Hello Kid Nation! World Series Champions! #GETBEARD Page 8. CHATTING WITH JASON Page 3. what fenway means to me Page 2

Transcription

1 what fenway means to me Page 2 CHATTING WITH JASON Page 3 members Interview buchholz Page 6 #GETBEARD Page 8 VOL. 7 NO. 2 NOVEMBER 2013 Hello Kid Nation! It s been a wild season here at Fenway Park with plenty of excitement as we ve journeyed through the playoffs! We had a lot of new faces on the team this season including Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes, Shane Victorino, and Koji Uehara to name a few. Under our new manager, John Farrell, the Red Sox surprised everyone with an amazing 2013 season, working as a team and winning 97 games. We ve had some very special moments at the park this season, with plenty of walk-off wins, the unveiling of the Carl Yastrzemski statue, Beard Night, and Kid Nation Day. In this newsletter we have many articles written by Kid Nation members like you! We ve also put together some of this season s highlights, and we re testing you on your beard knowledge, so get ready! Keep reading on to learn about fellow Kid Nation members and Red Sox fans, Wally s birthday, and what it s like to be the first kid to complete the Kid Nation passport. World Series Champions! We did it! The Red Sox are World Series Champions! After 178 total games in 2013, the Red Sox won the World Series on October 30th. There were lots of big moments in the playoffs, including grand slams from David Ortiz and Shane Victorino and incredible 9th inning saves from closer, Koji Uehara. Koji went on to be named ALCS MVP. Then, Big Papi, followed the lead and was named the 2013 World Series MVP. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Hey Kid Nation! Thank you all for an amazing Red Sox season at Fenway! I saw so many of you at the park, some of you, I met for the first time and others of you were familiar faces! Many of you even came back to see me a few times this year! It s been so much fun to meet each and every one of you and I hope to see you all again soon! This season I found a new hangout spot in our Kid Nation Clubhouse where I spent some time with the magician, face painter, and balloon artist while I visited with Kid Nation members from around the world! photo by billie weiss Red Sox Kid Nation Fenway Park 4 Yawkey Way Boston, MA This year I also turned 16 and had the pleasure of celebrating with you all at my birthday party. There were plenty of cupcakes, games, balloons, and my mascot friends from the Bruins and Patriots were there to share the day with me. It was definitely the best birthday I ve had, and I can t wait to turn 17! Now that I can drive I m excited to be heading out on the road and traveling during the off-season. I hope to see all of you soon! Presorted Standard US Postage PAID Boston, MA Permit No

2 2 What Fenway Park Means to Me By Orly Vaughn (Age 13) Deer Isle, ME, Deer Isle-Stonington Elementary School We have a tradition in my family. Every year in June after school gets out, my dad takes me to Boston for several Red Sox games. We live about five hours away on an island in Maine, so this is something that I look forward to every year. It started in 2009 right after I finished third grade. I was nine, and that was the year that I went to my first ever Red Sox game. It is a day that neither my dad nor I will ever forget. We went to batting practice on the Green Monster. It was so cool and I was very excited. My dad even caught a ball for me. In the midst of the fun, a Red Sox employee named Jackie came up and asked if I wanted to be an honorary batgirl. Of course I said, Yes. When it was time, we went into the Red Sox dugout and helped the real batboy put the helmets on a rack. I got a ball to keep, and I even went onto the field with Wally the Green Monster. They announced my name and took my picture. Like I said before it was a day that I will never forget. It also helped make me a Red Sox fan for life. I am now 13 and have been coming back to Fenway for five seasons, and we ve already made plans for 2014! When I think of Fenway Park, I think of the fun times I have had there. The memory I mentioned above was one of my favorites, but there have been others. The next year when my dad and I came to Boston, Terry Francona signed a baseball my dad caught in batting practice. Last year Mo Vaughn (we have the same last name) signed a ball for me, and this year (2013) David Ross and Tim Wakefield signed balls for me. I also love singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame and Sweet Caroline with my dad and sister (we like to dance so we can get on the scoreboard). Fenway Park has things for all ages, and that is great. I have a little sister, and she is seven years younger than me. She loves the Red Sox too. Whenever we go together rain or shine she MICHAEL IVINS has a blast. She loves the face painting, the balloons, and the large number one hands. One of the games that I went to with her it rained. That didn t stop us though. It was a Yankees game, and she stayed awake until 11 o clock even though she was only four. Her favorite part was cheering. Throughout the whole game she went, Let s Go Red Sox (five claps) and then Let s Go Red Sox. That is a cheer we do at every game. She loves doing the wave and counting how many times it goes around. Fenway Park is fun for everyone, and that is one reason why I love it has been a great year for memories. In June we got to go to more games than usual because the Red Sox had a special deal for kids with all A s or B s on their report card. We saw some great games including a walk-off win June 6th we watched Big Papi hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth when the Texas Rangers intentionally walked Dustin Pedroia just before him. That game was the first of three walk-off wins that we experienced this summer. On July 31st, we saw Steven Drew hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 15th inning. The next night, we were there to watch another great win the Sox scored six runs in the bottom of the ninth, and beat the Mariners 8 7! The Kids Nation Program also allowed me to have some great experiences. After my Kids Nation Passport was stamped six times, I got to go to on-field batting practice. That was really fun not only did my dad and I get to see the players up close, I got my picture taken with David Ross (I m a catcher, too). In 2013 the fun didn t end in the summer; my dad and I came back to Boston in October for the first two games of the ALDS against the Rays. Those games (both wins) were amazing. I thought that the crowd was loud for regular games, but Fenway went really crazy for the playoffs! There are lots of memories, and whenever I go to Fenway Park I make more.

