotion to Portland where he played in just 13 games and hit .239 (11-for-46).

Rice, Turpen and Garrison will represent the Boston organization’s pitching talent this fall.

The most consistent pitcher in Portland this season was Rice, who posted a 3-2 record with a 2.85 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 60 innings. He led the Sea Dogs’ bullpen with 13 saves in 17 chances, and posted a stingy 0.81 ERA in the ninth inning this season.

Rice continues to do all the right things on and off the field, as he was selected to the Eastern League East All-Star Team and named the Sea Dogs’ Citizen of the Year for his work in the community. A strong month of work in Arizona could secure him a spot as a non-roster invitee to spring training and could potentially land him on the 40-man roster.

For Turpen, who was acquired from the San Francisco Giants organization in the Ramon Ramirez deal, the AFL season will be a chance for him to hone his plus stuff. At times, the 24-year-old’s fastball and slider were just as impressive as his numbers in between Double-A Richmond and Portland were unimpressive (7-6, 4.30 ERA, 60K/69.0 IP).

The final spot, for now, goes to Garrison, the only Boston farmhand heading to Arizona who did not reach Double-A Portland this season. The 25-year-old appeared in 16 games between the GCL Sox, Short-Season Lowell, and High-A Salem and posted a 1-1 record with a 3.41 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings of work. 

Although there are six players who have already been selected, there could be additions and subtractions in the short span of a month. A couple players to keep an eye out for would be a pair of Portland pitchers.

Reliever Eammon Portice’s strong finish has some in the organization whispering "prospect," while starting pitcher and top prospect Casey Kelly, who was sidelined with a strained lat muscle late in the season, has some empty innings that the Red Sox might like to see him fill.

In the end, the select few heading to the AFL will have the eyes of plenty of scouts on them as they look to improve upon their skill sets. With a chance of climbing up the prospect totem pole it is time for Lavarnway and company to get a head start on the 2011 campaign.

Clay Buchholz

On Saturday, Buchholz will be asked once again to breath life into his team’s playoff hopes.

He has proven himself time and time again this season, but to be considered a true ace, he will have to perform above the lofty bar he set for himself down the stretch, especially in head-to-head meetings against the Yankees and Rays.

Buchholz is 1-1 this season against the Rays with a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings of work, but anyone who knows the game could tell you those numbers count for nothing.

Numbers aside, Buchholz is pitching the best baseball of his major league career, and is dominating in the only stat that really matters — wins.

Since taking a loss at Oakland on July 21, Buchholz is unbeaten in six consecutive starts (5-0) and has collected a win in his previous four outings.  If not for a Jonathan Papelbon blown save on Aug. 1 against Detroit (after Buchholz’s eight-inning effort), Buchholz would be working on six straight wins.

All the while, Buchholz has lowered his ERA from 2.71 after the loss in Oakland to an American League-leading 2.26.

But all Buchholz’s strong outings and staggering statistics mean is that the Boston organization, his teammates and fans can have great confidence when he takes the hill for what will be, to date, the biggest start of the season.

The magazines, baseball journals and newspapers will tell you the old Clay Buchholz is gone.  The lanky, timid, kid who often looked as though he would never live up to the great hype and promise that had scouts thinking “Cy Young Award potential” is now a dependable and solid arm attached to a poised and confident young man.

Buchholz is very much a part of the Cy Young debate, and if he can deliver for his team down the stretch, the votes will take care of themselves.  Certainly, awards won’t be on the mind of Boston’s emerging 26-year old ace when he takes the ball at Tropicana Field on Saturday night.

After all, this is the new Clay Buchholz, who continues to prove that he is the real Clay Buchholz.

To make a name for yourself in the majors, you have to prove yourself every start, and Buchholz is learning just that.  In a season where he has had to be the lynchpin to an ailing Red Sox club, Buchholz is again going to be asked to prove that he has arrived for good.

And again, Boston is counting on Buchholz to deliver to keep their playoff pulse alive and well.  Only this year, they are counting with confidence.

