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Red Sox Nation welcomed twelve new membersthis summer – all young baseball players fromJapan. The 12 to 14 year old boys came to

Boston on a 10 day exchange run by the Red SoxFoundation and generously sponsored by global elec-tronics giant Funai Electric. The idea was to helpJapanese and American kids better understand eachother’s culture through their shared love of baseball.

‘What I loved the most was I felt I had made a wholeteam of new brothers,” declared 11 year-old Max Runci,the son of one Charlestown, MA host family.

Thirteen year old Takumi Shiraishi of Chiba, Japanwas equally enthusiastic. “I love baseball,Boston – and the Boston Red Sox!”

“They didn’t speak a lot of English and wedidn’t speak Japanese, so it was pretty quiet the firstfew hours,” explained Eli Swab, an 11 year old memberof another Boston host family. “But once we startedplaying baseball, we understood each other perfectly.”

Each morning, the boys participated in baseball clinicsat Harvard, Northeastern, Boston College or games withlocal youth teams. In the afternoons, they exploredBoston including the Freedom Trail, the Museum ofFine Arts, and quacking their way through a Duck

Boat Tour. There was also a day trip toCape Cod, where the Japanese boys triedtheir first American lobsters and swam

in what they called “Siberia water.” “The Pacific is a lotlot warmer,” explained Japan Society executive RicoMochizuki, who served as both exchange organizer andden mother for the group. “But they return to Japanwith great affection for Boston and the warm welcomeRed Sox Nation has offered them.”

Red Sox Pitcher and Kyoto native Hideki Okajimaprovided a highlight of the trip when he generouslyoffered a pitching and fielding clinic at Fenway on his

Inside:MLB All-Star Game, Red Sox Game Highlights,Interview with Dustin Pedroia and more!

Written By Kids, For Kids

Vol. 3, No. 2September 2008

Red Sox Kid NationFenway Park4 Yawkey WayBoston, MA 02215

PresortedStandard

US PostagePAID

Boston, MAPermit No. 53692

As sponsor of the Exchange,Funai President YoshikazuUemura and Red Sox pitcherDaisuke Matsuzaka celebratewith the Japanese.

Red Sox Nation Opens Homes and Heartsto Young Japanese Baseball Players

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day off. “I can’t believe I am throwing a baseball with my hero,”Hiroaki Sano, a 12 year old catcher of Kyoto said via a translator.“And he is so nice and encouraging. I must pinch myself to see if I’mawake!”

A day later, the youngsters were honored at a Red Sox game shortly aftermeeting Red Sox starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. After many morepredictable inquiries about his pitching technique and how he preparesfor games, one youngster asked Matsuzaka a more personal question.When, one youngster wanted to know, did Daisuke first fall in love?Tossing his back with an infectious laugh, Daisuke joined in the fun, jok-ing: “Well, I’m not sure but I think it was in kindergarten!”

The exchange followed up the team’s historic Opening Day in Tokyothis year. “Japan is a deeply respected member of Red Sox Nation andsince the arrival of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima, interest inJapan among our fans has grown exponentially,” said Red SoxChairman Tom Werner. “With this exchange, we can be part of lifetransforming experiences for children in Boston and Japan. And whenkids can overcome barriers and connect, the world can change in smallripples that can lead to more significant ones.”

“Funai is honored to help cultivate this cultural exchange throughbaseball, a game that is beloved in both nations,” added Tetsuro Funai,Executive Chairman and Founder of Funai Electric Company. “I’mconvinced that youngsters participating in this event will create a life-time of fabulous memories.”

Hosting the boys at the Welcome Breakfast, Boston Mayor ThomasMenino declared the exchange “a homerun for all of us.” And at ameeting at the Massachusetts State House, Governor Patrick called theboys “terrific ambassadors for Japan” Asked what he learned from hisJapanese guests, 12 year old Eli explained, “They are extremely politeand like saying thank you, which was a good reminder to me. And theybow as sign of respect, which we thought was cool.’”