3 3 Chatting with Jason Jason was the first Kid Nation member to complete his Kid Nation passport at Fenway Park. This means he came to nine games early in the year and stopped by the Kid Nation booth each time to receive a stamp in his passport and earn a prize. What does it feel like to be the first kid to complete their Kid Nation passport with nine stamps? It feels good, because I got a Dustin Pedroia baseball bat for being the first. I enjoyed doing all the activities, especially reading the lineup one day on NESN. We went to a lot of games because my dad has season tickets. How did you deal with all the cold weather this spring? My mom always made me wear my Red Sox jacket or sweatshirt. Sometimes I brought a change of clothes with me to change into when it got cold. Who is your favorite player and why? Will Middlebrooks because he is a good player and I feel like we are going to have him for a long time. I also had my picture taken with him when he was with the Sea Dogs. My dad made a copy of the photo and Will signed it. What was your favorite passport experience? Honorary batboy because I was able to sit in the dugout and get a lot of autographs and photos with some of the players. Have you been to any other MLB parks? I have been to Camden Yards, Chase Field and Nationals Park. I caught a foul ball at Camden Yards in a game against the Red Sox. What is your favorite game from this season? Jason met Red Sox WS MVP David Ortiz in the dugout before a game at Fenway. My dad and I went to Game 2 of the ALDS against Tampa Bay. The crowd is a lot different in the postseason than the regular season because everybody is into the game from the first inning. What is your best Red Sox memory? Going to both games of the doubleheader against Kansas City in April, even though they lost both games. The second game went extra innings and I was disappointed when the game was over because I wanted to stay longer. My dad was cold and wanted to go home, and he was glad when the second game was over. Jason and his younger brother Bryce posed with Wally. Jason Pinnsonault Nottingham, NH R O W D L E E R S S I H N A C P M S I O

4 4 By Griffin Andres Babe Ruth is best known to Red Sox fans as the power hitting outfielder that almost single handedly started the heated rivalry between Boston and New York sports teams. He is one of the best hitters of all-time with the highest career slugging percentage and OPS (On- Base Percentage plus Slugging Percentage) of all-time. Babe Ruth revolutionized baseball by popularizing a more powerful swing that resulted in more homeruns than the usual choked up short swings of the time. He changed the game as a hitter but he also made a lasting impact on Red Sox history with his work on the pitching mound. When the Red Sox made their historic run to win the World Series in 2004, it was common to hear people chanting 2004 and was the last time the Sox had won the World Series, and that year they were lead by a 23-year-old Babe Ruth. The Sox signed him when he was 19, with a tremendous arm for a measly $2,500. He was pitching very well and establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in the game. By 1918 Babe started splitting more of his time between pitching and hitting, as he had a plate appearance in 95 games that season. Despite minimal playing time, he still led the league in home runs as well as slugging percentage and OPS. He was used both on and off the mound to lead the Red Sox to an American League best record. The Sox were slated to play the National League Champion, Chicago Cubs in the World Series. Due to complications with World War I the 1918 World Series was played in early September, but Babe Ruth saw that as no reason to hamper his performance. He pitched a shutout in his first start and in his second start he only gave up 2 runs in a 8 1/3 inning win. Before those two runs had scored against him, he had pitched 29 2/3 consecutive scoreless World Series innings, which was the alltime record that would stand until The Red Sox went on to win the World Series in 6 games that season and as the story goes, it was 86 years until they won their next title, in That drought was commonly attributed to the sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees in The owner of the Red Sox at the time, Harry Frazee, was having financial troubles, and he needed to sell Babe Ruth. He got two main offers: one trade offer from the White Sox for $60,000 and Shoeless Joe Jackson and another cash-only offer from the Yankees for $100,000. Since Frazee was just seeking financial benefits from the deal, he took the Yankees offer. Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned from baseball for life the next year for the Black Sox scandal in which he and other members of his team conspired to fix the World Series. Had Jackson been traded to the Red Sox, he most likely would have kept playing for many years for the Red Sox, instead of being banned from the game, and the Sox might have had more success after the so called Curse of Bambino had Frazee taken the White Sox s trade offer. L I O R L G N A R L Y L

