RING-GATE

Red Herring Alert! Rainmaker Blames Ring Makers

New John Henry Spin Puts Blame on Ring Makers Timetable
(Apparently Dr. Charles Didn't Get the Memo)

Sox to Reconsider Having Ring Ceremony on Opening Day

Charles Steinberg Dances Like Deney Terrio Around Ring-gate

Brass Will Give in to Public Pressure,
Over 500 Calls Received to Overturn Chump Move

(Boston Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis)

The Dentist Gets Drilled on The Big Show

Doctor Charles Steinberg on WEEI's The Big Show: "Oh it's all good things, the question that Jeff (Horrigan) had called me with yesterday, he had heard that there were some thoughts, um, circulating about having the ring ceremony take place at an event other than opening day. And I told him I had heard those thoughts as well. People have made suggestions, some have said (read: him) 'why don't you have an event at Fenway so that not only the 35,000 people lucky enough (read: to get the magic scalper links) to get opening day tickets get to enjoy a celebration where you would raise the flag, but 35,000 more could make it say a fundraiser for the Red Sox Foundation and do the rings in a separate ceremony?', so that's one idea to come our way. One of the advantages to that is if you did it before April 3rd, um, it would be a decisive punctuation mark on what is 2004 so that you start 2005, uh you know, fresh, and raise the curtain... now another idea had come forth that said 'why don't you make it uh a high-end fundraising dinner for the Red Sox Foundation?' and you could do that as well, but when Jeff and I were talking about doing it opening day he said 'are you at all concerned about doing it in front of the Yankees?', well we're not concerned at all about doing it on opening day or doing it in front of the Yankees the way we would do it I believe would be full of decorum and respect which I think is what the Red Sox...(Buck thankfully interrupts here with "Charles, Charles") ought to continue to stand for."

Steve Buckley has Bingo: "Charles, don't confuse fundraising with fan allegiance and so forth because I think Red Sox fans are among the best in baseball when it comes to fundraising as is evidenced by the support of the Jimmy Fund over the years (Steinberg: "Amen") and what concerns us and I'm willing to bet 99% of our listeners right now is that this is something Red Sox fans have been waiting for for 86 years adn I don't think a single Red Sox fan really has one iota of interest in decorum and dispatching and anything like that. They just want to see those rings and they want to see it happen in front of the Yankees. And I guarantee you that Red Sox fans are in unison on this topic."

Steinberg: "Well that was the original thought. That's the plan that I've been sketching out in the offseason, and I think it's a great one. I can envision that ceremony and I was getting as excited as anybody who might have lived here um for not only their whole life but through generations. So that was the starting point. It was just when the question came, might you take it to a separate event, I said yes, we've heard those requests and there's been some early simple debate about it but I think that all of those who feel strongly in our organization we all haven't been in the same place at the same time for quite a while and I think we will be down here in this coming week but you want John, you want Tom, you want Larry, you want Theo, Mike Dee, all together, cause, Meg Vaillencourt, who is the Executive Director of the Foundation, put everybody together and what you want to do is that which will best resonate with the desires of Red Sox Nation (Thank God Glenn interrupts). And if you say they're in unison that they would like it most on Opening Day then I think that's going to be a very, very strong pull."

(blah blah, more decorum, less decorum "emit emotions scenarios")

Steve Buckley has Bingo: "How is there any measure of decorum being lost by having a ring ceremony which these players deserve and it is the home opener which is the proper forum for these things, it just so happens that the Yankees by the luck of the draw happen to be the team lined up on the third base line?"

Steinberg: "Right, let me correct what might be a misperception. I wasn't referring to decorum as a reason to not have the ring ceremony opening day. I think having it opening day is great. It's just that you and when you set out these options of how to do it opening day, one is where the Yankees have no choice but to see, the other one which they can avert their eyes from actually gives the fans a longer opportunity to give a soulful ovation." (But Jeff Horrigan's piece quotes when, not how: Leery of appearing that they are taking their success and rubbing it in the collective face of the New York Yankees, the Red Sox are leaning against presenting World Series rings to players prior to the home opener at Fenway Park on April 11. "There's a degree of decorum you'd like to show and a degree of respect you'd like to demonstrate," Steinberg said. ``When it is done, it will be done tastefully.")

Steve Buckley has Bingo: "See my take is the Yankees need to be made aware that life as they know it is forever altered."

(Dr. Steinberg then thanks us for driving over 400 conversations with Molly at the switchboard as he feels it is important to "resonate with Red Sox Nation"... so thanks for calling folks)

And I've got a million more emails where this came from: "hey, is it true that the sox are really considering moving the ring ceremony??? I have invested over $2000 for tix and airfare and hotel to enjoy the purest moment in my life (with the exception of my two sons being born)! how dare the sox take away a sox fan's god given right to enjoy watching the first title in 86 years take place in front of the damn Yankees! if the roles were reversed we all know damn well the sox would watch an endless ceremony acknowledging a Yankee title (which would be just as long and as that painful 7th inning (lets cool down a pitcher) stretch anthem! Im appalled that I reserved vacation time and stole $$$ out of my sons college fund for my selfish act to watch my beloved red sox celebrate a joyous time in my and my entire families life!

Greg McCambly Gilbert,AZ"

Sox Forced to Rethink Shameful 'Rings' Decision as Fans Inundate
Dr. Steinberg's Fenway Office with Protest Calls at 617-267-9440

Sean McAdam on the The Big Show: "This is political correctness run amok. This doesn't pass the smell test. This wouldn't happen if Larry Lucchino were still the CEO. I would not say this much about this new ownership team, but this smacks of guys who aren't quite sure of the local landscape. They have been given a gift by the schedule maker, and they are in danger of
screwing it up."

Steve Buckley on the The Big Show: "Charles is missing on this one. This is the first serious misstep he has made. If the Yankees had won the World Series, on that Sunday night in
Yankee Stadium, they would have had their ring ceremony."

Glenn Ordway on the The Big Show: "I was disturbed when I saw this. Why wouldn't you take advantage of this (gift MLB schedule makers gave you)? Why would you not go out to embrace this thing? He is missing the mood of the Red Sox fan out there. They've waited '86 years, you bet your life they wanna get up there, and they want to party. And they want to rub it in."

Sox Brass Now Kowtows to Steinbrenner, Yankees

(AP Photo)

Sox Will Now Be Presenting the World Series Championship Rings in a Ceremony "Prior to a Non-Yankees Game at Fenway."

Since when do the Boston Red Sox grant special treatment to the New York Yankees? Why don't you guys just walk around in "Yankees Suck" t-shirts if you're that paranoid and are willing to change our celebration schedule for this American League also-ran. And Bucky "Decorum and Respect" Dent throwing out the first pitch for Game 7 says "Hello" Dr. Charles.

I Guess We Know Who Our Daddy Really Is

(AP Photo)

This Would Never Have Happened if John Henry Were Still Alive. And You Can Bet Your Donkey That if the Yankees Were the 2004 World Series Champions, Rings Would Be Handed Out April 3 in Yankee Stadium.

---

Embedded Yankee Mendoza Rejoins His Old Team
Wells Gets in on Slappywhacking; Curt Calls Out Paydro