Added fellow Boston host Max: “We learned they are justlike us. Only their arms are not actually like ours. They’remore like cannons, because they can throw the ball really,really hard!”

So as Manny went off to LA this summer, here in Boston, lit-tle leaguers from across the globe were making hits – and friendships –to last a lifetime. “It was an honor to introduce these terrific youngstersto the excitement and camaraderie of Red Sox Nation and learn moreabout their customs,” said Red Sox Foundation Executive Director MegVaillancourt. “And it’s clear that like music, the magic of baseball is aninternational language that knows no boundaries.”

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Have a question for Dustin Pedroia?E-mail it to kidnation@redsox.com!

Japanese Exchange players reach for a ball tossed by Dice-K up to theMonster.

Hideki Okajima walks Japanese players onto Fenway’s famous outfield for apitching and fielding clinic.

Meet thePortland Sea Dogs

The Portland Sea Dogs are theDouble-A Eastern League affil-iate of the Boston Red Sox.The Sea Dogs are the secondhighest minor league team for

the Red Sox. Currently there are 11 former Sea Dogs on the Red Soxroster including Jacoby Ellsbury, Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia,and Kevin Youkilis. Sometimes Red Sox players like David Ortiz makerehab appearances in Portland.

The Sea Dogs have been around since 1994. From 1994 to 2002, theteam was an affiliate of the Florida Marlins. Josh Beckett played for theSea Dogs in 2001 earning Minor League Baseball Player of the Year hon-ors. In 2003, the Sea Dogs began an affiliation with theBoston Red Sox. The team colors were changed from teal tored and blue.

The Sea Dogs play at Hadlock Field located indowntown in Portland, Maine. In left-fieldthere is a 37 foot high green wall, just like atFenway, nicknamed “The Maine Monster.”When the Sea Dogs hit a home run, a lighthouserises above the centerfield fence. One of the most popu-lar items at the ballpark is the Sea Dogs Ice Cream Biscuit.The Sea Dogs offer great family entertainment at an afford-able cost, tickets range between $4.00 and $9.00. For moreinformation visit www.seadogs.com.

MINOR LEAGUE PROFILE— FOUNDED —1994

— EASTERN LEAGUE TITLES —2006— MASCOT —Slugger the Sea Dog—WEB —www.seadogs.com

JULY 28 – ON THE GREEN GRASS OF RIGHT FIELD ON THE 28TH OF JULY, KID NATIONMEMBERS FROM THE BOSTON REGION GATHERED TO MEET DUSTIN PEDROIA. HE SPOKE ABOUTFIELDING, HITTING, AND HAVING FUN ON THE TEAM. MADDIE ANDRES CAUGHT UP WITHDUSTIN AFTER THE EVENT TO ASK HIM SOME QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF KID NATION MEMBERSWHO COULDN’T BE AT FENWAY ON THAT DAY:

Maddie Andres: Have you always played second base?Dustin Pedroia: No. Last year was actually my first season playing a full

season second base; I played shortstop before last season.

MA: How old were you when you began to play baseball?DP: I started playing t-ball at the age of 5, and ever since then I have been

playing baseball.

MA: How does it feel to be a professional baseball player?DP: It’s great! I am having the time of my life. You always dream of doing

this so it’s great coming here every day!

MA: What did you do during the off-season to stay in shape when you wereyounger?

DP: I didn’t really practice, I just played in the yard. I had an older brother soI was playing with him and his friends. I think the more you play thebetter you’ll be.

MA: How does it feel to start at second base in the All-Star Game this year?DP: It was awesome, I had so much fun! Getting a chance to meet all of

those great players, especially in New York where all the Yankees hateus. I loved being a Red Sox player there.

MA: Do you have any superstitions or pre-game rituals?DP: I don’t believe in any of that stuff, some guys do, though.

