Boston Red Sox 2010 Schedule: Five Things To Look For

In Red Sox Nation, this week's release of the 2010 schedule brings a lot of excitement even with the current season still raging on. So while you save your pennies in hopes of snagging some good seats in Fenway Park next season, here are five interesting things about the schedule from my perspective. And just think, Spring Training 2010 is roughly six months away!1) The potential return of Manny RamirezRemember that guy who got traded last season, the same one who was a future Hall-of-Famer for Boston yet garnered as much scrutiny as praise? Well that guy - Manuel Aristides Ramirez - could be coming back to play another round of games at the Fens - this time in an L.A. Dodgers uniform when the blue/white hit up Boston on June 18th-20th.I say potential because there is no guarantee Ramirez will still be with the Dodgers next season. While he did sign a two-year, $45 million deal last year, he has the option to back out after 2009 and become a free agent again. With Manny and Scotty Boras in tow, that is entirely a realistic possibility. But wow, that would be a media event, even in Boston.2) Sox/Yankees continues to get messed withWhile Boston playing New York isn't anything new, Major League Baseball has once again tinkered with the formula of 18 divisional games. Now, the two rivals will open up the season AND close the season against each other, which is kind of a cool concept. But if you're a hardcore fan and the season is coming down to those last few games, wouldn't you rather get a different draw than your biggest rival? Sports is entertainment, but this one drips of FOX forcing the issue rather than for the interest of competition. There are plenty of storylines that could draw out, especially if the season comes down to those three games. However, if both teams are comfortably in the playoffs, you're going to see a ton of scrubs. But what really got me was that Boston plays the first six of these games at Fenway, then plays in Yankee Stadium for the next nine games and then plays the final three at Fenway. Nine straight in either scenario seems pretty foolish, as does the face the two teams don't play each other in June or July. Open up the season with the two, but let the rest of the scheduling just play out like anyone else. It's our rivalry...not everyone else's.3) Bye-bye in JulyOut of 25 games in July, 16 will be played on the road including a 10-game West Coast swing. This is part of an overall stretch of 14 games in a row that starts in Boston with four games against Texas. Permalink