The crowd showed their appreciation but they didn't know they were saying goodbye. He knew it.

There's tremendous enthusiasm. Some of the ordinary metrics you use are ticket sales, and they're well ahead of last year, but you really want to use the anecdotal metrics, you want to hear what people say to you as you're walking down the street, and they're thrilled that you have Coco Crisp and they're thrilled to see what Josh Beckett looks like in a Red Sox uniform ... you can certainly feel the buzz throughout the Boston area, and I trust, throughout New England.

It's a practice we put into effect last year as a result of parents asking us to,

It will be a few weeks yet before balls start crashing into this backstop, but for the Red Sox, baseball and spring training are right around the corner.

People do use that hotline. You can stop a situation before it becomes a problem, ... The overwhelming majority of fans want a very comfortable atmosphere.

We inherited a policy we have grave questions about. But we haven't come up with a new policy.

We knew he was in failing health, and we wanted fans to have an opportunity to show their appreciation with their ovation. Often, announcers don't get to enjoy the live reaction to their words or voice, and we had an opportunity to provide that to him. It was a memorable moment.

We've had no comment on this, and we'll continue to have no comment until there is an announcement to make.

What we have not seen in any significant numbers is people who refuse.

To fans in New England in the 1950s and '60s, his was the voice that told the stories of the Red Sox to a generation of fans. He was the voice under the pillow.