MA: Do you see a difference in West coast baseball and East coast baseball?DP: Yeah, I think the fans on the East coast take it a lot more seriously than

the West coast. But, the quality of baseball, especially at the youngerlevels, on the West coast is much better because you can play in thewinters. But on the East coast the fans make it a lot more fun to playprofessional baseball.

MA: I have noticed at games, players have Poland springs water bottles filledwith pink stuff, what is that?

DP: It’s like a Gatorade drink. It’s not like we are drinking KoolAid or anything. It is supposed to rehydrate you.

Interview:

DustinPedroiaby Maddie Andres

HP Hood and Boston Red Sox Announce12Winners of the Kid Nation Captains ContestJune 26: Hood and the Boston Red Sox announced the 12 winners of the first-ever Red SoxKid Nation Captains Contest presented by Hood.With so many worthy applicants—nearly 700from 29 states—the selection was not an easy one, and it took Hood and the Red Sox tworounds to narrow the field to 25 finalists.

May 23: The 25 finalists were unveiled and Red Sox fans across the country were invited tovote for their favorite candidates. Nearly 32,000 votes were cast on RedSox.com.

August 13: The Captains participated in a board meeting with Jerry Remy and Rob Crawford,Vice President of Red Sox Nation. They were recognized in a pre-game ceremony that evening.

And now, presenting the 12 Kid Nation Captains:

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Nick Bolden, age 14, of Milton, MAStephanie Boudro, age 14 of Reading, VTBen Brandeis, age 10, of Mill Valley, CAVictoria Glidden, age 10 of Lynn, MADaniel Hines, age 12, of Dorchester, MADrew Johndrow, age10, of Dayville, CT

Aaron Kanzer, age 13 of Cotuit, MAMegan Moriarty, age 13, of Bridgewater, MAHaley Poulin, age 11 of Waterboro, MEPatrick Quarters, age 10 of North Kingston, RINeil Sunil, age 12 of Nashua, NHKeyon Vafa, age 13 of Chestnut Hill, MA

May:

20 Justin Masterson throws fivestrikeouts in six innings to pick up hisfirst major league win.

22 Mike Lowell and J.D. Drewhit grand slams to complete the four-game sweep of the Kansas CityRoyals.

30 Josh Beckett strikes out 10 inhis six innings of pitching. Mike Lowellprovides two RBI in a 5-2 victory.

31 RedSox left-fielderMannyRamirezhits his

500th homerun against the BaltimoreOrioles.

June:

5 Starter Jon Lester allows one runon eight hits, and Ramirez brings infour runs to sweep the heated seriesagainst the Rays.

7 Manny Ramirez and J.D. Dreweach hit home runs to reinforce TimWakefield’s fourth win of the season.

12 Jon Lester’s win is secured byhome runs from Lowell, Youkilis, andDrew.

25 Tim Wakefield pitches sevenshutout innings against the ArizonaDiamondbacks. Kevin Cash sealsthe 5-0 win with a three-run homer.

27 Daisuke Matsuzakathrows five scorelessinnings to collecthis ninth win ofthe season.

July:

3 Red Sox comeback from their fivegame losing streakwith a vengeance,beating the rival NewYork Yankees. DustinPedroia hits a single toextend his hittingstreak to eleven games.

9 Red Sox end theseries against the Twins

with a bang. Every starter gets atleast one hit, lead by JacobyEllsbury with four. The final scoreends in Twins-5, Red Sox-18.

22 Daisuke Matsuzaka pitches 71/3 innings and Jonathan Papelbongets his 30th save in the 4-2 winover the Mariners.

August:

1 Jason Bay, thenew Boston leftfielder traded forManny Ramirez,ended thetwelve-inninggame scoringtwice in awalk-offwin.

9DaisukeMatsuzaka's roadrecord moved to 6-0 in2008. David Ortiz hit aclutch three-run double dur-

ing Boston's four-run seventh.

12 Ortiz provides two three-runhomers in a 10-run first inning. Aftera furious rally by the Rangers, KevinYoukilis' second homer of the night,a three-run blast over the Monster,won the game in the eighth inning.

