This is a brilliant idea, and even if you cannot do a whole game, anything you can do would help…

A Heartbreaking Anniversary Is Approaching. On Thursday, March 31, 2011, after the season-opening game in which the Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 2 to 1 in Los Angeles, Bryan Stow, a father, husband, paramedic and Giants fan wearing his orange and black colors, was viciously beaten by two men in a parking lot outside Dodger stadium. A reaction of universal condemnation was immediate. People everywhere showed their support. Many fans attending the next game at Dodger Stadium wore the colors of both teams.

Tragic Consequences. The fact that this occurred to Bryan Stow is a tragedy, but it didn’t happen to just him. It happened to his wife, children, mother, and friends, young EMT’s he would have mentored, his ambulance partner, the patients who would have benefited from his skill and countless others. A man who had dedicated himself to responding to and assisting others in moments of great duress requiring immediate, life-saving actions was himself rendered to a condition where his very hold on life was tenuous. He has been hospitalized since that moment. One estimate has his medical treatment costing in excess of $50 million.

A Random Act. I am not pointing my finger at the Dodgers players, fans or its community at large. I have lived in Los Angeles and know firsthand its citizens are decent, law-abiding people who love their teams and are passionate about them. Take a heated rivalry, factor in a close game on opening night, mix in hatred and an absence of respect for human life, and you have the makings of a beating.

A Larger Community. Although we all root for different teams, we are more alike than we think. Regardless of your team, we share the same passion. Each fan believes his team is the best. What happened to Bryan Stow could have happened to any one of us. Bryan Stow is any fan, in any city, rooting for any team, and wearing its colors that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is part of larger baseball community. He’s your Dad, brother, husband, friend, you or me. He’s family.

A Game for Bryan Stow. Bryan Stow attended one game and nearly lost all. He may never be the man he once was. I am asking that this season, we each pick one game to give back to him. Instead of purchasing tickets for the game, please consider forgoing the game and donating those funds to assist with his medical treatment. Our baseball community is tens of millions strong. If we each give Bryan Stow one game in this fashion, we can make a huge impact. Thank you.

For updates on Bryan, or to make a donation, you can go here…

So why did Tim Wakefield’s departure sadden me more?

Please don’t get me wrong. There is a veritable laundry list of things Jason Varitek did for the Sox: GREAT catcher, Good Captain, always gave 100% on the field, caught a record setting 4 no-hitters, was always prepared…and who can forget his infamous dust up with A-Fraud in 2004, that probably helped light the fire that got them their 1st World Series in 86 Years. The list is endless…

But it’s time. He’s done what he needed to do. And now it’s time to cement his legacy by retiring as a member of the Boston Red Sox…although I wish they would do the same thing I wished they had done with Wake–sign him to a 1 day contract, have him start 1 game, so he could be thanked properly for his service…

But I am troubled that Josh Beckett will use ‘Tek being gone as an excuse if he pitching suffers this year. We all know he was practically Beckett’s personal catcher the last couple of years…

And the barbs are already happening between Terry Francona and Bobby Valentine. Bobby bans alcohol in the clubhouse. Tito states he thinks it’s a “PR move” (probably is, but not a bad one) and then Bobby comes back with “Remember, you’re getting paid over there [at ESPN] for saying stuff. You’re getting paid over here for doing stuff.” and then Tito, ever the diplomat demurred: “”I need to be more careful when speaking about the Red Sox…”

And he had this to say about Jason Varitek’s retirement: “I hope his decision to retire is something he really wants to do because he deserves to go out the way he wants to go out. He’s earned that. I know what he meant to our team. He’s one of the best players to ever put on a Red Sox uniform and I wish him the best in what ever he decided to do with the rest of his life.”

