A Magnificant Model from Chisel and Mouse

Section 36 world headquarters sometimes starts looking like.a Red Sox museum. Or, at the very least a cluttered collectibles store. Things I have amassed over the years fill the shelves and hang from the walls. There are baseballs, and jars of salsa, and bobbleheads, and even replica Fenway Parks. So, when the good people at Chisel and Mouse asked me if I'd like to add one of their architectural models of Fenway to the display, I couldn't say yes fast enough.

I wasn't 100% sure what to expect. But, whatever those expectations were, they were definitely exceeded.

First, I need to talk about the shipping. Not only was it fast, but it was in the strongest cardboard box I think I've ever seen. Clearly they took the extra effort to make sure my item arrived in perfect condition. It's refreshing in a era when some companies try to skimp and hope for the best.

Now, for the piece itself. It is a true work of art. It is a plaster model of the Jersey St. entrance to Fenway. A classic view of the ballpark. The weight of the piece is the first thing you notice. I don't know why I imagined plaster to be a flimsy material. But, this is a solid piece with some weight and heft to it. 

Look how intricate the detail work is.

The second thing you notice is the absolute attention to detail. I suppose I should have expected that from something called an "architectural model", but my mind didn't go to this. Even thought the entire model is white, every detail somehow just pops. As you turn the piece, it moves with you as shadows expose every carving. The "1912" date stamp at the top. The Fenway Park nameplate. The brick mosaic design below that. The windows and doors are cutouts adding to the depth of the piece. It all just leads to the word "magnificent". 

The model now holds a place of honor in Section 36 HQ, right above the desk so that I see it all the time.

Chisel and Mouse has models of many other buildings, and other formats as well. I have found myself wondering what a whole cityscape would look like next to each other. It's fun to dream.

Do yourself a favor and check out Chisel and Mouse for yourself. You can also find them on Instagram!

The model can easily be hung on the wall for display.

Side view of the model.

The detail is like that everywhere

All around the model.

Simply beautiful

Singing the Anthem at Fenway!

By Sammy Lauren

This all came to be because in early June, Berklee career center had a link on their Instagram to submit videos singing the national anthem for a chance to sing at Fenway. I submitted a video and didn’t hear back for a few weeks so I didn’t think much of it. 

However, a few days before I was preparing to fly from LA to Boston, I received a video with an invitation to sing the national anthem at the Red Sox vs Orioles game on July twentieth. I quickly changed my flights and all my plans because I did not want to pass up this once in a life time opportunity. To make things feel even more special, I was set to sing it on my mom’s birthday and she flew out all the way from California just to watch me perform. 

The twentieth came and it was a perfect day, the weather was amazing and the energy of the stadium was like nothing I have ever experience before. The park was packed since it was set to be the Red Sox’s fourteenth game on their historic win streak. One of the best parts was when I sang “oh say does that star spangled” the Orioles have a tradition of yelling “oh” which only heightened the energy of the experience. The Red Sox ended up winning and it was a great game all around and I don’t think it could have gone any better. 

Early the next morning I hoped on a plane to LAX to work on music as well as visit my hometown family and friends. This whole experience felt like a full circle moment because during my first few weeks at Berklee, I went viral on tik tok for a video of me singing the national anthem at my high school’s volleyball game and many people online were tagging @mlb because they wanted me to sing at an mlb game. Now that two years have gone by, it seems like that dream has come true. I have felt so much love and support from friends and family both in Boston and back home in California and it feels special to know I’m the first person in my family to do anything like this. 

I am excited for what the future holds and I hope to one day be sing for the Dodgers back in LA because that is my home team, but I am still in shock that I got to sing the national anthem for one of the most iconic teams in one of the most historic baseball stadiums in America.

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Where to Find Sammy Lauren

Instagram

Spotify

Apple Music

This story has been posted simultaneously here and on the Section 36 Music blog.

Was All That Really Necessary?

I've heard of teams firing their manager. They even sometimes fire their hitting coach. Or the assistant hitting coach. They don't fire their bench coach very often, but I'm sure they sometimes do. Third base coach? In season? Can't remember the last time I've heard of that. Hitting strategy coach? The game plan coordinator? Ok, well, this is the first team I knew had one of these. But still, reassigning that is unusual. 

But all of the above? Gone at once?

That's called shocking.

Or, is it?

I've been working under the impression that this team will figure it out. Just like last year where they started slow, and eventually found their groove. After all, this is a team that some were predicting to be the top team in the AL, fighting with Toronto for the number one seed. They were widely considered to have the top 1-2 pitching combo, if not the best rotation in the league. So, yes, each pitcher seemed to have one game where they had an off night and blew a game. And, yes, some of the hitters were struggling. But, they had histories of success. They'd figure it out.

