BOSTON — For the Boston Red Sox, bushy beards are so last year.
Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes, the bandleader of the beard brigade during Boston’s run to the 2013 World Series title, said he will be shaving his off before spring training so that he can file it “in the archive” with his memories of the team’s improbable championship.
“It was a pretty cool experience. Want to bottle it up and enjoy it,” he said on Thursday, still with his recognizable chin scruff. “I’ll start 2014 pretty clean.”
Some of the Red Sox players already have shaved their beards, but Jon Lester was sporting a trimmed-back style before the 75th annual dinner of the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Designated hitter David Ortiz and outfielder Shane Victorino cut theirs off for charity shortly after the World Series.
Manager John Farrell said the rest will soon follow.
“We’ve come to an agreement that when we get on the field we’ll be cleaned up,” he said.
All three of the team’s recent World Series trophies were on display in the ballroom before the dinner, where former Atlanta Braves pitcher and newly elected Hall of Famer Tom Glavine was to receive the organization’s highest honour, the Judge Emil Fuchs Award for long and meritorious service to baseball. Red Sox pitcher John Lackey was honoured with the Tony Conigliaro Award for overcoming adversity.
Other honorees at the dinner were to include:
–Miguel Cabrera, the Ted Williams Award for the top hitter in baseball.
–Ortiz, the Thomas A. Yawkey Award as the Red Sox MVP. Only Carl Yastrzemski, who won the award six times, has more than Ortiz’s four Yawkey awards.
–Lester, Red Sox pitcher of the year.
–Koji Uehara, Red Sox fireman of the year.
–David Ross, good guy award.
–Craig Breslow, Tim Wakefield Award for a Red Sox unsung hero.
–Xander Bogaerts, the minor league player of the year.
–Jose Iglesias, Red Sox rookie of the year.
–Bill Ballou of the Worcester Telegram, the Dave O’Hara Award for his service to the chapter.
Farrell was selected manager of the year and Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington was the organization’s executive of the year after guiding the team from worst to first.
Working toward next season, Cherington gave oft-injured outfielder Grady Sizemore a $750,000, one-year contract this week.
The three-time All-Star has not played since 2011. Sizemore, 31, is a .269 career hitter with 139 homers and 458 RBIs.
“Everyone knows who he was in his prime,” Cherington said. “That player fits on any team.”
