Lou Lucier, the older living Boston Red Sox player, turned 96 years of age on March 23, 2014. The following story appeared in Diamond Days, the Red Sox magazine for former Boston players, in the fall of 2013, Last March Lou Lucier, the oldest living Red Sox player, celebrated his 95th birthday in style. His special day on March 23 started with good wishes [...]
When the Boston Red Sox spring training camp opened in Winter Haven, Florida, in late-February 1967, nobody was talking about an American League pennant or humming Broadway show tunes in the team’s honor. The 1966 Red Sox had finished in ninth place, a distant twenty-six games behind the World Champion Baltimore Orioles, and the team had lost a total of one [...]
Spring training was the best time for teammates to get to know Ted Williams. The games didn't count, there was plenty of free time, and when he spent spring training in Sarasota, FL, there was great fishing nearby. Ted was much more approachable in March than he was during the regular season! When nineteen-year-old Ted Williams arrived at his first spring [...]
Spring training is a time of renewal for players and fans. But spring training in Sarasota, Florida, in 1946, was more than a renewal; it was a reunion of Red Sox players who had been away for as long as three seasons while they served their country during World War II. The 1946 Boston Red Sox spring training roster included 28 players who had spent the 1945 [...]
When the 2015 Boston Red Sox reported to Fort Myers, Florida, for spring training, state of the art facilities, a battery of instructors, and a full staff of physical training specialists awaited them. JetBlue Park at Fenway South includes Major and Minor League operations, training and rehabilitative facilities, and six practice fields. Every effort is made [...]