But, it really started to add up. Especially the new guys. Especially the young guys. Especially ALL the young guys. Suddenly, you start to see some common themes.

The Red Sox have four starting outfielders and a DH in Duran, Anthony, Rafaela, Abreu, and Yoshida. That already means one of them sits every day. So, it starts to be surprising how often Monasterio finds his way into games. Or, IKF. I know he was probably signed with a regular role in mind, but things change.

Durbin was a top rookie last year. Sure, there could be an expected drop in a second year, and with a new team. And maybe Mayer could be expected to struggle in his first full season. Like Campbell did last year. And maybe Anthony's near MVP performance in the WBC was just a fluke and he should be xpected to find his way. But, all three? All at once? And Contreras taking a bit to find his groove?

At what point is it a pattern. At what point do to hear the rumors that Cora struggles with the youngsters stick in your mind? At what point does the hitting coach play a role in all the new players struggling? You start to wonder.

You start to wonder if that common theme is there stronger than you thought. You start to wonder if maybe something does actually need to be done.

But what?

That's the real surprising part. The Sox decided "all of it". It was mis-management, bad advice, poor hitting plans, poor hitting execution, and apparently the third base coach got everyone else all riled up.

Which is really my one flaw with the plan. It's like when the Patriots fired their coach and their quarterback. Which was it?

Now, it's possible they just felt Cora lost the room and needed to go. Perhaps the rest of the group was just there to make the new manager feel like he had control of his staff. Or maybe the Sox wanted to send a message to the players. "This is entirely on you now."

Whatever the reason, it's a clean slate. It's probably even the right move.

But it will make for an interesting May

Let's Get It Started!

It's time for another season! Another season of hope. Another season of excitement. Another season of a championship?

That's the important questions, right? Just how good are the 2026 Red Sox going to be? The answer? Good. Very good.

The last few year, things for the Sox have started positively. But, this year's a bit different. Instead of depending on the future, or potential, the Sox are depending on the now.

Last year's team looked good...if Buehler could regain some of his past form...if Casas Could stay healthy...If Chapman found his fastball.

This year it's not so much of the "if"s. All the team has to do it do what it did last year, and they'll be more than OK. And that seems perfectly reasonable to expect.

Sure, they have some youth that they're counting on. Durbin will be tasked with filling in for and replacing Bregman. However, for as eager as Sox fans were to have Bregman return, Durbin's WAR last year was about 0.8 lower. So, again, if he just does what he did, the Sox will be fine. Similarly, the Sox are once again expecting a youngster to start for them at second. Mayer certainly has the potential to be great. But, again, the Red Sox second basemen last year didn't exactly set the world on fire. They don't need Mayer to be an all-star. Just decent. That doesn't seem like too much to ask.

The biggest wild card is likely Roman Anthony. Does he have growing pains? Or do we get last year's version, and the version from te WBC, all year. Either one is an adequate replacement and likely an improvement over last year.

And, same with the rotation. Crochet is back. But, the pitchers behind him are less hopeful, and more probable. It's hard to overstate how poorly Buehler pitched last year. And he pitched A LOT. Just replace his starts with anything from Sonny Gray and you're ahead of the game. That's before you put Ranger Suarez in the spots taken last year by Richard Fitts. That's an automatic improvement from last year to what some people consider the best rotation in baseball.

So, where do we set expectations? Playoffs would be bare minimum. They should be at least fighting for a division championship, if not the top seed in the AL.

It's going to be a fun year.

Go Red! 2014 Topps Target Red Yoenis Cespedes

February is American Heart Month. As a nod to the Go Red for Women activities going on this month to help raise awareness, I thought I'd contribute several "red" themed posts sprinkled throughout the month.

Let's talk about this card...

Yoenis Cespedes had a short unmemorable stint with the Red Sox. He was anchored with being the main return in the Jon Lester trade. Perhaps his biggest contribution was being the main chip that brought in future Cy Young award winner Rick Porcello to Boston. 

Pretty average card here. "Batter in mid swing" is a common photo topic. In this case, he's showing a bit more effort than most, at least. Otherwise, it's a rather non-descript card. Which I guess you get every once in a while.

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I'm sure you all remember forever Miss District of Columbia Jude Maboné from her interview with us. Her "heart health" community service initiative is, obviously, quite relevant this month. As such, she's supporting the Simon's Heart campaign this month (and every month). I highly recommend you join her efforts with a donation if you are able. You can find the link here.

Support her efforts, and Go Red!