FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Boston Red Sox will receive their World Series rings just before their home opener against the New York Yankees.

The formal presentation will be made on the field at Fenway Park before the April 11 game and will be followed by two charity events commemorating the team's first title in 86 years, Red Sox spokesman Charles Steinberg said Wednesday.

The night of the home opener, the club will hold a welcome-home dinner for the players.

"You could imagine the procession into the dinner and each player has his ring on. It would be cool," Steinberg said.

The team also plans to set aside a day - possibly the day after the home opener - on which the rings will be on display for fans on the Fenway Park field, along with the World Series and AL championship trophies.

"Parents can bring children in a casual setting and actually see the rings up close, and perhaps that's for a very modest contribution to the foundation, so it ends up being a triple crown," Steinberg said.

Proceeds from the events will go to the team's charitable foundation.

Steinberg said principal owner John Henry, minority owner Tom Werner and team president Larry Lucchino met after the team's workout on Tuesday and made the decision.

Some fans bristled at Henry's suggestion last week that the players should receive their rings at a separate ceremony, rather than before the game against the Yankees. New York's historic collapse in the AL championship series last October catapulted the Red Sox into the World Series, where they swept St. Louis in four games.