BOSTON — Third baseman Mike Lowell is one of the few Boston Red Sox players with experience playing at altitude and at Coors Field, where World Series Games 3, 4 and, if necessary, 5 will take place.
“Weather-wise, when it’s cold, your glove feels like it’s a brick, so that’s an adjustment,” he said Thursday. “But I think it’s a much bigger adjustment for the outfielders; there’s a lot of room to roam there.”
Perhaps it’s because the Pony Express doesn’t make it all the way out to Fenway Park, but there are a number of misconceptions about the way baseball is played in Denver these days. While the Coors Field humidor has supplanted the nine-inning pinball games that once took place, apparently not everyone has gotten the word.
“I think people think I hit a pop-up and the ball goes out,” Lowell said. “That’s not really the case. It’s a big field, so I think a lot more hits fall. Innings keep going and sooner or later you might hit a home run, and that’s the reason why so many runs are scored.”
Red Sox manager Terry Francona agreed that his team’s outfielders will have the biggest shock in dealing with Coors Field, but said he didn’t feel Boston would be at a distinct disadvantage in trying to deal with it.
“In the past, that would have been a bigger obstacle,” he said. “Now, I think we’re better suited. J.D. (Drew) is out there, Coco (Crisp) or Jacoby (Ellsbury), so I think we can cover some more ground. I don’t think that will be an issue, unless they’re hitting 15 balls in the gap and they’re running all day.”
Deep thoughts. Francona admits he’s still concerned about what he’s going to do with no designated hitter in Colorado. One player – Lowell, David Ortiz or Kevin Youkilis, each of whom have been outstanding in the postseason – will have to sit.
“It’s really disappointing because we like when all three of them play,” Francona said. “There’s going to be some things we have to think about that we just don’t know yet.”
That was a reference to Ortiz, who has had trouble with his right knee during the playoffs. Big Papi never has been a defensive wizard anyway; his injury would further limit his mobility. If Youkilis, whose nine-game postseason hitting streak ended Thursday night in Game 2, also stays in the lineup, it would be at third base, not his strongest defensive position.
“It’s two guys out of position, which isn’t real good either,” Francona said.
Guess who. Riding on a Fenway Park elevator up to the press box, a reporter happened to glance back over his shoulder, only to come eye-to-eye with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
Asked if he was planning on joining the ink-stained wretches covering Game 2, Belichick declined.
“I think I’ll just leave that to you guys,” he said. “I think I’ll be able to find some other way to get in.”
In case you were wondering about Belichick’s off-the-sideline, casual-outing attire, he was wearing – what else – a hoodie.
