Two men have filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Boston Red Sox after claiming that they were sexually abused by a clubhouse manager when they were young batboys for the club.

During a press conference on Monday the men’s lawyer Mitchell Garabedian said of the lawsuit:

“These were inner city kids happy to have jobs with the Red Sox” while adding, “Then they were sexually molested by Donald Fitzpatrick, a serial pedophile. It’s similar to thePenn State case. Children were seduced by sports and sexually abused by an employee of the team.”

The manager in question passed away in 2005 at the age of 76 and the club settled with seven Florida men in 2003 who accused Fitzpatrick of molesting them during spring training in the 1970s. Fitzpatrick also pled guilty in 2002 to four counts of attempted sexual battery.

One of the accusers, Charles Crawford, says Fitzpatrick assaulted him in 1991 in a restroom in Fenway park and then again in the clubhouses equipment room. Crawford was 16-years-old at the time of the alleged assault. Speaking about the assault Charles said:

“I’ve held one of Boston’s darkest secrets all these years, knowing people would have been blown out of their seats if they knew what the Red Sox let happen to me.”

A lawyer for the Boston Red Sox said in response to the claims that the Boston Red Sox:

“Always viewed the actions of Mr. Fitzpatrick to be abhorrent.”

The teams attorney then noted that the Red Sox:

“Became aware of the allegations against Mr. Fitzpatrick in 1991, he was promptly relieved of his duties.”

It’s unclear at this time how the Red Sox will respond to the allegations.

$10 Million Child Molestation Lawsuit Filed Against Boston Red Sox is a post from: The Inquisitr

Think of the kids and dump all that soda from the fridge right now before they go all Natural Born Killer on you.

Well, okay maybe it’s not that bad but according to a new study conducted by David Hemingway and Sara Solnick where they followed 1,878 Boston high school students and kept track of their soft drink consumption they found that students that drank more than 5 non-diet soda a week were 9-15% more likely to turn aggressive.

They go on to state in the paper that heavy use of carbonated non-diet soft drinks was significantly associated with carrying a gun or knife, and that violence towards their peers, family members. Now the two researchers didn’t come right out and say that over consuming soda drinks leads to violent behavior but they did note that the “soda-violence” boost remained after factoring out things like race, age, body mass, tobacco  and drug use.

Now before you fall off your chair laughing yourself silly, which I have already done twice while trying to write this post, the researchers say that there is still a lot more studying to be done before they can come to any conclusive conclusion when it comes to soda influenced violence; but you can read what they have found out so far over here.

via Geekosystem

All that soda could be turning our kids violent says new study is a post from: The Inquisitr

David Ortiz wants to stay with the Boston Red Sox, despite recent reports that he would be willing to leave, even play for the teams biggest rival the New York Yankees.

When asked to confirm reports that players often drank beer and ate friend chicken in the clubhouse during games Ortiz told reporters:

“You guys know it all, already. I don’t have to add anything,” while adding,”I’m there every day, but I do what I’ve got to do. I have no more comment on that. You guys know it all.”

His comments come after the Red Sox were up on the Tampa Bay Rays by nine games only to lost 18 of their last 24 and fall one game behind in the AL wild-care race.

When asked if he wanted to play next season for the Rex Sox he said:

“Of course, I would like to come back,” and “They have a lot of things going on right now. So once they go through all the stuff, GM and managing things, I think they’re going to start talking to the players. So, we’ll see. We’ve got time.”

Ortiz also said his ESPN interview was taken out of content and he didn’t say he was considering playing for the Yankees:

“I never said that I would sign with the Yankees. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,” he said. “They asked me if I would play for the Yankees. I said I would think about it. But I didn’t confirm to nobody that I would play for the Yankees. I’m still a Red Sox, aren’t I?”

Do you want David Ortiz to stick around for another season with the Boston Red Sox?

David Ortiz Discusses Role With Boston Red Sox, Addresses Rumors is a post from: The Inquisitr

Nearly 100 Occupy Boston protesters were arrested in the early morning hours of Tuesday when police began dispersing a second tent city that popped up on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, across the screet from the first tent city.

