It comes out of right field

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It remains to be seen if they will be embraced with the same fervor that greeted the debut of the Monster seats last season, but the Red Sox today are making the official announcement of the sale of approximately 195 seats on the right-field roof, which are intended to create a restaurant-like atmosphere, complete with table service, waiters and waitresses, a full menu, and some food and beverages built into the price of a ticket.

The Sox are expected to announce Monster seat pricing within a week, but yesterday the team's chief operating officer, Mike Dee, announced the pricing for the right-field seats, which will go on sale this afternoon on the Internet. For the first time, seats will be priced differently according to the opposition -- 17 games, including Opening Day, all Yankee games, and interleague games against the Dodgers and Phillies will be sold for $100 apiece, with the remaining 64 games costing $75 per ticket. The ticket prices include $100 in beverages and food per table, with a menu that will feature barbecued ribs.

The seats will be sold on a per-table (four to a table), single-game basis -- no group sales or season-ticket purchases -- with fans given the chance to register to purchase one table at redsox.com, beginning at 2 p.m. today, with registration closing at 11 p.m. next Monday.

In addition, 150 standing-room tickets, priced $30 for the 17 premium games and $25 for the remainder, will also be sold in the same fashion.

Only one entry per applicant will be permitted to obtain what the Sox call a "virtual wristband." Those chosen randomly by computer will be notified on St. Patrick's Day (Wednesday), and then given a randomly selected window the following weekend (7 p.m. Friday to 3 p.m. Saturday) to buy their tickets, either the table seats or the standing-room tickets.

"We want to make sure we give as many people as possible the opportunity to experience [this section]," Dee said, explaining why the club departed from the way it sold Monster tickets last season, in which 60 percent were single-game purchases and 40 percent group sales.

Several thousand tickets also will be placed on sale via telephone (877-REDSOX9) at 3 p.m. March 20.

"It's different -- the Monster seats are closer to the field, you're sitting on the bar stools," Dee said. "The right-field roof, it cantilevers out over the bullpen -- you have a great view of the bullpen, and you're basically looking right across at the Green Monster," Dee said. "It's the old dilemma: Do you want to sit behind your team's dugout or do you want to sit across and see in. You're looking at the Pesky Pole and right down the line. The asymmetrical nature of Fenway is highlighted more from this area of the ballpark than any other area of the ballpark. It's cool.

"These are not the Monster seats in right field. As Larry Lucchino likes to say, it's a different flavor of ice cream."

The roof has a sponsor: Budweiser, a longtime sponsor of the club. "They have a large sign on top of the bar," Dee said. "It's not a naming rights deal for the area as much as an entitlement sponsorship. Where they have exclusive marketing rights for that area there will be other alternative products. Per the Liquor Board, you can't have an exclusive, but I'm sure Budweiser will be fairly represented in the area."