Red Sox fans are the ultimate manic-depressive group. Just as there is euphoric excitement over the successes of the team there is also the tendency to blow the failures of team out of proportion. This has led to the team being described as “manic-depressive”.

In the year 2005, Red Sox started offering “Official Citizenship” to the fans. The words “Official Red Sox Nation Citizen” were inscribed on the card. They also got access to merchandise offers as well as news letters of Red Sox. From 2006, Red Sox introduced different levels of membership. There were the options of “fan pack”, “ultimate fan pack” and “monster pack”. Each came with a different price tag. In 2007, the fan site gave a chance to the fans to register themselves as candidates for the post of president in 2008. After short listing candidates and after a final election, Jerry Remy was declared the winner in the race for presidency. Jerry is a former player of the game and is a broadcast commentator.

The Red Sox fan club is spread all across the country. People who have left New England keep in touch with the game by following it up in television or in the various websites.

Fenway Park isn’t getting any younger and that will not help the Red Sox compete on the revenue front with the Yankees and Mets in the years to come. The final payroll information regarding last season was released by Major League Baseball yesterday and it showed the Red Sox spent the second-highest amount. The Dodgers  were third in spending, followed by the Mets and Cubs.The Yankees have had the highest payroll nine years running.

 Javier Lopez and the Boston Red Sox agreed Friday to an $840,000, one-year contract.Lopez was 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 40 2-3 innings last season.  He made $402,500 last year.Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis and relief pitcher Kyle Snyder remain in salary arbitration.Youkilis asked for $3.7 million Friday and was offered $2,525,000 by the Red Sox, up from the $424,500 he made last year.Snyder asked for $1,025,000 and was offered $725,000, up from last season’s salary of $535,000.

  The Minnesota Twins have to trade Johan Santana.None of the offers fielded is compelling enough to make the Twins trade the two-time Cy Young Award-winning left-hander.Each package has its share of strengths and weaknesses. The Yankees’ on-again/off-again offer, which senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner yesterday said is still on the table, is top-heavy with right-hander Phil Hughes. The Mets’ offer involves too many young prospects and the Red Sox’ offers, which the experts are split on as being the best of the bunch, fall just a bit short.  Bill Smith, former GM and Smith adviser Terry Ryan and Minnesota vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff think, the second-best way to judge the talent is to listen to what the outside experts say.

Doug Mirabelli will return to his customary specialty with the Red Sox in 2008 - handling Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball. Though it will require a pay cut, it appears Doug Mirabelli will return to the Red Sox as their backup catcher. The team was close to consummating a deal yesterday to bring Mirabelli back for a $550,000 base salary with incentives that could bring his compensation up to $1 million for 2008.

The business arm of the Red Sox Fenway Sports Group s looking to cash in on the team’s first-ever season opener in Japan with travel packages for devoted fans. In the works are plans to charter a flight to Japan for a group of Sox fans, who would pony up anywhere from $4,000 to $6,000 for the experience.

On Friday, the Boston Red Sox signed minor league contracts with lefthanders Jon Switzer and Michael Tejera. Both the players, Switzer and Tejera, have been assigned to the Class AAA Pawtucket and have been invited to Boston’s major league to spring training camp as non-roster invitees.

The Red Sox have had a quiet off-season. The Red Sox are already the first team in the 21st century to win multiple World Series. Their aim is to become baseball’s first back-to-back champs since the Yankees three-peated from 1998-2000. Captain Jason Varitek will once again lead the pitching staff.