Police descended on the area where they met a line of American flag carrying veterans who tried to stand in the way of police and protesters. Officers wrestled each veteran to the ground, cable-tied them and dragged them away.

In a video shot on the scene (shown below), one protester can be heard screaming “We are veterans of the United States of America!”

Attempting to throw city friendly rhetoric into the mix Police Commissioner Ed David told  WCVB 5:

“During the day a group of anarchists really started to run the protest,” while adding, “They weren’t listening to us.”

City officials say they wanted to clear the Greenway camp because a conservancy group recently planted $150,000 worth of new shrubbery in the park.

City officials say protesters were warned hours in advance to vacate the premise and were even handed written instructions to leave.

In the meantime Mayor Thomas Menino has given the nearly 1,000 protesters the option to stay at the original camp.

Here’s the video of American Veteran’s being hauled away by police:

The idea that the veteran’s were running the protest with anarchist intentions has been shot down by various onlookers who observed peaceful protesting.

Do you think police should have arrested the veterans the way they did or simply allowed them to express their first amendment rights?

100 Protesters Arrested At Occupy Boston Event is a post from: The Inquisitr

After eight seasons and an epic September collapse the Boston Red Sox have released manager Terry Francona.

According to major league baseball the two men were meeting at 10 a.m. with an expected mutual agreement to be made as Francona departs the club.

According to sources close to the deal the decision came from the ownership level. Owner John Henry has not spoken about the reasons for Francona’s firing although the team manager said during September’s collapse that he has no communication with Henry.

The departure comes as Francona’s contract runs dry although he still had two one-year $4.5 million options left on the table, options the team obviously chose to ignore.

When asked on Thursday if he wanted to remain with the Red Sox he said:

“Theo and I talked today a little bit. I think we’ll continue to talk tomorrow. Maybe it’s best today to stay with where we’re at,” while adding, “It’s still pretty fresh and pretty raw. It’s a fair question.”

As an internal candidate the team could go with DeMarlo Hale, although given their status as a baseball darling they will likely have quite a few eager candidates to choose from.

In the meantime Boston.com say:

Francona would be considered by the Chicago White Sox, who are seeking a new manager in the wake of Ozzie Guillen going to the Marlins. Francona’s calm approach would be seen as a tonic on Chicago following the tumult that often surrounded Guillen. He is a former minor league manager in the White Sox organization and has the respect of owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

What do you think about Francona leaving the Red Sox? What about taking over a Chicago team?

More to come.

Boston Red Sox Release Terry Francona After Epic September Collapse is a post from: The Inquisitr

Pedestrian navigation and mobile transit services HopStop, has been awarded the patent by the Unites States Patent and Trademark Office for its location-based service that provides door-to-door mass transit and walking directions.

U.S. Patent No. 7,957,871, “Methods and Apparatuses for Navigation in Urban Environments,” discloses the innovative technology and methodology used in HopStop’s dynamic transit routing engine that combines disparate transit data, street-level mapping data and user-generated input to provide optimal multi-modal directions and travel options for web and mobile users.  

Joe Meyer, CEO of HopStop, in stressing the importance of the awarded patent, said:

“Mapping and navigation on smartphones present an ideal user experience upon which to layer compelling, popular and valuable local services to consumers and advertisers alike. This patent further accelerates HopStop’s leadership role in the industry, and allows us to take greater advantage of the huge market opportunity presented by local search and mobile services.”

As a matter of disclosure, the writer is addicted to HopStop, or should we say, dependent on HopStop in navigating New York and Boston.

HopStop Wins Patent for Transit Routing and Pedestrian Navigation is a post from: The Inquisitr

Boston Logan International Airport TSA officials will soon be taken part in new screening  process with passengers, having “casual conversations” with airport visitors as they enter security checkpoints.

The new initiative is taking place in Terminal A, running for 60 days to test the efficacy of the program which required officials to be specially trained for their position.

By having conversations TSA officials will try to detect certain behavior and facial expressions of tension, fear or deception.