5 5 Don t Worry about a Thing cause every Little Thing is Gonna be all Right By Caroline Costa Watertown, MA Keep faith in the Boston Red Sox during the 2013 season. The 2012 season tested the faith of even the youngest of fans. There were some positive things that came out of the 2012 season: Mr. Saltalamacchia, Mr. Middlebrooks, Mr. Buchholz and Mr. Doubront all matured during the season spring training brought new hope. With Mr. Ortiz and Mr. Pedroia on the mend and the few free agent signings orchestrated by Mr. Cherington and Mr. Farrell, I happily looked forward to Opening Day. I attended opening day proudly wearing my Kid Nation lanyard and passport with my dad by my side. After entering Fenway Park, I headed over to the Kid Nation table and obtained my first stamp of the year. Next stop, I had my picture taken with the statue of Wally on the bench in the bleacher concourse. With about an hour left before opening pitch, my dad and I visited some of our Red Sox employee friends. Warm greetings from Fenway security guard Jeff, Bill the usher and a few of Boston s finest is always a great lead-in to the first pitch. Opening Day was great, a win for Buchholz. Fans left the park with renewed hope. As the season progressed, the victories were more often than losses. As September came to a close, the Red Sox ended the season as AL East Champs, posting the best record in the American League, and suddenly, every little thing was all right. By the way, I forgot to mention Mr. Victorino. I ve been a big fan of the Flyin Hawaiian ever since 2008 when the Phillies won the World Series, and well before his grand-slam in the 2013 ALCS. The lyrics from his at bat song ring true for all Red Sox fans. Right now we know every little thing IS all right! billie weiss Hello Kid Nation! CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 In the World Series the Sox played an impressive first game, winning 8-1 over the Cardinals with Jon Lester pitching a gem. In the second game, they couldn t seem to find their bats, and left with a 4-2 loss before heading to St. Louis. There the Sox suffered another loss, now trailing the Cardinals 2-1 in the series, they felt the pressure to win. In the next two games, the Red Sox swiftly won with some excellent pitching from both starting pitchers and relievers. The series returned home, for game 6 where the Red Sox jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and won the game with a final of 6-1. With this victory, the Red Sox became World Series Champions for the third time in ten years! Tell Us and Show Us We want to know what you loved most about this 2013 team! Show us with pictures or tell us in a short essay! We know many of you made it to Fenway and others of you cheered on the Sox from your couches at home, but we also know that no matter what, you all love the Red Sox and we want to hear from you! Everyone has a favorite player or a favorite 2013 Red Sox moment, and we want to hear all about it! So tell us about everything! We ll be selecting essays and art created by Kid Nation members to feature in our next newsletter! Please all art and essays to kidnation@redsox.com by November 20th. Just make sure to include your first and last name, your age, mailing address, and your parent s and phone number! billie weiss

