Great news Sox fans!! This whole saga with J.D Drew is over.

The Boston Red Sox will announce today or tomorrow that the 5 yr $70 million dollar contract that they had agreed to with J.D. Drew back on December 5th, 2006, has been finalized. The new language in the deal protects the Red Sox should Drew become disabled because of the shoulder. The clause states that the Red Sox will have the option to void the contract should Drew become disabled for a undetermined amount of time. It is rumored to be between 15 and 40 days spent on the disabled list.

The Red Sox cannot void the deal in the first two years but if in the third year of the deal, he becomes disabled related to the shoulder, the Red Sox can void, if they choose, the final two years of the deal. If he becomes disabled in the 4th year of the deal, the Red Sox have the option to void the 5th year. Any injury that happens to the shoulder must be baseball related. If no injury occur, the contract remains guaranteed for the length of the contract (5 yrs, $70 million dollars).

All I can say about this is that it’s about time. Finally, Terry Francona and Theo Epstein can move forward. Let’s hope the rest of Sox Nation is forgiving of what happened. The Red Sox were just trying to protect their investment. Considering the amount of money invested, the Red Sox made a good deal. Drew will bat 5th in the lineup and should protect Manny and Big Papi. This isn’t really something we’ve had with the Red Sox in a long time.

Technorati: Boston Red Sox, J.D. Drew, Scott Boras, Theo Epstein, Terry Francona

John Henry, Principal Owner of the Boston Red Sox, and Jack Roush, of Roush Racing are working on a deal that will give the Fenway Sports Group 50% ownership stake in Roush Racing. The final details will be announced before the Daytona 500 on February 18th and maybe as early as Valentine’s Day. The deal could be worth over $50 million dollars.

With Toyota coming into NASCAR and spending money like it’s going out of style, Roush Racing is trying to find ways to remain competitive and this seems to be the best way for Roush Racing to accomplish this. Jack Roush had this to say,

“That could offset some of the financial energy that a company like Toyota could bring as they bring the resources that they have not garnered from the sport, but from the success of their automobile business elsewhere.”

The move could also help NASCAR’s popularity here in the Northeast. Currently, New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, NH hosts two races each year that usually sell out. The second Loudon race is usually part of the Nextel Chase to the Cup. So the question is, will the Red Sox have sponsorship on a car during the season. I am sure that all these details will be announced when the deal is finalized.

Being a NASCAR fan myself and given the popularity of the Roush drivers, I think this is a great move for the Red Sox ownership. NASCAR is beloved in most of the country and seeing the Red Sox logo on a car could also increase the Red Sox fan base in other parts of the country. Just another way to get the “Red Sox name” out in the United States and other parts of the world.

Technorati: Boston Red Sox, Fenway Sports Group, NASCAR, John Henry, Jack Roush, Roush Racing

Howdy folks from the frozen tundra of Connecticut. With the wind-chills approaching negative numbers tonight, some of you may laugh at the first part of the updates. The Red Sox announced that single game tickets for 2007 season will go on sale Saturday at 10 AM. There are two ways to get them: by telephone (617-482-4SOX) or on-line at www.redsox.com. There is a limit of 8 tickets per person. The club will hold special random drawings for the most sought after games and locations including the nine games against the Yankees, Opening Day (April 10 vs. Seattle), Patriots Day (April 16 vs. Los Angeles Angels), and all tickets on the Green Monster and Right Field Roof Deck areas.

Get your Cotton candy, peanuts, popcorn, Fenway Franks, sushi here. Yes, you read that correctly. The Red Sox are thinking of adding sushi to the menu at the concession stands. With the arrival of Japanese star, Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox beleive the fans might have an interest in sushi.

The Red Sox also announced that they will be able to squeeze 200 more people into cramped Fenway Park. They are adding more standing room only thru out the ballpark. They are in the midst of $100 million dollar renovation to Fenway Park. They also plan to open a “Bleacher Bar” which will give fans a partial view of batting practice and the game. It will be open during non game nights as well. They are also adding a new third base deck behind the grandstand seats in left field. They have also built a new batting cage for the visitors team behind their dugout. The interesting part is if you’re a patron in the Game On Restaurant, you will be able to see the players use the batting cage during games. There are many more new and exciting things at Fenway that you can read about here.

Some news that is a few days old and I neglected to tell you about is that the Red Sox and RP Brendan Donnelly avoided arbitration by meeting in the middle of his demands and what the Red Sox wanted to pay. He ended up signing a 1 yr $1.4 million dollar contract.

No real news on the J.D. Drew front. I guess as the saying goes, “No news is good news.”

Technorati: Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, Daisuke Matsuzaka, J.D. Drew

Kalana Greene’s career high 25 points along with her 12 rebounds led UCONN past the DePaul Blue Demons by a score of 88-76 in a Big East match-up at Gampel Pavilion. Charde Houston rebounded from her past few low scoring games chipping in 19 points. Brittany Hunter and Tina Charles rounded out the Huskies in double figures each adding 11 points. For DePaul, they were led by Caprice Smith’s 19 points and Allie Quigley’s 16 points.

Other than UCONN’s two losses and the game vs Purdue this season, the game tonight was the closest that a team had been to UCONN towards the end of the game. DePaul, a team which shoots a lot of three pointers, was only 3 of 13 from the behind the line as they stayed close during the 1st half. UCONN only led by 8 at the break. The second half was a different story as UCONN got their lead up to 17 points but DePaul got the lead back down to 5 behind their three point shooting abilities. UCONN hit their free throws down the stretch and that provided the final margin for the game.

Notes and Observations:

• The starters were Montgomery, Thomas, Greene, Charles and Houston.
• Charde Houston,who spent most of the 1st half on the bench with 2 fouls, had 17 of her 19 points in the second half.
• Renee Montgomery also struggled with foul trouble in the first half and only finished with 6 points.
• Mel Thomas played all forty minutes during the game. She was instrumental in helping the team build their big lead in the second half when she hit consecutive threes.
• Kalana Greene also played 40 minutes tonight.
• UCONN only played 8 players tonight. Besides the starters, the only others to see time were Hunter, Swanier, and McLaren. All but McLaren played over10 minutes.
• It was nice to see Brittany Hunter on the court again. She is showing flashes of the player that Geno recruited when she was back in high school.

It was nice to the Huskies respond when they were tested down the stretch. They hadn’t shown this in their two losses. Overall a great win for the Huskies as they move to 17-2 (7-0 in the Big East). The Huskies maintain their half game lead over Marquette for the lead in the Big East. Next up for the Huskies is another date at Gampel Pavilion as Notre Dame comes to town. It should be another tough test for the Huskies. Game time is 7:00 and the game will be broadcast locally on CPTV.

Technorati: UCONN Huskies, Geno Auriemma, DePaul Blue Demons, Big East, women’s basketball

vs DePaul at Gampel Pavilion. Game time is 7:30 PM and the game is being broadcast locally on CPTV.