Earlier this month, when Baseball America announced its “Best Tools” list, the Sea Dogs had five position players and one manager earning top Eastern League Honors.

Defensively, center fielder Che-Hsuan Lin, third baseman Ray Chang, shortstop Jose Iglesias and first baseman Anthony Rizzo were named the “Best Defensive” players at their respective positions. 

Second baseman Nate Spears was recognized as having the “Best Strike Zone Judgment” and was second in the league in walks (74) entering play Friday.

Skipper Arnie Beyeler was named the "Best Manager Prospect" in the Eastern League. Beyeler, who has led the Sea Dogs to the playoffs in two seasons (2007, 2008), has notched a franchise record 273 career wins in a record four seasons in a Sea Dogs uniform. 

The 46-year-old Beyeler has watched three players who began the season on his opening day roster work their way to Boston. Felix Doubront (the Sea Dogs’ opening day starter), outfielder Ryan Kalish and infielder Yamaico Navarro have all made the jump from Double-A to the majors under Beyeler’s tutelage.

Now, Beyeler is managing some of the best young talent in the system, led by Rizzo. The 21-year-old Rizzo was named Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of Aug. 2-8 and continues to build upon his torrid first week in August. 

On Monday night against the Harrisburg Senators, Rizzo came up with the bases loaded in the fourth inning and promptly cleared them with a double.  The three RBIs gave the slugging lefty 29 RBIs for the month of August, breaking the previous high of 28, previously held by Aaron Bates (2009), Ross Gload (2000), Jon Still (2009) and Kevin Millar (1997).

A notable side note about Millar, a Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Famer, is that he accomplished the feat of 28 RBIs in three different months during his historic 1997 campaign.

As for Rizzo, the sky continues to be the limit in terms of his potential for power.

As the summer days grow shorter, and the crisp autumn breezes begin to creep in from the Casco Bay to Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine, we are reminded that another Double-A season is winding to an end.

Although the playoffs seem out of reach and the results in the win column haven’t shown as much as some would prefer, it is important to note the strides players such as Kalish and Doubront have made since April 8, and look forward to the potential emergence of prospects like Rizzo and Iglesias.

Rizzo, the Boston Red Sox’ eighth-ranked prospect (according to Baseball America), was named Eastern League Player of the Week on Monday. Rizzo began the week as a 20-year-old with a 4-for-5 night and four RBIs against the Bowie BaySox on Aug. 3. He finished the week with a 4-for-5 afternoon, four RBIs and an estimated 480-foot home run on his 21st birthday, Aug. 8.

In six games last week (Aug. 2-8), the Portland Sea Dogs’ first baseman hit .444 (12-for-27) with four doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs, seven runs scored and a .926 slugging percentage.

Rizzo is a 6-foot-3, 220-pounder from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and possesses a great deal of pop in his bat.  He joined the Sea Dogs from Single-A Salem on May 10, shortly after Lars Anderson was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket, and during batting practice that day, Rizzo hit a ball off the video board in right-center field.  Many have connected with that video board, but Rizzo had enough power to bring down an electric panel with the ball.

With the Sea Dogs, Rizzo is batting .272 (87-for-320) with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs. Between Salem and Portland, he leads all Red Sox minor leaguers with 19 home runs, and his 76 RBIs rank third.

Don’t worry about the youngster feeling the grind of the long season between Single- and Double-A. Rizzo is batting .327 since the Eastern League All-Star break.

Rizzo’s teammate, Navarro, was called up from Portland to Pawtucket on Aug. 2 and has settled in nicely in his first week with the PawSox.

Hitless in his first two games, Navarro now has a five-game hitting streak to bring his seven-game average to .304 (7-for-23). The shortstop connected with his first Triple-A home run on Sunday against the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

Navarro, a native of San Pedro de Macrois, Dominican Republic, began the season as the everyday third baseman for the Sea Dogs. However, he moved back to his original shortstop position after Jose Iglesias went down with a thumb injury.

Iglesias, the organization’s ninth-ranked prospect (according to Baseball America), was hit by a pitch on May 29 from Mike McCardell of the New Britain Rock Cats. In 40 games with the Sea Dogs before the injury, Iglesias hit .306 with 19 runs scored.

