In the midst of a tough season, Beckett Bowl rolls on

In the past week, Josh Beckett has been booed in Boston, in Baltimore, and likely in every nook of Red Sox Nation in between. A 5-10 record and an ERA more than a full run worse than the American League average will earn that type of treatment, particularly given his alleged role in the ugliness of last September.

The right-hander, however, may at last give Boston a reason to applaud on Monday night.

With his foundation, the hurler will host his sixth-annual Beckett Bowl at Jillian’s Lucky Strike Lanes behind Fenway Park, welcoming a lineup of athletes and celebrities who’ll be trying to throw strikes of a different kind before heading down Lansdowne Street for a night-capping country concert at the House of Blues.

Raising funds for Boston’s Children’s Hospital, spectators can buy a general admission ticket to all of the evening’s events for $250, or purchase a seat to the 21-plus “10 Man Jam” put on by radio station WKLB for $45-$65. In addition to live and silent auctions, bowlers will compete for prizes and awards, with each four-person team joined by a celebrity – from a VIP list expected to include athletes from Boston’s pro sports teams, as well as actors, musicians and comedians among others.

Beckett Bowl has happened every year since 2007, when the Sox pitcher started The Josh Beckett Foundation to support community-based programs that improve the health and well-being of children, especially those who are seriously ill, disabled, poor, or otherwise disadvantaged.

That's something for which everyone can cheer.