18 Jason Bay slams two homersto push the Red Sox to a win inBaltimore. Jon Lester pitches animpressive seven innings for his 12thwin.

27 Dustin Pedroia hit a grandslam during a seven-run 8th inning tolead the Red Sox to an easy win atYankee Stadium. Bay also assists withfour RBI to give Paul Byrd his secondwin while playing for Boston.

September:

3 After Boston was trailing by fourruns, Mark Kotsay hits a two-runtriple in the eighth to tiethe game. Alex Corascores the winning run inthe ninth to give the Soxa sweep of the O’s.

8 Red Sox fanscelebrate the record-breaking streak of

456 home sellouts,with a 3-0 shutout ofthe Rays. Jon Lestergets his 14th win witha dominating perform-ance on the mound.

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Red Sox Highlightsby Maddie Andres

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On Tuesday the 15th of July, the 79th annualMajor League Baseball All-Star Game enter-tained fans for 15 innings and four hours andfifty eight minutes. The Red Sox sent sevenall-stars to New York’s Yankee Stadium to par-ticipate, including starters, Kevin Youkilis,Dustin Pedroia, former Red Sox outfielderManny Ramirez, along with Manager TerryFrancona. Other Red Sox invitees includedJonathon Papelbon, Jason Varitek, J.D Drew,and “Big Papi” David Ortiz.

The American League had not lost in elevenstraight All-Star games. With home field advan-tage in the World Series on the line for thesixth straight year, the players united in a com-mon cause, and were ready to give it their all.

Cleveland Indians pitcher Cliff Lee got thenod as the starter from American League skip-per Terry Francona, and pitched two scoreless

innings. There was no score going into the topof the fifth, when the National League’s MattHolliday bombed a homer to deep right fieldoff of an Ervin Santana fastball. In the bottomof the seventh, after an A.L double by JustinMorneau, J.D. Drew stepped up to the platewith a chance to tie the ballgame. Drew hit aline drive home run to right field off ofEdinson Volquez to tie the game at two.Adrian Gonzalez gave the National Leaguethe lead again in the top of the eighth. TheA.L. rallied back in the bottom half of theinning to tie the game once again.

As the game moved well into extra frames, bothmanagers became increasingly worried that theywould run out of players. They had already usedup most of their available players and only a fewpitchers remained in the bullpens.

After squandering multiple scoring chances forthe American League in extra innings, the A.Lwas finally able to capitalize in the bottom ofthe fifteenth. Philadelphia Phillies closer BradLidge was in to pitch for the N.L. Red Sox out-fielder J.D. Drew walked to load up the baseswith one out for Michael Young, the TexasRangers’ shortstop. Young hit the first pitch hesaw to right field, where outfielder Corey Hartcaught the ball, Morneau tagged up at third andbarely beat the strong throw from Hart, to winthe game for the American League.

J.D. Drew was named the Most Valuable Playerafter going 2-for-4 with two 2 RBI, including atwo run home run and a stolen base. By thetime the game ended at 1:30 in the morning, a

total of twenty-three pitchers had taken themound and sixty-three players took the field orgot up to bat, an All- Star Game record. Thetwo teams combined for 27 hits, and left 28runners on base, also All-Star Game records.The 2008 All-Star Game was a game for theages and a true Midsummer Classic.

MLB All-Star GameBy Eli Kaufman

Dustin Pedroia and J.D. Drew awaited their turnsduring pre-game batting practice.

J.D. Drew slugs a 2-run game-tying homer whichled the A.L. to a win and earned himself MVP hon-ors for the evening.

CONGRATULATIONS, RED SOX NATION, for breaking the 456 Consecutive Game Selloutrecord on September 8! We couldn’t have done it without you!