The 20-year-old Iglesias was cleared to play on July 31 and sent down to the short-season Lowell Spinners for a rehab assignment. 

So far, so good for Iglesias, who has played DH and recorded one hit in each of his seven games with the Spinners for a .368 average (7-for-19).

Ranked the "Best Defensive Infielder" by Baseball America, Iglesias spent most batting practice sessions taking ground balls and practicing glove work during his two-month stint on the disabled list.

Ideally, the Red Sox would like to acquire a stable and proven bullpen arm over the weekend, but because relief pitching remains a hot commodity for contending teams, it appears Boston inevitably would have to overpay for a reliever’s services.

Red Sox fans need look no further than the 2007 deadline, when Boston sent outfielders David Murphy and Engel Beltre with left-hander Kason Gabbard to Texas in exchange for reliever Eric Gagne as an example of the dangers of overspending for bullpen help. 

Sure, the end result was a World Series in October, but it was hardly thanks to Gagne, who posted a lackluster 2-2 record and 6.75 ERA in a Red Sox uniform.

Fortune favors the bold. The bold, however, may also favor misfortune. In the unpredictable frenzy that is the 48 hours leading up to July 31 for general managers, a gutsy trade can cripple a playoff run as fast as it can spark success. The same can be said for looking at alternative avenues — more specifically for the Red Sox, that avenue could be the one that runs toward Pawtucket, R.I.

Which brings us to the idea that the bullpen issues that have plagued the Red Sox of late could be solved from within. Maybe.

Michael Bowden performed admirably during his lone stint with the big club earlier this month. Although he was back in Pawtucket before he could bat an eyelash, Bowdoin tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings with the Red Sox while his eyes developed tears.

The 23-year-old was moved to the bullpen with the PawSox earlier in July, as the Red Sox perhaps saw a potential big league solution in the right-hander. The result at the Triple-A level has been stellar. Bowden has posted a 2-0 record, with one save and a 2.16 ERA in 8 1/3 innings. As a reliever, he also has held opponents to a .207 batting average.

The main concern with Bowden is his inexperience, at both the major league level and out of the bullpen.  After all, this is his first real experience out of the bullpen at any level (although he did make seven relief appearances for Boston last season), and he has just a 10 2/3-inning sample of relief work between Pawtucket and Boston for the Red Sox to ponder. 

Although Bowden was unblemished in his brief major league stint this season, he allowed four of the 10 batters he faced to reach (three hits, one walk). To maintain a 0.00 ERA with a .333 opponent batting average and a .400 opponent on-base percentage would be a Houdini act of historic proportions for Bowden, and a situation the Red Sox would rather not encounter.

Another young pitcher the Red Sox may find effective past this weekend is Felix Doubront.  The 22-year-old lefty served as Clay Buchholz’s spot replacement who can throw to home much stronger than he does to first or second.

Despite his fielding gaffes, Doubront has proven that he can hang tough at the highest level.  He was thrown into the fire, starting in games filled with just about as much pressure as can be packed into June and July tilts.

Doubront’s first major league start came on June 18 when Manny Ramirez made his long-awaited return to Fenway Park as a member of the Dodgers. Doubront also made starts in Tampa Bay against the AL wild card-leading Rays and against the AL West-leading Rangers. 

Doubront’s numbers with the Red Sox (1-2, 4.11 ERA in three starts) weren’t world beating, but they are solid. 

Working deep into games has been a bit of a problem for Doubront, and he has yet to pitch out of the bullpen since signing as an international free agent with the Red Sox on July 12, 2004. In his three major league starts, however, Doubront has yet to allow an earned run in either the first or second inning. 

His first-inning numbers are equally impressive over a seven-inning sampling with the PawSox, rendering a 1.29 ERA and a .130 opponents batting average. But Doubront did struggle to get going on those cold April and May nights in Portland, posting a 4.50 ERA in the first inning in eight starts with the Sea Dogs.

