OK, let's start this whole Home Grown vs. Acquired Team obsession with my team... the no longer defending World Champion Boston Red Sox.
Lots of great players have come up through the farm, and with those players developed in the Yawkey Days, they tended to be whiter than a Sarah Palin rally.
Rico Petrocelli, Mo Vaughn, Mike Greenwell, Walt Dropo, George Scott and Butch Hobson (my first favorite player) failed to make the cut.
A bunch of the players actually WON a World Series title will be in the acquired column as the Sox cobbled together a winner in 2004 the same way The Dirty Dozen was formed.
First...
THE ALL TIME HOME GROWN RED SOX TEAM
STARTING CATCHER
CARLTON FISK
Born in Vermont, raised in New Hampshire and hit the most dramatic (pre 2004) Homer in Red Sox history. Plus he had a Hall of Fame career too. If only they sent his contract in time after the 1980 season!
STARTING FIRST BASEMAN
CARL YASTRZEMSKI
Yeah he was primarily a left fielder... but let's just say that's the Red Sox deepest position.
And the first American Leaguer with 3,000 hits and 400 homers and the last triple crown winner and my grandmother's favorite player was the starting first baseman for a big chunk of his career.
It's MY list. I make the rules.
STARTING SECOND BASEMAN
BOBBY DOERR
A Hall of Famer... a perennial MVP candidate and one of The Teammates
STARTING SHORTSTOPJOHNNY PESKY
Possibly the most loved Red Sox player in history.
The man did everything... played, coached, managed and even was a broadcaster.
Plus he gave me a baseball when I visited Red Sox spring training in 1980. And earned his 2 rings as a special advisor.
Who cares if he held onto the ball too long?
STARTING THIRD BASEMANWADE BOGGS
Did I ever mention that someone I know was friends with Margo Adams and tipped me and my brother about his affair a year before it became public?
Man, if only I had Sully Baseball then!
I was never the biggest Boggs fan. It seemed that most of his hits came after the 7th inning of 6-0 losses.
But he won 5 batting titles in a Red Sox uniform... which is nothing to sneeze at.
STARTING LEFT FIELDER
TED WILLIAMS
What?
Who were you expecting?
Kevin Romine?
STARTING CENTERFIELDERFRED LYNN
Man, could you imagine what this man's career would have been if he hadn't been so injured?
How awful was that trade to the Angels?
We sent a guy off who looked like he was Hall of Fame bound for Frank Tanana, Jim Dorsey and Joe Rudi.
The Angels didn't even throw in tickets to Disneyland!!!!
STARTING RIGHT FIELDERDWIGHT EVANS
The only player to play for the 1975, 1986, 1988 and 1990 Division Champs, had a cannon for an arm and an underrated bat.
He belongs on the list with a mustache or not. (I prefer WITH!)
STARTING DESIGNATED HITTERJIM RICE
Hey Sabermetric Stat Geeks... you can take your OPS and shove it up your @ss!
Jim Rice was considered a top 5 MVP candidate 6 times between 1975 and 1986 (and got votes two other years).
He was the most feared right handed slugger of his era... and deserves extra credit for playing 15+ seasons under the Yawkeys!
THE STARTING ROTATION
ROGER CLEMENS
Oh you hate him NOW, Red Sox fans... but the guy won 3 Cy Young Awards for the Sox.
Probably should have won it in 1990.
And if he didn't have a bad August, he would have won it in 1988!
And he did all of that while he was still skinny.
I'm just saying.
SMOKEY JOE WOODFor a few seasons was the equal to any pitcher of his era... including Walter Johnson and Grover Cleveland Alexander.
He went 34-5 with a 1.91 ERA for the World Champion 1912 Red Sox.
He completed 35 of his 38 starts and made 5 relief appearances over 344 innings pitched.
Think he was on a pitch count?
Later showed up in Ray Kinsella's corn field.
MEL PARNELL
Leftys aren't supposed to win in Fenway Park... but Parnell had a pair of 20+ win seasons, a pair of 18 win seasons and went 15-8 his rookie year.
Why didn't McCarthy start him in the one game playoff against Cleveland in 1948?
BRUCE HURST
Another lefty who won for the Sox.
An underrated big game pitcher, he completed 3 of his 7 post season starts.
His defection to the Padres was as devastating a loss as I remember in Red Sox history, and Hurst later said it was a mistake.
CURT SCHILLING
What is Curt Schilling doing in the home grown Red Sox you might be asking.
We all remember him being plucked from the Diamondbacks that fateful Thanksgiving.
That is true and I originally had him in the "Acquired Team" but a reader reminded me that he was indeed drafted by the Red Sox and traded away for Mike Boddicker during the 1988 pennant drive.
So technically that puts him in the home grown category... even if Ulysses had a more direct route home!
Can you imagine how baseball history would have been different if Theo didn't go have Thanksgiving with the Schillings?
He'd probably be a Yankee.
He'd probably be blathering on and on about how he loves the tradition of Yankee Stadium.
