Red Sox Notebook

While not in the same league as capturing the World Series MVP Award last October or netting himself a three-year deal to return to the Red Sox this season, third baseman Mike Lowell picked up some more honored hardware recently.

Lowell won both the Thomas A. Yawkey Red Sox MVP Award and Tommy McCarthy Good Guy Award, voted on by the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, and received the awards at the 69th Annual Boston Baseball Writers' Banquet Jan. 17.

The normally modest Lowell credited his career season to his teammates and the Sox infrastructure surrounding the players, but the 33-year-old deserves the lion's share of the credit for a season that endeared him forever to the Fenway Faithful.

"I played with a set of teammates that are unparalleled and with a manager the same way and with a fan base that's unbelievable," Lowell said of the magical 2007 baseball season after signing his three-year contract with the Sox.

Other winners: Terry Francona earned the Boston BBWAA Major League Manager of the Year Award, Jon Lester accepted the Tony Conigliaro Award and Dustin Pedroia picked up both the BBWAA AL and Boston Red Sox Rookie of the Year awards.


NOTES, QUOTES
—RHP Clay Buchholz headlined another crop of Sox prospects who took part in the Red Sox Rookie Program over a 10-day period in January. RHP Michael Bowden, RHP Justin Masterson, C Dusty Brown, SS Jed Lowrie and 1B Chris Carter were also among the 12 players hand-picked for the Beantown baseball orientation, which included an extensive tour of Fenway Park, a group of workouts at Boston College with an extended media session, and an autograph session for charity.

—OF Jim Rice once again fell short of the required ballots for induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame last week and has only one more year on the BBWAA voting ballot before his name is turned over to the Veterans Selection Committee. Rice was a dominant player in the late 1970s and early 1980s and finished in the top five in the AL MVP voting six times during his distinguished career with the Sox.

—LHP Jon Switzer and LHP Michael Tejera both agreed with the Red Sox on minor league contracts and will attend major league camp as non-roster invitees. Switzer was 0-2 with an 8.05 ERA in 21 games for the Rays last season, and Tejera is 11-13 with a 5.14 ERA in 27 career big-league starts for the Texas Rangers and Florida Marlins. Both pitchers are expected to add to the depth of left-handed pitchers during spring training, and Switzer should be in competition for a left-handed situational spot with the Sox.

—Former part owner of the Red Sox Edward "Buddy" LeRoux passed away last week of natural causes at age 77. LeRoux started as a trainer from 1966-74 and then served as team president in 1978-79 before becoming part of an ownership group along with John Harrington and Jean Yawkey. LeRoux was most famous for unsuccessfully attempting to wrest ownership control of the team in 1983, a stunt that resulted in the real estate mogul being forced to sell his team shares shortly afterward.

—General manager Theo Epstein, his twin brother, Paul, and fellow organizers held the eighth annual "Hot Stove, Cool Music" benefit concert in Boston to rousing success. The concert has grown each of the last eight years that it has been held, and agent Scott Boras, New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman and Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi all took part in a baseball roundtable discussion at Fenway Park before the concert. Organizers expected to raise as much as $200,000 to benefit The Foundation to Be Named Later, a branch of the Red Sox Foundation founded by the Epstein twins.


BY THE NUMBERS: 16—The number of votes that Jim Rice was short of gaining induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame during the 2008 election.


QUOTE TO NOTE: "I believe my accomplishments speak for themselves, and a majority of the voters seem to agree. It is tough to come this close, but I remain hopeful for the 2009 results." —Jim Rice's reaction after learning he had missed induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by 16 votes.