First-inning success may not translate to bullpen success, but it is something for Red Sox brass to chew on. Moving the lefty to the big league bullpen would be a drastic move, but as the Boston bullpen continues to struggle, Doubront’s .158 opponents batting average against lefties will become more and more enticing.

Another less sexy, but potentially viable arm from the farm that the Red Sox may need to call upon could be that of 27-year-old right-hander Robert Manuel. His numbers jump out on paper — 5-1 with a 1.34 ERA and eight saves for the PawSox. It took 10 games and 13 2/3 innings for an International League player to cross home with a run off Manuel.

Much like Bowden and Doubront, Manuel also saw action with the Red Sox earlier in July, appearing in five games out of the bullpen.  Although he got off to a rocky start by allowing two runs in the ninth during the Red Sox’ 9-3 July 3 win over Baltimore, Manuel settled down to lower his ERA to 3.86 over seven innings by the time he was sent back to Pawtucket on July 15. 

Furthering Manuel’s case is the fact that he held opponents to a stingy .200 batting average against, including holding lefties to a .167 clip at the major league level.

Getting a legitimate, proven bullpen arm acclimated to facing big league hitters is at the top of the list for general manager Theo Epstein and the Boston Red Sox. But teams must be keen to not dramatically overpay for a three-month rental, as nothing is guaranteed.

The trading deadline is a time of uncertainty and risk-taking. The continued success of a high-profile deadline acquisition can be as unpredictable as the success or failure of young arms taking the ball in pressure situations. The ground GMs walk upon during this time each year always seems to be littered with double-edged swords.

Depending on how Epstein feels out the market over the weekend, the Red Sox could wind up shipping off a Bowden, Doubront or Manuel. The Red Sox also could wind up with one or more of those names entrusted with a great deal of pressure late in the season, and perhaps the Nation will become very familiar with them, for better or for worse.

But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t memorable.

Few people remember the event Michael Phelps swam to win his record eighth gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, or the name of those two guys who played that wicked long tennis match earlier this year.

For the record, Phelps won his eighth gold in the 4×100 meter medley relay, swimming the butterfly in a record 50.1 seconds. American John Isner defeated Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68 in an 11-hour,  five-minute match at Wimbledon. And, of course, Celtic FC of Scotland beat Sporting CP of Portugal 2-1 in a shootout (6-5).

Soccer may very well be on the rise in the United States, yet it could likely just be the flavor of the season, comparable to curling, a sport that saw excellent ratings in America during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The U.S. men’s soccer team put forth a valiant effort this summer in South Africa at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They overcame early letdowns, late-game drama and unconscionable refereeing blunders. In the end, they came within an extra-time strike from Asamoah Gyan to take Ghana into penalty kicks for a chance to advance to the round of eight.

The skill level of Major League Soccer in America just cannot compete with that of the English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, nor Germany’s Bundesliga.  However, the MLS has seen a slight increase in attendance, despite their television ratings remaining flat.

Nevertheless, the summer of 2010 is the best shot soccer has at succeeding in this country, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Tom Werner, John Henry and the Boston Red Sox.

Whether the idea that soccer is on the rise in America is a fact, or another hopeful pipedream for stateside fanatics, Football at Fenway just felt right.

The pitch stretched from right field to left field, with the end lines running parallel to the third-base dugout.  The grounds crew brought in field turf to cover the infield dirt, which filled in relatively seamlessly.

Sporting CP and Celtic FC could not have been two more perfect clubs for the event, either. Certainly, the green primary colors and Celtic namesake could give even the most casual Bostonian soccer fan some sort of rooting interest.

Then, there was the nostalgic background of the Green Monster, hovering behind the team benches.  The entire scene was a perfect panorama picture for "man cave" basements and office décor, and to see the 37-foot green peering over a soccer match served as a reminder that we were living history.

The run of play for this "friendly" (which at times wasn’t so friendly) was fantastic. The crowd was energized and eclectic, and it was a perfect summer night in Boston, making Football at Fenway an overall success here in the Summer of Soccer.

