Former longtime Fenway usher Al Rocci poses in right field during a visit to the park in 2006. The now-95-year-old Medford resident recalls passing notes to female fans from Ted Williams, one of the players he befriended.

Throughout his life, no matter how poorly things went, Al Rocci knew he could never complain. Regardless of what direction his life was headed, he always knew that his retreat from everyday realities and struggles, Fenway Park, was never far away.

His official job title at the ballpark was usher, but after manning the gates, aisles and concourses of Fenway for 39 years, from 1936 until 1975, a more fitting title would be historian. It was where he watched Ted Williams step up to the plate and Johnny Pesky take the infield, where he watched the Red Sox make pennant runs, only to inevitably break the Fenway faithful’s collective heart.

What was once a chance to make some extra money in 1936 became a powerful presence in his life, one that left an indelible impact on the man that he is today.

With Fenway set to celebrate its 100th anniversary Friday, the 95-year-old Rocci stands as a remarkable and important relic of the ballpark’s storied history, as the Medford resident has the unique designation as the oldest known living Red Sox employee.

Rocci’s time and connection with the Red Sox is one that has spanned decades and one that has seen the drastic changes with both Fenway and the Red Sox organization itself.  But Rocci’s long and well-defined connection with the Red Sox began in humble enough circumstances.

Growing up in the perpetual economic struggle and turbulence of the Great Depression, a time in which Rocci said that his family had to “scrimp and scrape” to get by, Rocci was forced to go to work before and after school in order to make money for his family. Matters were complicated by the fact that Rocci’s father passed away when he was just 3 years old, something he described as “one of my worst setbacks” in his life.

Though a part of Rocci’s early life was characterized by a series of setbacks, things quickly started to change as he was unknowingly about to begin a 76-year relationship with the team he grew up idolizing.

Read the rest of this entry »

Larry Lucchino

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox CEO and President Larry Lucchino, in a visit with the Dennis & Callahan show, said that in retrospect his team would have handled the matter of compensation for the departure of former GM Theo Epstein differently.

When the Sox accepted Epstein’s resignation so that he could leave to become the president of baseball operations for the Cubs, they did manage to get a concession that Chicago would give them player compensation. However, the two sides did not agree on precisely which player or players would go back to the Sox. In the end, Lucchino said, the Sox were “a little disappointed” that their yield on the deal was right-handed relief prospect Chris Carpenter and a player to be named.

“[Carpenter is] a very strong-armed young pitcher who pitched in the major leagues last year, pitched quite well last year in relief, very low ERA in September when he pitched with the Cubs. He’s a guy who throws 95-100 mph,” said Lucchino. “The short answer to your question, and this is not meant to be a reflection on Chris Carpenter – we’re excited to have him and pleased to have him. Overall, are we disappointed in the process? I think the answer to that is yes. I think the Commissioner’s Office feels the Cubs are disappointed. They didn’t want to lose Chris Carpenter and another player who is going to be named later. They didn’t feel any player compensation was appropriate.

“They’re disappointed. We’re a little disappointed. The Commissioner’s Office probably says to themselves, ‘If both sides are a little disappointed, no one feels that this is a clear win, maybe we did our mediation job right.’”

While Major League Baseball might feel that the right outcome was achieved, Lucchino said that the Sox do wish that, with the benefit of hindsight, they’d brought the issue of compensation to greater resolution before agreeing to let Epstein go.

“We did at that point secure the fact that player compensation had to be provided. We did get something at that point,” said Lucchino. “Certainly, if we were doing it over, there would be greater clarity about the specifics of the compensation. That’s the way Major League Baseball would like to have it done.”

Still, while the Sox would have liked to have received a player with a different profile, Lucchino said that the Sox were satisfied with the outcome of Epstein’s departure. He believes that the Sox are well positioned to succeed in Epstein’s absence, which opened the door for Ben Cherington to become GM of the Sox.

“The net result is that we have a change,” said Lucchino. “Theo is where he wants to be. He didn’t want to be in Boston, he wanted to be in Chicago, so he’s out there. Ben Cherington could not be hungrier, happier, more prepared guy to take the reins of the baseball operations department. And through that process, we ended up with Bobby Valentine. So we don’t just look at the compensation of these two players. We look at the state of the franchise right now. Is it in good shape? Is it poised to have the kind of positive successful season that we want? I think the answer to that is yes. In that sense, the offseason was successful.”

Lucchino also touched on several additional topics during his appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show. Highlights are below. To listen to the complete interview, click here. Read the rest of this entry »

Larry Lucchino

Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino rebutted claims that his team is scaling back its spending this offseason, saying in multiple settings that his team plays on blowing past the $178 million luxury tax payroll and suggesting that the Sox will exceed the $189 million franchise payroll record, which was set last season.

