An item for your datebook

Dan Shaughnessy

July 20, 2011|By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist

Take this to the bank: the Red Sox will play the New York Yankees at Fenway next spring on Friday, April 20, the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park.

On April 20, 1912, the Sox defeated the New York Highlanders (soon to become the Yankees), 7-6, in 11 innings in Fenway’s first major league game. Tris Speaker knocked in the winning run. Hope they let the fellows play a day game for the century birthday party.

■ Next time you feel like ripping Terry Francona, try to remember that the man has a lot on his mind. The manager’s son, Nick Francona, a former pitcher at the University of Pennsylvania, is a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, serving a six-month tour, leading a rifle platoon in Afghanistan. Twenty-six-year-old Nick is one of the more impressive young men you’ll ever meet. In a terrific piece for Grantland.com, Mike Barnicle asked Terry Francona how’s he doing as the dad of one of our soldiers at war. “I’m doing awful,’’ answered the manager. “My wife’s doing worse. I think about it all the time. Worry about it all the time. Hard not to. Try and stay away from the news about it. Try not to watch TV when stories about it are on, but it’s there, you know? It’s always there.’’

Francona is not one to make a big deal out of his son’s service to our country, but we need to remember that while we all go about our daily lives here in the States, there are families living on the edge while their loved ones are at war.

■Count me as Logan Mankins guy. He stood up to the Krafts. He came to camp in shape and made the Pro Bowl in a short season. He’s got the self-sufficient farm. I just have a hard time believing he broke away from the union yesterday. I’d prefer to think he’s part of the union’s plan to get more stuff in the closing hours of the talks.

■Friday night at Fenway should tell us a lot about the J.D. Drew situation. It’ll be the first time Francona has everyone available (Carl Crawford off the DL, David Ortiz back from suspension) and he’s going to have to decide whether to go with Josh Reddick or Drew in right.

■ Pardon me if I sound like Larry King, but what’s up with this Twitter madness? It strikes me as trendy, immature, and entirely unnecessary. What you had for lunch is of no interest to me. Increasingly, tweeting seems to be getting athletes in trouble.

Remember Rashard Mendenhall on Osama Bin Laden? The Raiders and Steelers on Hines Ward? All those players ripping Jay Cutler after the loss to the Packers? It’s just too easy to rip off an inane message of 140 characters and hit the “send’’ button.