While it’s too early to prognosticate if soccer can work its way into the upper echelon of sports in the U.S., the game certainly is riding a high.

The Football at Fenway match kept the wave rolling. Thanks to its timing, historical location and thrilling outcome, the event will be remembered as a celebration of the world’s most popular sport at one of the world’s most historic sporting grounds.

But before players can return to Boston, they must embark on minor league rehab stints.

The Red Sox lead the majors with 11 players on the disabled list, including three All-Stars. Overall, there have been an almost comical 16 DL stints among 14 players.

Questions have begun to swirl about how long the Red Sox can stay in the AL East hunt with all these injuries, especially with a cast of some very "wet behind the ears" big leaguers. 

However, despite having the unproven tag, Darnell McDonald and Daniel Nava are two examples of players who have come up big in key moments this year. And while some people are waiting for the dam to burst, the Red Sox have been able to plug gaps with the likes of Felix Doubront and Kevin Cash.  Although there have been a few leaks, such as Niuman Romero's brief stint in Tampa Bay, the Red Sox' replacements have done a solid job.

Now, help could be on the way coming out of the All-Star break. The Red Sox announced Tuesday that Manny Delcarmen and Clay Buchholz will head to the minors to rehab, joining Josh Beckett, who will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket.

Delcarmen, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list July 2 (retroactive to July 1) with a right forearm strain, will join the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs in New Britain, Conn., on Thursday, when the 'Dogs take on the Rock Cats.

The 28-year old pitched for the Sea Dogs at the start of the 2005 season and had 49 strikeouts in 39 innings with a 3.23 ERA. Delcarmen's performance in Portland helped catapult him through Pawtucket and on to Boston by the end of the year.

The Red Sox would like to see Delcarmen expedite the leap back to Boston this season to add depth to the bullpen.

Meanwhile, the Pawtucket PawSox will have the pleasure of having Buchholz and Beckett for back-to-back rehab starts Friday and Saturday, respectively.  Like the Sea Dogs, the PawSox also will be on the road, as they head to Syracuse to take on the Chiefs.

Buchholz is no stranger to bouncing back and forth between Pawtucket. He's pitched for the PawSox and Red Sox in each of the last four seasons.  However, the Red Sox and Buchholz are both hopeful that the one start will be all the fine-tuning the 25-year old needs to test the left hamstring strain that put him on the 15-day disabled list on July 5 (retroactive to June 27).

The 22-year old Doubront has picked up both of Buchholz's missed starts, posting a 1-1 record with a 4.22 ERA. Although the rookie left-hander pitched admirably in Buchholz's spot, having Buch's 10-4 record and 2.45 ERA back in the Boston rotation as soon as possible would be ideal for the ailing Red Sox. 

Then there is Beckett. The veteran has not thrown from a major league mound since the fifth inning of a May 18 game against the Yankees in the Bronx.  He already made one start for the PawSox on July 11 in Pawtucket, allowing one run on two hits in four innings while striking out four.
  
The number of combined games missed by the 16 DL stints sits at a staggering 516 for the Red Sox, and when baseball resumes on Thursday, that number will begin to rise again.  However, no matter how high that number soars into the atmosphere, patience will become the key for the 2010 Boston Red Sox.

Nobody knows yet if the current Red Sox lineup is built strong enough to hang around in the AL East, but at that same time, nobody knows that they are not. Help is on the way, but the rehab process must take its time to play out.

The process can be slow and tedious, but it is essential for these players to test their bodies and reestablish their rhythm at the minor league level. Delcarmen, Buchholz, and Beckett are just the first wave of Boston's current disabled list to begin the ascent back to Fenway. 

If the rehab process is done properly, these players will be ready almost immediately to solidify their presence back up in Boston.  A healthy lineup and a bolstered pitching staff featuring Beckett, Jon Lester, Buchholz, John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka could mean serious trouble for the rest of the AL East, and perhaps those teams who remain in October.

But patience is a virtue, and for now, Boston waits. 

Bob Sheppard

How could you not?

