So it's wintertime in Boston, which means if you are a local sports fan, you're relying mostly on high school and college athletics to give you your fill of sports entertainment, at least until pitchers and catchers report for spring training in February.

The professional scene has provided us with precious little to cheer about this winter, with the possible exception of Celtics head fraud Rick Pitino threatening at a press conference last week that he is really serious this time about leaving the team at the end of this season.

Tell someone who cares, Rick.

Anyway, just when it seemed like things could not possibly get worse around here, the Boston Red Sox announced last Friday that they are raising ticket prices.

Again.

The price hike in and of itself comes as a surprise to no one, seeing as how the team has made it an offseason tradition these past four years. But a spike as steep as this one--the largest ever by the Red Sox and, as far as anyone can tell, the biggest in baseball history as well--was enough to make you cough up your Thanksgiving dinner.

The price of field boxes has soared from $45 to $55 apiece. Loge seats, meanwhile, have climbed $15 from last year up to $55 a pop next season.

Most of those seats, though, belong to season holders. The people hardest hit by the spike will be the average fan. Infield grandstand seats will now run at $40 apiece, up nearly 50 percent from last year. And a lower bleacher seat will now cost you 20 bucks, up 25 percent from last season.