In an appearance on Sirius/XM MLB Network Radio’s “Inside Pitch,” Lucchino painted a picture of a far-reaching commitment by team owners to the payroll, both over the duration of the group’s tenure (which began in 2002) and in 2012.

“Look at what we’ve done and not what we say. Since we have been here — we are now beginning our 11th year — our payroll has consistently been at the top end of Major League Baseball,” said Lucchino. “It has not been No. 1. That position has been reserved, probably permanently, for the New York Yankees, but it has been second most every year, and we have invested lots of money in amateur draft picks. We sign our draft picks at a much higher percentage than used to be the case. We’ve invested in international signings — you can look at some of our Cuban players and some of our Japanese players — and so we have invested dollars into this franchise because we recognize that the fundamental question about a franchise and about its ownership is, is there a commitment to winning. I think that our track record demonstrates that there is that commitment.

“Now, this year, if you want to talk specifically about 2012, we will have the highest payroll in the history of the Boston Red Sox in 2012,” Lucchino continued. “Will we eclipse the luxury tax threshold? To be sure, we will — once again. So I think the talk of us not spending needs to be viewed in the context of real facts and in comparisons to real dollars.”

In earlier comments to MLB.com, Lucchino also disputed the notion that the Red Sox’ spending has been impacted by the Fenway Sports Group’s ownership of the Liverpool Football Club.

“That has not been the case,” Lucchino said of the idea that the Red Sox ownership group was channeling its resources towards soccer players. “There has not been a situation where that was cited for a reason for us not to do something here.”

Asked for how he feels when his team is characterized as being “cheap,” Lucchino suggested amusement.

“It makes me laugh. It just proves the old adage that you can’t please all of the people all of the time. You certainly can’t please all of the sportswriters much of the time. But that’s OK,” said Lucchino. “What’s important to us is that our fans realize that we are in this to win it, and we operate accordingly.

“Are there financial constraints from time to time? Of course there are. No one has an unlimited budget to do absolutely everything they want to do. But with some common-sense parameters, as I said, we’re going to have the highest payroll in the history of the Boston Red Sox this year, and the commitment to winning from the very highest levels — John Henry, Tom Werner — throughout the entire organization, there is a powerful sense of obligation that our job is to commit to win, provide our fans with entertaining, competitive, winning baseball.”

(For a detailed look at the Red Sox payroll, click here.)

Lucchino also touched on a number of additional topics. Among them: Read the rest of this entry »

Larry Lucchino

Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino made an appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show Thursday morning in order to promote Christmas at Fenway and Fenway 100th Birthday celebrations as well as discuss the Red Sox’s managerial search and Hot Stove approach. Lucchino explained that the profile of the type of manager the Red Sox were looking for did change because the team noticed a window of opportunity to win something in the near-future.

“It’s fair to say that what you saw initially is not necessarily what everyone internally was talking about,” Lucchino said. “You saw some inexperienced managers who we thought had a significant upside. But as the process went on, we looked at what we had, and the window of opportunity to win was in our view wide-open and potentially short-term given the perishability of players as they grow older. It evolved into a situation where we agreed that we wanted someone with managerial experience. We didn’t necessarily insist on that at the beginning.”

Lucchino also discussed Theo Epstein‘s still unnamed compensation, as he admitted that the Red Sox and Cubs still cannot agree on just how much Epstein was worth. Chicago must compensate Boston for Epstein because Epstein was still under contract with the Red Sox when the Cubs interviewed Epstein of the Chicago job. After Epstein’s departure, the Red Sox named Ben Cherington as their new GM, and as such t is now up to Epstein, Cherington and the clubs to figure out who goes to Boston as part of the deal.

“[What is holding up talks is ]a general disagreement on what constitutes ‘significant compensation,”‘ Lucchino said. “At the very first discussion with the Cubs, it was made clear that this would be, we would permit this provided that if they did hire him, there would be ‘significant compensation.’ That’s an elastic term I suppose. It has one meaning to us and another meaning to them.”

Following are more highlights from the convversation. To listen to the interview, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page. Read the rest of this entry »

Could Bobby Valentine be the best thing for the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry? (AP)

It’s just what the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry needed. At least, if you judge by the New York media that made the trek up to Boston Thursday in numbers that rivaled a pennant-stretch series between the two clubs at Fenway.

Every New York daily had representation, including multiple reporters in some cases, for the introduction of Bobby Valentine.