When Sheppard’s voice emanated through the crackle of transistor radios in April, we knew spring had arrived. When the Red Sox and Yankees had summer battles in the Bronx, his voice was always present. It haunted our autumn nightmares like the ghosts of the old Yankee Stadium and witnessed the end of 86 years of frustration.

Sheppard’s voice is legend. It is as much a part of New England culture as Johnny Most’s gravelly calls, and Sheppard’s golden pipes still send shivers down our spines like the images of Ted Williams at the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park.

In 2001, Sheppard’s voice brought us to tears when baseball returned to a city grieving and rebuilding from the tragic attacks of Sept. 11.  The country needed "The Voice of God," as Reggie Jackson put it, and Sheppard was there for us. 

On July 11, Sheppard went home, passing away at the age of 99.

He welcomed us into the oft-unfriendly confines of Yankee Stadium when we traveled to support our local nine.  "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Yankee Stadium," his melodious voice would call out, and immediately, we felt at home.

In a game rich in history, Sheppard preserved everything that is right about the game. He was not a showman or a shouter, and his voice did not boom or bellow.  He was, simply, "The Voice." He was articulate and clear, and for that, he became iconic and legendary.

On April 17, 1951, Boston’s Dom DiMaggio became the first name Sheppard ever announced at Yankee Stadium. It was a great moment for New England, as the little known speech professor from St. John’s University not only introduced DiMaggio to the people in stands that day, but he introduced his mellifluous voice to New England.

Over the next 50-odd years, Sheppard never wavered from his philosophy of staying "clear, concise and correct." A style that remained refreshing and true, as the modern day PA announcer morphed into a wild and excitable voice.

His voice nestled its way comfortably into our hearts and our imaginations. I remember as a child hitting rolled-up balls of Scotch tape with a feather duster in my basement, pretending I was a big leaguer. It seemed as if every night we played the Yankees, and when we traveled to the Bronx, there was Bob Sheppard to announce me.

Clear as day, "Now batting for the Boston Red Sox, the center fielder, number two, Greg Cavanaugh, (a perfectly timed pause) number two, Greg Cavanaugh."

I could hear Sheppard’s voice perfectly. It was undistinguishable, and it was gold. I swear I hit a home run to win the game every single time.

I’m sure millions of young boys and girls across the country and perhaps around the world have that special and unique connection with Mr. Sheppard. His voice is one that has generated real magic, not just the baseball magic a young child can conjure up in his or her mind.

Sheppard announced at 62 World Series' games for the New York Yankees, and saw it all. It was as if his voice shook the walls of Yankee Stadium, reverberating through the crisp October night to awaken the ghosts in Monument Park.

His voice possessed poetic diction, but it could send haunting chills down your spine. In the 2003 ALCS, it was Sheppard who calmly called Jorge Posada to the plate when all seemed lost for the Yankees. It was Sheppard who introduced Aaron Boone in the same exact way he introduced the Yankee greats of Derek Jeter, Roger Maris and Yogi Berra, right before Tim Wakefield’s offering was sent sailing into the Bronx night sky. 

That same voice was there to witness the greatest comeback in major league history the very next year. Even though Sheppard announced every pitcher and hitter with the same familiar elegance he always had, his voice never sounded quite as beautiful for New Englanders as it did Oct. 20, 2004.

Late in the 2007 season, Sheppard came down with a bronchial infection forcing him to leave his familiar post in Yankee Stadium. A recording of Sheppard’s voice still introduces Captain Jeter, and still welcomes fans into the new Yankee Stadium, but sadly, it is just not quite the same.

Although the authentic "Voice of God" will never echo off the walls of Yankee Stadium again, it continues to flow brilliantly and poetically in our memories and still induces shivers and goosebumps through our bodies. Sheppard’s voice has worked its way into the very soul of baseball, helping to maintain the purity of our pastime.

Farewell and thank you, Mr. Sheppard. May your voice ring loud and clear from the heavens for our loved ones who also have gone home.

For now, we’ll preserve your voice in our minds and in our hearts clearly, concisely, and correctly.

