Topic: Boston Red Sox

MLB opening day: Will sales of baseball tickets stage a recovery like the economy?

The great recession hit sales of baseball tickets hard. But with signs that the economy is improving, there's cautious optimism for MLB opening day and beyond.

Sports dynasties are impressive, but dark horses capture the imagination

Yankees, Blue Devils, Manchester United: A sports powerhouse is fun to watch. But motley crews of underdogs have a special place in our hearts.

Opening day: eight questions for the baseball season

On opening day of the baseball season, the Monitor looks at whose major league debut is most anticipated and whether Matt Wieters really deserves to be a Sports Illustrated cover boy.

Baseball: What's new this year?

As 'Play Ball!' rings out April 4, baseball fans debate the impact of high salaries and the post-steroid era.

Sports in the US: Year-round madness

From the bracketology of March Madness to ESPN Everything, sports has become one of the most pervasive forces in American culture. Is it a great unifying force or a sign of misplaced priorities?

Yankees-Red Sox rivalry: Read all about it

If you think the New York-Boston rivalry is intense today, take a look at the summer of 1949.

Minor-league baseball: New Jersey players swing for the bigs

One-time major-league stars now playing in minor-league baseball look for a shot at redemption with New Jersey's Newark Bears.

Massachusetts Senate race: let the blame game begin

Win or lose the Massachusetts Senate race, Martha Coakley should have run a better campaign against Scott Brown, political strategists say. Now, Democrats are asking: What went wrong?

In appreciation of Robert B. Parker, creator of "Spenser for Hire"

Robert B. Parker, prolific and beloved writer of detective fiction, died at his home in Cambridge, Mass.

'Pants on the Ground': Favre playoff edition

After beating the Dallas Cowboys, 34-3, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre did a locker-room rendition of the now-famous Internet song 'Pants on the Ground,' Favre style.

New Year's name game: '00s were the 'Downhill Decade'

With all those zeroes, some are calling the first decade of the 2000s the 'Noughties.' But whatever they name it, most Americans think the decade was pretty much a bummer.

For Pedro Martinez, déjà vu in loss to the Yankees

Pedro Martinez pitched masterfully for six innings of the Phillies' 3-1 loss to the Yankees Thursday. Now, he just needs a manager to take him out when he gets tired.

Top five athletes on Capitol Hill

Curt Schilling isn't the first professional athlete to consider a bid for public office. There's more crossover between sports and politics than you might think.

Is this the year - at last - for the New York Yankees?

It's been nine years since the Yankees' last World Series title – an eternity for New York. But the Yanks are well positioned to make amends, starting Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins.

Metrics mania: Are Americans too reliant on numbers?

With Joe Kennedy out, Senate race wide open

With no Kennedy in the running, expect a crowded Democratic field.

Schilling as senator? Don't count on it.

In Yankee sweep of Sox, big-money buys made the difference

The series was a validation of the $423 million that the Yankee owner spent in the offseason.

Noodle-hanging idioms and other inscrutables

The buzz around a new book has the Monitor's language columnist noodling on some intriguing turns of phrase in use around the world.

Summer thunder gives shuttle Endeavour the summertime blues

Are the Red Sox playoff bound? Ask the mathematician

Classic review: The Armchair Book of Baseball

Let the games begin!

The Yankee Years

An insider's look at Torre's years with the N.Y. Yankees.