Red Sox Insider: Byrd takes on his “Feathered Foes”

STATS  |  SCHEDULE  |  NEWS  |  ROSTER  |  BALLPARK  |  FAN FORUM  |  COMMUNITY  |  FANTASY MOBILE  |  SHOP  |  TICKETS  |  MULTIMEDIA September 9, 2009 Having trouble viewing this e-mail? View it online as a web page » Forward this e-mail » Sign up for your own » We're undefeated... on 9/9/09! That's right... you have to like our chances tonight as we have NEVER lost on 9/9/09. The last such game (and only other before tonight for that matter) was on 9/9/1909 when we won 3-1 in 10 innings at Washington. Doc Gessler, who we traded to Washington earlier in the day, played for the Red Sox on loan and singled in the go-ahead run in the 10th. There's your trivia fun-fact for the day. By the way, does anybody have any idea if there's a special name for days like today (where the date, month, and year are all the same number)? There's been a little researching going on over here, but nobody has been able to figure out the answer. If you know, please e-mail me at insider@redsox.com. Or if you have a good suggestion as to what we should call those days, please send that along! The best we've come up with here is "Slot-machine-day." (I know, not a great name.) Anyhow, back to baseball. A lot of people are talking about how we hit six homers last night and point to how that shows the depth of our lineup. While I would certainly agree that our lineup is pretty deep these days (with Victor's addition and Gonzalez's hot-stroke at the plate), I think the bigger story has to be the re-emergence of Clay Buchholz. And yes, I know it's tough to call it a "re-emergence," because he was pitching incredibly well down in the Minors all year, but success down there does not always translate into Major League results. But it looks like Clay has really found something. If he can continue to pitch as well as he has as of late, you have to feel pretty good about our team headed down the stretch this year (and also pretty darn good about our pitching staff in future years). There are two other things I wanted to be sure to mention this week. First of all, fan voting has begun for the 2009 Roberto Clemente Award. This is a MLB league-wide award which recognizes the contributions players make in the community. This year, we have chosen Youk as the Red Sox nominee. Beyond being the rock of our team this year on the field, Kevin has done a tremendous amount in the community that many people don't get to see. The co-workers of mine here in the Front Office who work with Kevin on his charitable initiatives really rave about his willingness to help others. There is a fan-voting component to this award, so please go vote for Youk! I'm sure he's too modest to ask for your vote, but I'm not above asking on his behalf. Lastly, for all of you who are living locally, this Friday (9/11) will be the 7th annual Day of Remembrance blood drive here at Fenway Park. We'll have stations set up here at the Park where you can donate blood -- or even if you're not able to make it to Fenway, we hope you might check out the other locations throughout New England or in your local community where you can donate. All the best from the Front Office, The Voice of the Nation p.s. -- As a correction to my newsletter last week -- my co-worker who has a pet named after a character in The Neverending Story corrected me and said it was his dog, not his cat that was named "Falcor." I don't know if that changes your thoughts on whether that makes him a dork/dweeb/nerd, but he made a point to clarify and I thought it was only fair to correct the record. p.p.s. -- Do you think Falcor would qualify as a "Feathered Foe"? He does fly, but I'm not sure he's got feathers... GET YOUR SINGLE GAME TICKETS The Red Sox are battling their way through September in the hopes of playing through the fall. Be there for all the action. Get your tickets today.     Buy tickets »     COME TO THE OFFICIAL RED SOX FANTASY CAMP Live your dream at the 2010 Red Sox Fantasy Camp. Fans 30 years of age and older can learn the game from heroes from the past. You will even get your own uniform in your own locker. Space is limited so book your trip now!     Reserve your spot »     PHOTO OF THE WEEK More on the Photo of the Week » MLB galleries » | Red Sox photo archives » You were there! Make your own Red Sox collectibles at Red Sox fanfoto » RED SOX HEADLINES Byrd looks to bounce back against O's » Pedroia leads Sox's homer barrage in win » Big Papi ties Big Hurt for homers as DH » Dice-K set for final rehab start at Class A » Red Sox add Brown, Lowrie to roster » Red Sox sign 19-year-old Iglesias » Catch all the action on » Get the latest at redsox.com » HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO... ...this 23-year-old Red Sox pitcher, who made his Major League debut on August 30 of 2008 (a game in which he was the winning pitcher).     Think you know??     A BYRD OF PREY... For those of you keeping track of the all-important "Feathered Foes" statistic... Paul Byrd is 5-3 with a 3.66 ERA (27 ER/66.1 IP) in his last 10 starts against feathered foes (teams with bird nicknames). Here's to continued success against the Orioles tonight!     Buy tickets »     TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE ABOUT VICTOR MARTINEZ 1. Victor is allergic to spaghetti 2. Victor's favorite movie is "Catch Me if You Can" 3. Victor has been the catcher for two Cy Young Award winners     Think you know??

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