Kevin Youkilis

American League manager Joe Girardi chose Paul Konerko to replace Justin Morneau at first base instead of Youkilis, so six players will represent the Boston Red Sox in Anaheim.

Girardi’s decision had similar repercussions for the Sea Dogs in Portland, Maine. The Double-A team was hoping to have seven former players make the All-Star rosters, but six isn’t too shabby. Former Sea Dogs Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and David Ortiz (who had a three-game rehab stint in Portland in 2008) made the AL roster after being voted in on the player ballot.  Meanwhile, former top Red Sox prospect Hanley Ramirez of the Marlins (fan vote) and San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (player vote) will take the opposing dugout on the National League side.

The Sea Dogs are the most-represented Eastern League team in the Midsummer Classic, ahead of both the Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians) and Reading Phillies (Philadelphia Phillies), who each sent five.

Only one other Double-A organization can compare with the six former Sea Dogs this year. The Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers) of the Texas League also are sending six former players to the All-Star Game: Josh Hamilton, Neftali Feliz, Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler, Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez.

In Triple-A, the International League’s Indianapolis Indians and Scranton Wilkes-Barre also are each sending six former players to the game. Indianapolis’ six alumni span three different affiliations since 1993: the Reds, Brewers and currently Pirates. Scranton Wilkes-Barre is now a Yankees affiliate, but six former Phillies prospects (from their days as the Red Barons) are headed to Anaheim.

Portland is right there with all of them. While Ortiz was in Maine for only a brief time in ’08 and Adrian Gonzalez played for the Sea Dogs when they were a Marlins affiliate, the flood of talent through Portland bodes well for Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and his staff, who have emphasized the importance of player development since day one.

Jonathan Papelbon (a four-time All-Star selection), Pedroia (a three-time All-Star) and Youkilis (a two-time selection) are all former Red Sox draft picks and Sea Dogs who have represented the Red Sox in multiple Midsummer Classics under the Epstein regime.  Lester and Buchholz are both enjoying the first All-Star appearances of their young careers, but could join this list in the near future.

Since 2002, the presence of former Sea Dogs at the All-Star Game has been as commonplace as a sellout crowd at Fenway Park, with at least two former Sea Dogs making the All-Star Game. Since 2006, there have been at least three former Dogs.  However, in recent years, that number has become even more impressive, with the Sea Dogs boasting at least six former players in the MLB All-Star Game since 2008.

For the Portland franchise, the number of former players in the All-Star Game since 2002 has been an incredible feat. But since 2006, when Papelbon made his first All-Star appearance, the Red Sox have sent at least one homegrown talent each year, and at least three since 2008.

Pedroia, Lester, Buchholz and Ortiz also are alumni of the Pawtucket Pawsox. Lester and Buchholz both spent time with the Greenville Drive. And Buchholz is the lone Lowell Spinners alumnus to round up the Red Sox’ affiliate representation at the 2010 All-Star Game.

Very few organizations have seen their prospects blossom through the system and achieve All-Star success in the major leagues quite like the Red Sox. The Atlanta Braves are one, and they are well-represented at the All-Star Game this year with former minor league farmhands.

The Braves Rookie Level team of the Gulf Coast League led all MiLB clubs by sending eight former players to this season’s All-Star Game: Andrus, Feliz, Rafael Soriano, Adam Wainwright, Jason Heyward, Brian McCann, Martin Prado, and Rafael Furcal.

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans – the Braves’ advanced Single-A affiliate — are sending seven former players, including Atlanta ace Tim Hudson, who made one rehab start for them in 2009.

But despite the great success of the GCL Braves’ alumni in the majors this year, only Heyward, McCann and Prado will be representing the Atlanta Braves, compared to the four Sea Dogs representing the Red Sox.

With Adrian Beltre leaving Sunday’s game in Toronto with an apparent hamstring injury, Youkilis could have an outside shot at working his way into the AL dugout for the All-Star Game. However, one would hope Beltre is healthy, and early reports are that the hamstring is more of a cramping issue than debilitating injury.