6 6 Kid Nation Members Interview Clay Buchholz By Madeline Kallock from Hood On June 30th, members of Kid Nation were given an incredible opportunity. Not only would they get to meet the Red Sox star pitcher Clay Buchholz but they also had the chance to interview him. The Kid Nation members were brought up to the interview room where Jaime Erdahl of NESN asked the members about their favorite players. The mascots from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Portland Seadogs, Oakland A s and of course our own Wally came in to pump up the kids by bringing them up to the microphone to answer questions. When Clay Buchholz entered the room, Kid Nation members were speechless. Almost immediately after, hands shot up in the air to ask the first question. Buchholz was ready to answer anything and everything they had on their minds like: Kid Nation: What is your favorite food? Clay: Mexican and pizza. Kid Nation: What sports did you play growing up? Clay: Soccer, baseball, football, and track & field. Kid Nation: What position did you play in football? Clay: Wide receiver; I actually got more offers for football than baseball when going to college. Kid Nation: When did you start playing baseball? Clay: Six years old. Kid Nation: If you could have a superpower, what would it be? Clay: To be able to fly. Kid Nation: Where are you from? Clay: Texas. Kid Nation: Who is your best friend on the team? Clay: John Lackey. Kid Nation: What is your favorite pitch? Clay: Cut fastball The members of Kid Nation did an excellent job during the interview and Buchholz ensured smiles from every single person in the room. After the interview was over, he [Buchholz] went around the room and signed autographs for the kids. He was then led out of the room to finish getting ready for that afternoon s game. Before leaving the room, Kid Nation members gathered together for a group photo. Following a scavenger hunt, Kid Nation members enjoyed in an ice cream sundae party in the Champion s Club where they were able to enjoy not only ice cream but face painting, a balloon artist, a caricature artist, a stilt walker and able to get pictures with the mascots. During the ice cream party, I went around and asked some Kid Nation members about their favorite Red Sox players. According to two-year old Oliver s father, his favorite players are Big Papi and Dustin Pedroia. He has both of them on the walls of his room. Siblings Grace (6), Charlie (2), and Jack (5) also shared a favorite player in Dustin Pedroia. The afternoon was enjoyed by all who participated. To make the day even better, the Red Sox won 5-4 in the 9th inning with a walkoff against the Toronto Blue Jays. GO SOX!

7 Red Sox Season Highlights April 1: Red Sox open the season in New York, with an 8-2 win over the Yankees. April 8: The Red Sox take a 3-1 win against the Baltimore Orioles in their home opener in Fenway Park. April 20: The Red Sox honor victims and heroes of the Boston Marathon bombings in a special pre-game ceremony. May 6: Stephen Drew hits a game-winning walk-off double against the Minnesota Twins, the third walk-off win of the season. May 26: The Red Sox come back from a 5-2 deficit, winning with a final of 6-5 thanks to Jacoby Ellsbury s walk-off two-run double. JUNE 6: Big Papi, David Ortiz, does what he does best, hits a walk-off homerun to grab a 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers. JUNE 30: Fenway Park hosts Kid Nation Day at the park with the reveal of the Kid Nation Clubhouse and fans running the bases. The Red Sox also win with another walk-off, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4. JULY 21: In the 11th inning the Red Sox walk-off against the New York Yankees, thanks to a homerun from Mike Napoli. September 20: The Red Sox clinch the title as AL East Champions, for the first time since September 27: The Red Sox win their 97th game of the regular season, giving them the best record in the American League. OCTOBER 30: The Red Sox win the 2013 World Series at Fenway Park, the first time the Sox have won the championship at Fenway Park since Kid Nation Member Pens Book A fellow Kid Nation member, Daniel Koskas, stopped by our booth at Fenway Park this season with his very own book. That s right, at age 12, Daniel is an author with his very own published book! He brought copies of his latest project, Invisible, to Fenway and held a special signing session with fans from all over the country. Written by Koskas himself, Invisible is a book that takes you through the journey of an 11 year old boy who goes through a wild adventure to discover the truth about himself no matter what it takes. We re very pleased to have been able to share some time with Daniel, we know he s ready for big things! KN Word Search 7 L G R F O Y A W N E F R E D F B E N C H E R I N G T O N E R B S E C K J B K S K R Y R O S T B A N N E R N B L N T L U R Y M Q L E R O B T Y P L W O R L D S E R I E S K W I D P H O M E R G P A T C V N K H G S P F P P M O A A B G N Y M S B A E S A T O L J R G K E R P B D S H H B N L A L M I I A K E W C A K H F L C V R I A C Y O W B C O Y L R P A U X S F E N W U J J Y H N F R T J K N L E D A WORD BANK: WORLD SERIES MVP BIG PAPI DUCK BOATS BEN CHERINGTON ROLLING RALLY TROPHY JOHN LACKEY PEDEY FENWAY BANNER CHAMPIONS

8