Kid NationCaptains BoardMeeting RecapBy Kid Nation Captain - Aaron Kanzer

On August 13th, the newly elected 12 RedSox Kid Nation Captains, NESN’s Jerry

Remy, RSN VP “Regular” Rob Crawford, andrepresentatives from Hood kicked off what wasthe first ever board meeting of the Red Sox KidNation Captains. The meeting focused mainlyon the future of RSKN, including a communityevent to be scheduled sometime after the endof the regular season and feedback on thisyear’s RSKN membership package. Throughthe inspiring words of RSN VP Rob Crawford,the 12 Captains became aware of theimportance of their positions. The Captainsthen received their Captain’s packets full of RedSox and Hood gifts including free Hood IceCream for a year, a personalized jersey and anautographed Dustin Pedroia baseball.

The Captains were then asked to tell thestories of their community service and acts ofgood will and what motivated them to dothese deeds. Short on time though, themeeting had to end there, but overall it was agood success and a great step in the rightdirection for the Red Sox Kid NationCaptains. Later, the Captains werehonored in a pre-game ceremony onthe field at Fenway. 5

Fuel Your BodyDid you know that about 77% of kids betweenthe ages of 9–19 do not meet their recom-mended dairy intake of three servings per day?

To keep your body running, you need to refuelwith nutritious food and drinks. Here are somequick tips on how to get the nutrients and extracalcium you need:

• Reach for fruit and veggies at snacktime!

• Enjoy at least three servings of Hood®Milk every day. It’s one of your bestsources of calcium, which is importantto build strong bones.

• Delicious snack idea: graham crackerswith a glass of Hood Simply Smart® FatFree Chocolate Milk.

• Sip water instead of soda when you’rethirsty.

• One hundred percent of the time,choose 100% juice. It has less sugar andmore nutrients than other fruit drinks.

• Xtra treat: Cool down with a ChocoMintShake (recipe below) made fromHoodFat Free Vanilla Frozen Yogurt and HoodPremium Lowfat Chocolate Milk.

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It’s a Bird,It’s a Plane,It’s the Hood Blimp!One of New England’s favorite icons, theHood Blimp returned for the 2008 season andflew over beaches, events, festivals and RedSox games throughout New England. Here areanswers to a few of your frequent questions.

Q: How fast can the Hood Blimp go?A: The Hood Blimp’s maximum speed is 53

miles per hour.

Q: How long can the Hood Blimp stay inthe air, and how far can it go?

A: The Hood blimp can stay in the air for 15 hours and can travel more than 425 miles!

Q: How old is the Hood Blimp?A: The Hood Blimp was first launched in May 1999.

Q: How much gas can the Hood Blimp hold?A: The Hood Blimp holds a maximum fuel capacity of 74 gallons.

Q: How heavy is the Hood Blimp?A: The Hood Blimp weights approximately 2,770 pounds.

Q: How is it that can we see the blimp at night, like during the night games atFenway?

A: The Hood Blimp features two 1,000-watt light bulbs (typical home light bulbs arebetween 60 and 120 watts) that cause the blimp to glow, illuminating the red and whiteHood logo at night.

For more information about the Hood Blimp, visit Hood.com.

Sox Topsfor Kids

Hood has teamed up with Kid Nation to offer you

an exciting way to raise money for your school!

The Sox Tops for Kids program allows students in

public and private schools grades K–8 the opportunity

to collect caps from containers of Hood Milk in the

LightBlock Bottle® and redeem them for cash

for their schools. Each cap can be redeemed for

5 cents for up to $10,000 per school, per year.

The school that redeems the most caps per

student will also win a visit from a

Boston Red Sox player.

Visit Hood.com for

more details.

Inside the Front OfficeBy Jeremy Adler

Like many of you reading this article, I too have the dream of working for the Red Sox,and because I won the “Break into the Biz of Baseball,” essay contest run by BentleyCollege and MLB.com, I get to experience that dream for one month this summer!