According to officials only a small percentage of passengers will be required to participate in the detection program and the TSA mentioned that 3,000 behavior detection officers are already deployed at airports around the United States, although they only observe and don’t engage airport users.

Boston Logan International was chosen because the behavioral analysis program began there in 2003

Interestingly the program has been modeled off the type of techniques used in Israel, although they use aggressive questioning of passengers compared to the “casual conversations” being employed at Logan International.

[CNN]

TSA Behavioral Detection Program Gets New Test At Boston Logan International Airport is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you haven’t heard Jay-Z’s new New York anthem “Empire State of Mind,” well, who moved the rock?

If you have, you know some of the song is devoted to Hova’s Yankee fandom, and the rapper says he “bleeds blue.” Apparently that Yankee love is as hardcore as Jigga says, because he’s suing Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz for infringing on his 40/40 Club’s name. Rolling Stone describes the action:

“[Jay-Z and Perez] have accused Ortiz of trading on the fame, value and goodwill of their name through his club Forty/Forty and its website, www.fortyforty.net, which they say has caused their business ‘marketplace confusion and damage,” reads the lawsuit. Jay-Z’s suit goes on to argue that the shared name isn’t accidental, as Ortiz “has been a patron [at the 40/40 Club] on several occasions long before he opened his infringing Forty/Forty Club.”

Ortiz named his club in the Dominican Republic a remarkably similar “Forty-Forty.” It is unclear weather Jay-Z is seeking compensation, a name change or something else.

“And that all blue Yankee is my graduation cap!”

Yankee fan Jay-Z sues Red Sox’s Ortiz over 40/40 Club name is a post from: The Inquisitr

Daniel Kerrigan, 70, father of Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan, has died in Stoneham, Massachusetts.

Kerrigan’s brother, 45-year-old Mark Kerrigan, has been arrested on a count of assault and battery on a person over 60 following his father’s death. Nancy Kerrigan’s mother, clearly distraught, spoke to press this morning about the incident during which her husband suffered a “massive heart attack” and subsequently died, and the Boston Herald quoted a police report describing the alleged assault:

A five-page police report of the alleged assault at the Kerrigan Cedar Avenue home in Stoneham states both father and son were yelling and pushing “back and forth” until the elder Kerrigan fell over.

The police report states Brenda Kerrigan told police the two men were battling until her husband fell. Police also report Mark Kerrigan put his “hands around his father’s neck” and he said he thought his dad was “faking it” when he fell to the floor.

Mark Kerrigan had to be subdued with pepper spray, the police report states. He also appeared intoxicated, the report adds.

Kerrigan is perhaps best known for the attack on her by rival Tonya Harding’s camp in 1992. She later went on to take the silver medal in women’s figure skating.

Nancy Kerrigan’s father dies, brother arrested for assault is a post from: The Inquisitr

Spoiler alert: she survives.

In the clip, a 27-year-old unnamed woman is shown perilously weaving about on a Boston subway platform before falling onto the tracks. As she stumbles around on the track, hugging the rail and unable or unwilling to reach the horrified bystanders trying to frantically alert the conductor and reach out to assist her, the train rapidly approaches. Police say that the woman, who was treated for “scrapes,” had been drinking heavily for a long period of time.

Luckily for the woman, the conductor manages to grind the speeding train to a halt just short of where she stood on the track. The train operator, 27-year-old Charice Lewis, describes the experience:

“The people were waving, but they were waving too much, and they were really, really close to the yellow line, which you are not supposed to be. It was telling me, ‘Slow your train down. Slow your train down.

“As I was approaching, the lady pops her head up, and I was like, ‘Oh my God. Someone is in the pit.’ I threw it into emergency, exactly what I am supposed to do, and it stopped just in time not to hurt her.

“After the fact, she came up with a big smile on her face.”

Subway Stops Inches Before Woman on Tracks – Watch more Funny Videos

Video: Drunk woman falls onto Boston subway tracks is a post from: The Inquisitr

Bike sharing is a concept that has taken strong hold in Europe and in Montreal, Canada, on this side of the ocean. The idea being that located around the city are bike racks with specially built bike that you can “borrow” ride to where you want to go and drop off at a nearby bike rack; either that or complete your chores and return home dropping off the bike on the way.