He'd probably be saying "I'm glad to be on a team of professionals like the Yankees instead of an unkempt team like the Red Sox!"
And he'd collect his rings with the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Yankees.
And his bloody sock would have been seen as an omen than the Yankees beat the Red Sox with a guy wearing a red sock.
And the Curse would be alive and well.
(Shudder.)
THE BULLPEN
JONATHAN PAPELBONYeah, it's early in his career to be putting him on "All Time Teams."
But seriously, historically the bullpen has been the soft underbelly of the Red Sox.
And after 3 1/2 seasons, Papelbon has been awesome, had the cockiness we want from a closer and oh yeah... clinched a World Series!
Plus he's already talking about his career in a Hall of Fame context. I like that.
DICK RADATZ
Can you imagine a bullpen closer logging in 124+ innings?
How about a closer who wins 9, then 15, then 16 then 9 games all the while saving 20+ games a year?
And doing that on crappy teams!
And imagine that pitcher having attitude and a nickname like The Monster.
That my friends was Dick Radatz.
BILL LEEOK, this might be a reach... but he was primarily a reliever his first 4 years with the Red Sox and went 9-2 out of the pen in 1971.
Plus this gives me a chance to pitch Spaceman featuring yours truly.
ROGER MORET
An underrated lefty out of the pen, went 14-3 for the 1975 pennant winners.
Later dealt to the Braves for Tom House.
Strange that the Yawkeys would trade away a black Puerto Rican pitcher for less than his value.
Oh wait.
BOB STANLEY
It kills me that Steamer is on this list and Butch Hobson isn't.
There is probably no Red Sox I hated more than Stanley.
But his first few years were good.
Then he signed a big contract.
And got fat.
And threw the ball away in the 10th inning of game 6.
If there is ever a sign that the Red Sox have done a lousy job developing relievers, its that I HAD to include Steamer.
THE BENCH
RESERVE INFIELDER
DUSTIN PEDROIA
2 seasons in and he has an rookie of the year, possibly an MVP, a flair for the dramatic in the post season including 5 homers for a guy who looks like he could have played an Ewok.
RESERVE INFIELDERNOMAR GARCIAPARRA
The What Ifs of his career regarding his health are as plentiful as Fred Lynn's.
He was the biggest star in Boston sports for a while and his name became a battle cry.
Only the collective respect for Johnny Pesky kept him out of the starting line up.
RESERVE OUTFIELDER
TRIS SPEAKER
Baseball purists would no doubt be horrified that I put Fred Lynn ahead of the Hall of Famer Speaker.
As I said it's MY list.
And I never saw Tris Speaker play!!!
RESERVE OUTFIELDERDOM DIMAGGIO
OK, we wasn't as good as his brother Joe. (How many in history were?)
But he was a tremendous player in his own right...
And we need to have all the guys from the Halberstam book!
RESERVE CATCHERRICH GEDMAN
We NEED Geddy on this list!
I've always loved Geddy. He was one of US! He was from Woo-Stah! He understood what it meant to be a Red Sox player.
And nobody's career was more ruined by mid 1980s free agent collusion than Geddy's ill advised foray into free agency after the 1986 World Series.
If only he blocked Stanley's pitch.
25th MAN
BABE RUTH
I originally had Tony Conigliaro as the 25th man and I patted myself on the back for honoring Tony C who so many people in Boston spoke of with reverence.
Then an anonymous poster on my comment board wrote "This is a joke without Ruth."
And do you know what? That poster is right.
No matter what Tony C meant... or Mo Vaughn or Youk or whomever...
Babe Ruth's very aura hung over this team for generations.
Just as a player, he did it all. He won 18 games as a pitcher in 1915 and then rattled off back to back 20 win seasons.
He set World Series pitchers records, winning all 3 of his decisions in the 1916 and 1918 World Series.
Oh yeah, he could hit too. He set a home run record in Boston as a part time pitcher part time outfielder.
And then there was the trade... the sale really.
The transaction that defined the Red Sox AND the Yankees for nearly nine decades.
Babe Ruth's name was evoked in 1946, 1948, 1949, 1967, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2003.
When I attended a playoff game in Oakland in 2003, fans held up pictures of Babe Ruth wearing an A's cap. He had become more than a player... he had become a taunt.
It got your pal Sully exposure on HBO and made Dan Shaughnessy a mint.
And when 2004 finally came around, his name was brought up again.
Babe Ruth's effect on the Red Sox was not merely great stats.
It was metaphysical.
So thank you anonymous poster for setting me straight!
OK, you have an All Time line up, a really good rotation but the bullpen is the weak link.
Ring a bell, every Red Sox team between 1919 and 2003?
Now let's look at the other team.
THE ALL TIME ACQUIRED RED SOX TEAM
STARTING CATCHERJASON VARITEK
Yup... The Lobster was picked up from the Mariners in the Heathcliff Slocumb trade along with Derek Lowe.
GMs get fired for less.
And if he does resign with the Red Sox, I will use this website to launch the "Call Varitek The Lobster" campaign.