Interesting statement: “I hope his decision to retire is something he really wants to do because he deserves to go out the way he wants to go out.” I’m just SAYIN…

I will also say that I think the 2012 Campaign will be chock FULL of interesting statements…

A fire at Fenway caused $100K in damages this weekend, when a short in a light fixture caused a “small” fire in the mail room of the admin offices at the ballpark. Holy Buckets! Could you imagine how much damage a “large” fire could have done? I am sure all the paper products and such that are typically in a mailbox contributed to the extent of the damage…

Finally, our good friends at The Jimmy Fund have announced that Daniel Bard is the 2012 Rally Against Cancer Spokesplayer. In a presser last Friday, Bard appeared with WEEI’s Joe Castiglione, in Fort Meyers, and in Boston, a flashmob appeared at South Station and performed a spirited routine to Red Sox Nation’s anthem “Sweet Caroline” during the Friday lunch crowd. You can see the flashmob here and the press conference here

About Rally Against Cancer: In its seventh year, Rally Against Cancer encourages Red Sox fans to partner with their workplaces and schools by encouraging co-workers, classmates, and friends to each contribute $5 or more to the Jimmy Fund. In exchange, they can “Dress for Sox-cess” by wearing Boston Red Sox gear to work or school on Friday, April 13, when the Sox take on the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park for their home opener at Fenway Park. The top fundraising company and school (K-12, college, or university) are each eligible for a visit from this year’s Spokesplayer, Red Sox Pitcher Daniel Bard, if located within two-hour travel distance from Boston. For more information and full rules visit Rally Against Cancer’s Website…

Coming up: Workouts continue, as the Sox gear up for their first games this Saturday. Yes, THIS SATURDAY!

Happy Leap Year Day everyone!

The Sox have decreased their arbitration eligible players by one, signing Jarrod Saltalamacchia to a 1 year, $2.5 million contract. Tomorrow is the deadline for the teams and players to exchange arbitration numbers….

The rumor around town is that the Sox may invite Jason Varitek to Spring Training as a Non-roster invitee. Holy Buckets, how far have we fallen. Could you really do that to the man who, up to a couple of months ago, was your CAPTAIN?

And there has been absolutely NOTHING with regards to Tim Wakefield–nothing….

As I mentioned before, Michael Clair from Old Time Family Baseball held a charity blogathon over the weekend to raise money and awareness for Doctors without Border. Boston Red Thoughts was a contributor to the weekend (You can read my post here), which helped raise over $2,000 for this wonderful cause. Congratulations to Michael and to all who participated!

So, after a winter of nothingness, the Skanks made some moves, acquiring 2 starters in Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda. Pineda, a young (22) right traded from Seattle, is very good, but the Sox fared pretty well against him the one time they faced him 2011, lighting him up for 7 runs on 8 hits in 4.1 innings. Kuroda, formerly of the Dodgers, has had 1 start against the Sox, and a 0-1 record with a 2.57 ERA against the ballclub….

So, I guess we should not even bother playing the 2012 Campaign, because the Skanks have it all buttoned up. Why don’t we just start planning the ticket tape parade now?

Honestly, what IS it with some Skankee fans? Some of them just go bezerk when they acquire some good players, and for them, it’s all over–the Skanks are a lock. And they do this EVERY time.

We all know that baseball is a fickle mistress, and if there was ever a case study in this point, it was 2011–The general consensus was that the Sox and the Phillies were all that and a bag of chips, destined to face each other in the World Series, and that would be that. And we all know what happened there–It was St Louis and Rangers in the World Series, with dark horse St Louis taking it all…

So, forgive me if I am not ready to concede the whole 2012 campaign yet…

And it looks like Jorge Posada may finally retire (about time)–and here are some neato stats with regard to how he fared, lifetime, against the Sox: .266 with 32 homes and 114 RBI’s–which seems so low to me–always felt that he beat the crap out of the Sox whenever he would come up to bat…

Finally, Wally Fish from Seedlings to the Stars passed along their prospect list for the Boston Red Sox. Good stuff–definitely worth checking out!

Coming up: A little more than a month to Pitcher and Catchers and warm and sunny Florida! And on days like today, when the temp gauge in my jeep says 11 (yes, ELEVEN) degrees, that feels like a lifetime away…

Benefiting Doctors without Borders, the blogathon will start tomorrow, Saturday, January 14th, and end 48 hours later.

The first 24 hours is all Michael, all the time, as he will post fresh new content every 30 minutes. On Day 2, some of the best sports bloggers out there will lend their talents to the cause, submitting posts on a wide variety of baseball topics.

