Outfielder Lockwood’s career at a crossroads

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FORT MYERS, Fla. – Mike Lockwood was the last guy to finish his lunch at the Boston Red Sox player development complex Monday afternoon.

In a way, it seemed kind of fitting since this spring training season may be his last chance to realize his dream of playing Major League Baseball.

This is the Columbus, Ohio, native’s seventh season of organized ball. After playing six seasons of minor league ball for five different teams, Lockwood knows his career may be at a crossroads.

“Definitely, yeah. My heart still bleeds for baseball, but I try to prepare myself for something afterward,” said the 6-foot, 190-pound lefthanded outfielder. “As long as I’m healthy and I can still perform and have a shot, yeah, I’m going to be keep going, but I’m 28, I have a kid and a wife, and it’s time to put up or shut up.”

Last June, Lockwood was traded from the Sacramento Bees, the Oakland A’s Triple A affiliate, to Boston as part of a minor league deal for Zak Basch. Lockwood was assigned to play for the Portland Sea Dogs, whom he batted .280 for in 296 at-bats over 74 games.

“It was really nice. For a Double A setting, it was awesome,” Lockwood said of Portland. “I’ve played in a lot of Double A parks, and it doesn’t get much better than that, especially as far as fan support goes. I was telling someone today I haven’t seen anything like that as far as baseball.”

Lockwood had 83 hits – 18 of them home runs, 21 doubles, and two triples – for 39 RBIs. His minor league scouting report lists him as a “utility infielder with gap power and average speed who gets on base at a decent clip.”

The former 13th (1998) and 23rd (1999) draft pick out of Ohio State University has been impressed with the way the Red Sox organization is run.

“I like it. I think the organization really cares about the players as individuals, not just as players,” he said. “They have a lot of programs for outreach and continuing education, and I’ve never seen that in another organization. They do a lot of community and citizen stuff, too. And there’s a lot of tradition.”

Lockwood also was very impressed with his first season in Portland, where he could be reassigned again.

“They’re probably one of the most knowledgeable groups of fans I’ve been around. Sacramento fans are into it, too, but Portland, people just know,” said Lockwood, who works as a hitting instructor at camps and clinics in the offseason. “I guess it’s the whole Red Sox Nation thing, and they really follow the sports pages.”

Lockwood, who is just two quarters short of earning his teaching degree, had a unique living arrangement, but not an uncommon one for minor league players.

“I was living with a host family, the Cloutiers in South Portland,” he said. “They’re a great family, and it was just awesome.”

Monday afternoon, he was counting the hours until he would be joined by his own family: wife Mica and month-old son Caden.

The Lockwoods have been married for four years, and, despite the constant travel, the temptations of pro sports (baseball groupies, alcohol), and the fact his goal of making the big leagues is still unmet, they have persevered.

“Early in my career, I made a pact with myself that I was here for baseball, and I wouldn’t have the energy to go out and go drinking and still have the energy to play baseball,” he said. “When I’m done, I want to know I did everything I could to put myself in position to make the big leagues. If I don’t make it, then I just wasn’t good enough, and at least I’ll know it wasn’t because I didn’t give it my all.”

The price of success

Winning a world championship may indeed be priceless, but Boston Red Sox officials aren’t having too much trouble putting a price on championship souvenirs.

Concession prices are high at Fenway Park, and Red Sox fans are finding out things aren’t much better as they go window shopping for World Series championship merchandise at the team’s official store at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers.

Want a hooded sweat shirt for those rare, chilly West Florida nights? Be prepared to shell out $56. Jackets go from $47 all the way up to $103, depending on the style and material.

How about a polo shirt? Well, those are a little less pricey, falling in the $61-70 range.

T-shirts. You’re talking $28 for those.

The kiddies aren’t immune to the inflation of success, either, as children’s T-shirts are going for $17. And don’t think you can kill two birds with one stone economically. A commemorative diecast “Matchbox” type of car, the kind that fits in the palm of your hand, fetches $14. Then again, it is a souped-up Dodge Viper with Red Sox World Series champions colors and graphics all over it.

It seemed that maybe one of those 6-inch “Starting Lineup” type collectible figures, this one a MacFarlane figure of the now-departed Pedro Martinez, could be bought at a bargain rate since he’s now a New York Met. Uhhh, try $23.50. They’re not exactly giving him away, either.

As far as other unique items go, Red Sox World Series champs car flags are $14 apiece, plastic door signs are $9.50, “Red Sox fan parking only” signs are $20, and Red Sox vs. Yankees chess sets are $42.50. There was one relative bargain, or at least a reasonably priced item on hand. A Sox World Series champions battery-operated clock was a mere $30.

And hey, if you’re looking for jerseys, they want $94 for the replicas. You probably don’t even want to know the asking price for the authentic ones. Since they didn’t have any in stock, it will remain a mystery.

At least they’re free

It wasn’t odd that the Comfort Inn located three miles from Boston’s City of Palms Park would feature two dispensers full of Major League Baseball pocket schedules at the front desk, but it seemed odd that both were for the Minnesota Twins.

Sure, the Twins also train just three miles away at nearby Lee County Sports Complex, and they did win the 2004 central division title, but come on. No Red Sox schedules?

The answer from the front desk manager was a simple one, and not too surprising. It seems that Red Sox pocket schedules, and anything else that bears the Red Sox World Series champions logo on it, are in demand and hard to find. Fans are grabbing anything they can get with logos celebrating the team’s first world title in 86 years.