It was the perfect storm for the New York media. A media-savvy manager who is charismatic and frank with his judgements, a baseball lifer who understands and appreciates the rivalry. And to cap it all off, a man who recognized each and every New York writer from his seven-year tenure as Mets manager from 1996-2002.

“We [the Mets] played the Yankees six times,’’ said Valentine, when asked about looking forward to playing the Yankees 18 times in 2012. “I can’t imagine 18. Is it like playing 50 games? I think it is. Those long games are about quality hitters. The Yankees are quality top to bottom and the Red Sox are quality top to bottom, that’s why you get those wars.’’

Just ask Joe Torre, Joe Girardi and Terry Francona. All three have spoken at length about why Yankees-Red Sox is something different. Valentine – a native of Stamford, Conn. – clearly wanted to show to his New York and Boston audiences that he gets it.

“I think we are going to be able to match them,’’ Valentine said. “It’s not going to be the best team that wins, but the team that plays the best.’’

The argument certainly could be made that no hire in recent Red Sox history has had the marquee value to New Yorkers like Bobby Valentine offers.

“If Bobby Valentine pokes the bear and stokes the fire, that’s OK,’’ Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino told the NY Post’s Kevin Kernan.

Kernan pointed out that it was Larry Lucchino who gave us the nickname “Evil Empire” for the Yankees.

“If this intensifies it, that’s OK with us,” Lucchino told the Post. “One thing everybody agrees upon, is that Bobby is a highly competitive, highly compassionate guy who will not be outworked,” Lucchino added. “This is the kind of guy you want leading you into battle against your dreaded rival.’’

Bobby Valentine couldn’t have been more grateful on Thursday at Fenway Park for the chance to lead a major league team, 10 years after his last season managing the New York Mets.

But the opening of his acceptance speech in the State Street Pavilion raised a few eyebrows. He thanked John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino for giving their stamp of approval to GM Ben Cherington for hiring him as the 45th manager in team history.

“I’d like to thank Ben and his front office staff. I’d like to thank John and Tom and Larry for giving the blessings to Ben on his decision,” Valentine said.

The irony in that statement is that most are assuming that this wasn’t Cherington’s decision at all but instead a hand-picked choice of ownership.

“I’d like to thank all my friends, family who have supported me,” Valentine said. “Many of you people out there who have said a kind word or two to allow this to happen because this day is a special day. It’s more than a special day. It’s the beginning of a life that I think is going to extend beyond anything I ever thought.

“The talent, the players that we have in this organization is a gift to anyone. And I’m the receiver of that gift. I think we’re going to do this, man. I really and truly appreciate this opportunity.”

Larry Lucchino

The Red Sox’ path to a new manager was a collaboration between the Red Sox ownership group and the team’s baseball operations department, headed by general manager Ben Cherington. But throughout the dialogue that occurred between the people involved in the decision-making process, Bobby Valentine had one particularly steadfast advocate.

Sox CEO/president Larry Lucchino was unquestionably an integral part of the process that led to the hiring of manager Bobby Valentine. He has known the new Sox skipper well since both were in the National League in the mid-1990s, Valentine with the Mets and Lucchino with the Padres. He helped arrange the introduction between Valentine and GM Ben Cherington. And, throughout the process, Lucchino had it in mind that Valentine — armed with 15 seasons of managing experience in Major League Baseball and seven more in Japan — would represent a good fit for the Sox.

“I was always optimistic that Bobby would be someone who would fit in here,” said Lucchino. “He was the right guy at the right time under the right circumstances with the right team in the right place.”

Lucchino believed strongly that the combination of the Sox’ competitive ambitions for 2012 and the causes of the team’s collapse in 2011 suggested a need to find a veteran manager who would be able to hit the ground running. While the first four candidates interviewed by Cherington and the baseball operations staff lacked prior full-time managerial experience (Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum, Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. and Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo), Lucchino was inclined to think that the right fit for the Sox featured a different profile.

“There’s a lot of appeal to catching a young manager-to-be on the rise. I can understand other people putting that near the top of their list,” he said. “As I looked at the circumstances of this team, right now, 2011, with the quality of the team we have, the commitments that we made, it seemed to me that a battle-tested manager in a tough market would be a better fit at this point in time for us.”

That sentiment was present when the team’s owners met with Sveum in Milwaukee, making him the first candidate in the process to receive a second-round interview. While Sveum’s credentials for a theoretical managing job were strong, Lucchino suggested that he was not convinced that he was the right fit to take over a Red Sox team with a win-now perspective and a need to clean up some clubhouse issues.

“I’ll say I’m confident that he’s going to be an excellent major league manager, but that we were looking for a slightly different fit with this team,” said Lucchino. “But he has enormous, a very high ceiling. I will say that about him.”

Read the rest of this entry »