It is impossible for me to put into words how amazing the internship has been. But I’mgoing to try. The first thing I received when I arrived at Fenway Park was an ID withmy picture on it, giving me access to the entire park! Having the freedom to walkaround “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark,” at any time is a luxury, and is somethingthat I will always remember. I have worked a lot with Fenway Sports Group (FSG), asports-oriented, sales and marketing organization that works very closely with the RedSox, MLB.com, Boston College, and NESN, among other companies. With FSG, Ihave done research on Digital Marketing and have tried to contact Digital Marketingfirms that FSG may use in the future.

Also, I have worked a great deal with theRed Sox Foundation. The Foundation’s pri-mary focus is in serving the health, educa-tion, recreation, and social service needs ofchildren and families in need across NewEngland. They had an event on July 26th,called “The Monster Mash,” and I assistedin the preparation of the event. I helpedwith the Red Sox Scholar program as well.To become a Red Sox Scholar, you mustattend public school in the city of Boston,and you must apply for the honor. If accept-ed, you receive get a $10,000 college schol-arship, and get invited to Fenway Park formany special events.

I assisted with the Red Sox MLBAuthentication department a few times too.

After games, all of the game used bats, balls, bases, jerseys, and other collectibles, aregiven to the MLB Authentication department, to be authenticated, proving that theitems were actually used in the game, and not fakes bought online. I have worked inthe clubhouse a couple of times as well, and I have assisted the clubhouse attendantswith the setting up of the dugout, bullpen, and field. If that wasn’t enough, I havegotten to hang out and meet almost all the players, which is any Red Sox fan’sdream! That was certainly one of the many highlights of the internship.

In addition to all that, I have done some work with the Corporate PartnershipsDepartment. All of the needs of the Boston Red Sox corporate partners are takencare of in this department, including obtaining of tickets to a game, or aiding thetours of Fenway Park for them. In the Corporate Partnerships Department, I helpedfile receipts and organize the tickets that were sold. One day, I got to help out theRed Sox Fan Services department. All of the fan mail written to the Red Sox goes tothe Fan Services department. When I worked there, I read some of the fan mail, andput it in the Red Sox database, so the Red Sox organization has a record of all themail they receive.

During my time with the Red Sox, I have learned so much, and seen that there is somuch more to major league baseball than just the game on the field. I have alreadymet many baseball celebrities and hopefully I have made some acquaintances thatmay help me get a job in the business of baseball in the future.

FUTURES AT FENWAYBy Anthony Greco

For the past three seasons, Fenway Park has hosted the

Futures at Fenway game in early August when the Red Sox

are on a road trip. During the double-header, two minor

league Red Sox teams compete against opponents. This

event is very family friendly with more affordable tickets

than regular season games. Also, this is a great experience

for some of the minor league players who may soon have

the opportunity to play in a big league ballpark.

The Lowell Spinners defeated the Hudson Valley

Renegades in an extra-inning thriller. With a 1-1 tie in the

top of the third inning, Anthony Scelfo bombed a home-

run over the 420-foot marker to give the Renegades the

lead. The Spinners rallied back in the bottom of the inning

scoring two runs on a Will Middlebrooks' double, taking

a 3-2 lead. In the ninth inning, an error by Lowell first

basemen Deshaun Brooks allowed Hudson Valley to score

the tying run. But, in the bottom of the 12th inning,

Middlebrooks' single, just shy of Anthony Scelfo's dive,

brought home the winning run from the third and ended

the 3 hour and 41 minute game.

In the second game, the Pawtucket Red Sox, or "Paw

Sox" as they are often called, beat the Charlotte Knights

by a score of 5-2. During a big 4th inning, in which Jeff

Corsaletti, Gil Velazguez and Jeff Bailey all crushed dou-

bles, givingave the Paw Sox the edge. Royce Huffman

scored both of the Knights runs. With both home teams

coming away victorious, the Sox farm teams remain unde-

feated, a perfect 6-0, in games played at Futures at

Fenway.

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David Ortiz takes the field with one of the25 Red Sox Scholars to be honored this year.