Boston Red Thoughts is one of the bloggers on the slate, and I am honored to be part of this very worthwhile cause.

You can read the blogathon here and make a donation here…

About Doctors without Borders: Also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Doctors without Borders provides emergency medical care to millions of people caught in crises in more than 60 countries around the world. MSF provides assistance when catastrophic events — such as armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, or natural disasters — overwhelm local health systems. MSF also assists people who face discrimination or neglect from their local health systems or when populations are otherwise excluded from health care.

On any given day, more than 22,000 doctors, nurses, logisticians, water-and-sanitation experts, administrators, and other qualified professionals working with MSF can be found providing medical care around the world.

Benefitting Toys for Tots, the official charity of the US Marine Corp, for the 8th straight year, Winterball is a 9-inning baseball game fundraiser played the first weekend of December each year. Upwards of 100 adult amateur players from several local baseball leagues are expected to attend.

All Winterball participants are required to make a toy donation to Toys for Tots to get onto a roster. This year, those aged 18+ will battle those aged 30+ to see if age is truly eternal, as The Young Bucks take on The Aging Stallions.

Batting Practice begins at 10:00am, with the Marines arriving at 10:30 to collect the toys, and then first pitch is 11:00am. Since inception, the average game temperature has been 39 degrees, with the 2010 contest kicking off at a balmy 41…

Want to cheer the teams on? Maplewood Park is located at 99 Crystal Street, Malden, MA. And by all means, bring a new, unwrapped toy…

For more info, you can check out their Winter Baseball’s webpage, where you can also find picture of previous years events. You can also find them on Facebook…

About Toys for Tots: The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.

In addition, the objectives of Toys for Tots are to help less fortunate children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation’s most valuable resources – our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to better communities in the future.

Benefiting the David Ortiz Children’s Fund, the auction can be found here and is open until 11:59 p.m. ET on December 2, 2011. Then, the items listed will move to the live auction at the Golf Classic, and the online bidders will be represented by proxy at the event.

You can bid on these, and much more:

Hitting Lessons with David Ortiz, where you will visit batting practice and tour the stadium prior to a 2012 home game, on a mutually agreed upon date, and get to meet David Ortiz. Also included is a pair of seats for the game.

The chance to play catch with Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, and get fielding tips from one of the best in the game! Not only do you get a game of catch, on a mutually agree upon date, but you also get FOUR tickets to a Red Sox home game at Fenway Park for that date in 2012!

For the tennis fan in your life, there is The Hero & Prodigy Package, consisting of a 30 minute tennis session with Andy Roddick, an autographed copy of Agassi’s autobiography “Open” and autographed tennis ball from both Agassi and Roddick.

Or how about the The US Open Package, consisting of US Open Suite tickets for a 1 day session during the first week of the Tournament. Also included is a 2 night stay at the New York Marriott Marquis, Dinner for 2 at Crossroads American Kitchen & Bar and 2 round trip JetBlue Vouchers.

And there is the ultimate Dominican Paradise Getaway, where you and ELEVEN (12 total) get 5 nights/6 days all inclusive, at the Golden Dolphin Villa on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. You get meals prepared daily by the private chef at your request, and also included are six 6 spa treatments, and 1 round of golf for 6 players at the neighboring Playa Grande Golf Club. WOW…

Additional items in this year’s auction include: the chance to be an honorary Bat Girl/Boy for an upcoming Red Sox game, VIP passes to the Justin Timberlake Open in Las Vegas, a pair of autographed Dwight Howard sneakers, MLB Network behind the scenes Meet & Greet, a Stella McCartney handbag, and jerseys, bats and balls from members of the 2011 Red Sox.

About the David Ortiz Children’s Fund: Committed to helping children in New England and the Dominican Republic who do not have access to the critical pediatric services they need, DOCF is proud to partner with Massachusetts General Hospital to fulfill its mission in New England and with the World Pediatric Project to fulfill its mission in the Dominican Republic. Working together, these organizations are increasing the number of children that will receive lifesaving services. For more info, follow Big Papi on Twitter @davidortiz, or go to the website…