Do the Red Sox really sell out?

This shouldn't suprise anyone. Sorry to bust your bubble but teams lie about their attendance numbers. If they can create a sense of demand then they can sell tickets for a lot more money and get people to buy season tickets. For Boston's record sellout streak at Fenway, if they can make it seem like the place is always sold out than they won't have to rely on walkup numbers (which are always finicky).

By saying that they're always sold out, people think they either have to buy tickets in advance or buy season tickets. That means more than likely they'll go to the game and they're willing to pay more. If they think they can just walk up and get tickets than things like weather and not being able to buy a babysitter get in the way of attending the game. So it shouldn't suprise anyone that the Red Sox sometimes give away tickets to continue the sellout streak.

The Sox count the total number of tickets they distribute, including an average of 800 complimentary tickets each game to charities and others, as the basis for a sellout. They also count standing room tickets toward the total.

Skeptics might call it a “distribution streak’’ rather than a sellout streak, given the team’s reliance on complimentary tickets.

By giving away hundreds of tickets to Wednesday’s game and selling hundreds of other standing room tickets, the Sox kept their streak alive despite reporting a paid attendance of 37,434 - 61 seats shy of capacity. They did so by including the tickets distributed, which pushed the total to 37,819, exceeding the seating capacity by 324.

In fact, the paid attendance fell short of Fenway’s seating capacity in all three games this week against the A’s, according to official box scores. Yet thanks to the distribution formula, the streak that began May 15, 2003 endures.

Kennedy said the Sox do not give away tickets to keep the streak alive. He said the team generally gives away far fewer tickets than other major league team because of Fenway’s small size and the high demand for tickets.

He said the average paid attendance last year was 37,714, which exceeds the seating capacity, and includes standing room.

By the way 800 tickets isn't that much of a margin. I'd imagine other MLB teams give away a lot more and still don't have a full stadium. Don't go to Fenway thinking you can get right in.

Why the Red Sox will win the World Series

Boy weren't fun in 2004 when the Sox finally reversed the curse?And since then, the obvious baseball blasphemy of the film Fever Pitch and every Red Sox fans becoming immediately more unbearable than people who use bluetooths, Boston managed to overcome those obstacles and win another World Series title in 2007 and will do it again this year.

How did they manage to even outdo the treacherous Yankees and their evil empire?Beat the Yankee's at their own game. Spend money. And it has worked wonderfully.Instead of spending that money on risky or aging players (As New York has, throwing out cash like Pacman Jones at a strip club), the Sox have found the perfect mix between free agency and prospects.

They've been able to keep the key guys that are the heart and soul of this team. Jason Varitek, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis and Manny Ramirez still call Fenway their home and keep the Red Sox lineup more formidable than a fat person at Granny's Buffet.And say what you will about Manny being Manny, but he rises to the occasion. So does the rest of these guys on the roster.

They know when its time to step up and do something, hence their amazing post season success.They've also been able to weather the whole Eric Gagne debacle, and even got JD Drew to do something when the cards were down (Much to the shock and awe of every LA Dodger fan in the universe).

Then there's the pitching staff. Jonathan Papelbon is an Irish-jig dancing, save-machine gift from the baseball gods. Josh Beckett is Josh Beckett, coming through in the clutch more times than John McClane from Die Hard. Dice-K once struck out his shadow.

And if you don't root for cancer-survivor Jon Lester, you don't have a heart.

And these guys are very comfortable with one another. They faced a 3-1 deficit in the ALCS last year against the Cleveland Indians and won three straight games to head into the World Series against the Rockies, who were a really fun AAA squad from the National League.

And they pulled off that magical comeback without even looking like they were breaking a sweat.So you've got pitching, a solid lineup, chemistry and the greatest ballpark in baseball.

What else do you need for a solid run to the championship? A rally monkey? Please.The Boston Red Sox have one of the most solid rosters in baseball, and they'll be a force come October.