Boston is one of the first cities in the U.S. that will be setting up such a system; with the help of Canadian company Public Bike System Company, that will see 290 stations setup around the city. While the contracts still have to be signed Boston hopes to have the system up and running by next summer. Additionally other cities are looking at implementing the bike system as well.

A Canadian company, the Public Bike System Company, was selected to bring a network of bike-sharing stations to Boston, and plans to expand the system into Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline shortly afterward. Each city still has to finalize contracts with the company before the program can begin, said Amanda Linehan, a MAPC spokeswoman.

“This will make it easier for people to use bikes to do errands, to attend meetings during work hours, and to visit friends,” Marc Draisen, executive director of MAPC, said in a statement. “It will take cars off the road and improve our air quality. The Public Bike System Company already runs a great system in Montreal, and we’re pleased to provide the municipalities the opportunity to enter into a contract with them.”

Source: Boston.com :: Vendor selected for Boston area bike-sharing program

image courtesy of Inhabitat

Bike sharing is a growing idea coming to Boston is a post from: The Inquisitr

In social media we talk a lot about how important trust is. It is looked upon as a natural outgrowth of the cornerstones of social media – openness and transparency. But what if there was an even simpler and more direct way for that trust to be built. Not the trust that we think of that comes from knowing someone for a long time but a much more immediate trust that can happen within the space of literally minutes of your time.

I am prompted into this thought because of a post Chris Brogan just made to his blog about an experience that probably happened very shortly before him transcribing it to his blog. The short end of the story, and please take a minute to read the whole post as it is a few minutes you won’t regret, is that during his stay in Boston he had to take a cab and threw his suitcase into the trunk.

During the cab ride Chris and the lady driver engaged in conversation as many of us do but as he tells it there was a sharing of small life stories that when the cab ride was over left them both feeling a little better. It was after she had driven off that Chris realized that his suitcase, which also contained his Nikon D60 camera, was still in the trunk of the cab.

After trying the usual route to track down the driver and the cab Chris finally had to head into his meeting with the feeling that this was the last he would see of his camera and other belongings. That is pretty well how any one of us would have felt if we were in Chris’ shoes I would imagine.

At this point, I’m fairly sure my bag is gone. I’m reasonably sure this woman will discover the bag, and if she chooses to turn it in, will no doubt keep the camera. There’s no reason for her not to do so. And having just watched a TV news undercover report on how honest people aren’t (17 out of 17 people failed a simple test), I wasn’t feeling especially positive about my chances.

Flash forward about an hour and a half from when I realized the bag is gone. I’ve been to three appointments and lunch. I’m now standing exactly where the woman dropped me off. I am on a phone call when I look over and I see her pull up. Yes, the cab driver who has my bag has just pulled back up.

“I figured you were in a meeting, so I waited about an hour and then came back.”

I can’t believe this. There’s my bag. Completely intact. I give her a big hug, give her money equivalent to 2x the original cab ride (which probably still isn’t enough, given how much she saved me), and we part.

I have thought about this post of Chris’ and while the fact that he got his belongings back is great in of itself it got me to thinking about something. Where most of us go through our days with hundreds of little conversations much like Chris and the cab driver at what point in those conversations does honesty come into the equation?

As Chris pointed out in his post the conversation he and the lady cab driver had wasn’t the typical “how’s the weather” or “did you catch the game last night?” conversation. No, their conversation was about bits of their individual lives and spoken in such a way as to promote a sense of trust between two people who had never met before and chances are would never meet again.

If the idea of social media is to promote things like openness, transparency and trust could what happened with Chris and the lady cab driver be considered a social moment? After all there was some sort of connection made between two people totally unknown to each other that by all appearances happened within the short space of an honest conversation.

Social Media.

Social Moment.

Trust.

All within a short once in a lifetime conversation.

Amazing.

The unforeseen trust built from a simple honest conversation is a post from: The Inquisitr