Whether Youkilis makes the AL All-Star team or not, the system is working. Since Epstein took the reins as GM, the Red Sox organization has drafted and developed a league MVP, a Rookie of the Year and six All-Stars. They even traded away a future NL Rookie of the Year and batting champion (Hanley Ramirez) in exchange for a World Series MVP (Mike Lowell) and ALCS MVP (Josh Beckett).

The Portland Sea Dogs just so happen to be the top beneficiary of that system this year, and have been for the past several years. Sure, it has become more rule than exception for multiple Red Sox to make the All-Star Game, year in and year out, but as more and more talent works its way up the East Coast, more and more affiliates can take pride when tuning into the Midsummer Classic.

What he has done is taught nearly 100 young ballplayers from the local area how to field ground balls and work together to turn double plays. It’s all in a days’ work for the Portland Sea Dogs’ reliever.

Since Rice arrived in Portland at the start of the 2010 Eastern League season, it has been standard procedure for him to reach out to the community. He has visited elementary schools, birthday parties, summer camps and the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center to deliver advice, stories and smiles to the youth.

“Honestly, I love being part of the community,” said the 24-year-old after the Sea Dogs’ Free Kids Clinic on June 19. “As a kid growing up, I wish somebody in my position [as a professional baseball player] would take the time out of their day to talk to me.” 

Rice is particularly pleased that the community he enjoys giving back to is one that can be found along the prospect pipeline that is the Boston Red Sox’ farm system. Previously, Rice was a member of the Chicago White Sox organization, but was acquired by the Red Sox in 2008 in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft.

“I had to do some research on [the Rule 5 Draft] when I first found out what it was,” admits Rice, a native of San Bernadino, Calif. “I saw a lot of guys from Dan Uggla to Johan Santana to Roberto Clemente were Rule 5 guys as well. 

“For the Rule 5, basically other teams get a chance to get you if they think they can work with you. A lot of guys get drafted to a certain team and a lot of times you don’t even make it to the big leagues with that team.”

Since joining the Red Sox organization, Rice’s numbers have improved dramatically. In 2009, the righty made his debut out of the bullpen with the High-A Salem Red Sox and lowered his previous season’s ERA by exactly two runs per game, registering a 2.44 ERA in 41 appearances. 

“It’s a blessing,” said Rice about being a part of a Boston farm system that he credits with transforming him from just a thrower to a pitcher.  “I’ve learned so much since joining the Boston Red Sox organization.  How they do things here is unbelievable.”

The success down in Salem has translated to the Double-A level in Portland this season. Rice was recently named to the Eastern League All-Star team after converting a perfect nine saves in nine opportunities to accompany a 3.15 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 34 1/3 innings pitched as of July 5 [update stats].

“I feel confident, to the highest level,” said Rice. “It is Double-A here, so you know you are just a phone call away if those guys up in Pawtucket or Boston need your services.  You got to come in here with confidence through the roof, and know that you can’t be beat in between those lines.”

As a Rule 5 draft pick and now a minor league All-Star, Rice could persuade the Red Sox to protect him on their 40-man roster if he has a strong second half of the season.

Rice would be more than pleased if Boston were to hold him in such high regard. However, he refuses to look too deeply into what he cannot control.  

“I pray that my future is here [in the Boston organization],” said Rice, “Like I said, just to be here is a blessing, and I have high hopes that I’ll stay here.  But you can only take it one day at a time, you know. 

“You can never get comfortable in this game because you never know what will happen.  There are trades and all kinds of stuff that you just never know.  Shoot, I could get converted to a catcher.  It’s unlikely, but you just never know.”

With the increased successes that have come his way since joining the Boston organization, it seems more and more unlikely that Rice will be converted to a catcher, and more and more likely he will continue his ascent to Fenway Park.

For now, his home is Portland, where he vows to continue to work hard and elevate his game. You can also be sure that Jason Rice will continue to do what he does off the field, giving back to the community and putting smiles on the faces of fans young and old.

“Now that I have this chance, I want to go out there and show these kids that they can do anything they put their mind to because it’s been a tough road for me, but I’m still here plugging away.”