STARTING FIRST BASEMANJIMMIE FOXX
Hey Sabermetrics guys.
Imagine a year like this...
A guy hits .349... knocks out 50 homers... throw in 33 doubles and 9 triples for a slugging percentage of .704.
And guess what? He walked 119 times only struck out 76 times.
How much drool is on your keyboard right now?
That was Jimmie Foxx in 1938 for the Red Sox.
That wasn't his best season.
STARTING SECOND BASEMANJERRY REMY
We forget he started his career with the Angels. But the Fall River native was had an All Star caliber career and now is the funniest announcer since Phil Rizzuto. Plus he sounds like a Red Sox fan. He IS a Red Sox fan. He's THE REM DAWG!
Plus my brother and I went to his baseball camp in the summer of 1983.
STARTING SHORTSTOPJOE CRONIN
There are sometimes I do so much research trying to find the right unheralded player for this list that I look over someone obvious.
I had Vern Stephens here and debated sticking Orlando Cabrera in there too.
All the while I forgot a Hall of Famer who had four All Star seasons in a Red Sox uniform, later managed the team to the World Series and was the second number retired in Red Sox history.
Whoops! Sorry Joe Cronin! And thanks to the Anonymous poster who pointed out this terrific mistake!
STARTING THIRD BASEMANBILL MEULLER
His batting title in 2003 is reason enough to be considered. But it was his tormenting of Mariano Rivera that will make him loved for all time in Boston.
His game winning shot in the A-Rod/Varitek brawl game was great... but his base hit up the middle that sent Rivera to the ground and tied game 4 of the ALCS puts him among Boston's greats.
Not just the Red Sox... Paul Revere, John Adams, JFK, Aerosmith... EVERYONE.
STARTING LEFT FIELDERMANNY RAMIREZ
Put the anger of how his Red Sox tenure ended away.
Remember his 5 MVP caliber seasons.
Remember his many HUGE post season hits.
Remember his World Series MVP.
Remember how NUTS he was.
Remember how funny he was.
They were 7 1/2 years we'll never forget. Let's not forget the good times folks. He was amazing.
And possibly insane.
STARTING CENTER FIELDERJOHNNY DAMON
Oy vey. Another one every Red Sox fan hates now.
Look he wasn't faithful to the Royals... he wasn't faithful to the A's.
Hell, he wasn't faithful to his WIFE!
Why would he be faithful to us?
Just remember 4 years where he would run into a wall for the team.
Remember his two homers in game 7 at Yankee Stadium.
Remember his leadoff homer in the World Series clincher in 2004.
And remember, he looked better with the beard than clean shaven with the Yankees!
STARTING RIGHT FIELDERJACKIE JENSEN
Stolen from the Senators after the 1953 season, became the prototype white guy power hitter for the 1950s era Red Sox.
Six straight seasons of 20 homers or more plus hitting knocking in over 100 runs in 5 of those 6 years.
The one year he didn't, he drove in 97.
Won the 1958 AL MVP.
STARTING DESIGNATED HITTERDAVID ORTIZ
How happy is all of New England that the Twins chose to non tender Ortiz after the 2002 playoffs?
How happy is an entire region of the country that Theo was patient and saw Big Papi was a better option than Shea Hillenbrand and Jeremy Giambi and made the moves to give Ortiz playing time.
Is he the best big game player in Boston history?
Is he better than Bird, Russell, Orr or Brady?
Maybe, maybe not. But none of them will ever be as loved as Papi.
THE STARTING ROTATION
CY YOUNGHow good was Cy Young?
They named the f---ing award after him.
Great pitchers are described as Cy Young Caliber.
He is the Joseph Pulitzer of pitchers.
PEDRO MARTINEZSeriously... how was he NOT the MVP in 1999?
The Pedro era was the most fun and most liberating in the history of the franchise.
Here's hoping someday #45 is rightfully retired!
LEFTY GROVEAnother Hall of Famer picked up by the Sox, Grove's best years were with the A's, but he did have a 20 win season plus a few 17 win years in Fenway.
LUIS TIANTEl Tiante was cut by the Twins in spring training of 1971.
The Braves took a flier on him but cut him before he threw a pitch in Atlanta.
The Red Sox picked him up... and found an ace.
His defection to the Yankees before the 1979 season was the first "I hate the Yankees" moment of my life.
JOSH BECKETT
You know I had Tim Wakefield in this spot...
I am a Tim Wakefield fan. He's been a Red Sox for a long long time and had some highlights, low lights but has been a class act all the way.
But I could not look myself in the mirror knowing I left Beckett off the list.
He was brought in to be an ace and make up for the loss of Pedro Martinez.
He had a shaky 2006.
He had a shaky 2008 and an inconsistent playoffs.
But his 2007 was so terrific that if that is his only great year in a Red Sox uniform, then it would be enough to be on this list!
20-7 with 200+ innings and a 3.27 ERA.
And his post season where he went 4-0 with a 1.20 ERA and 35 strike outs in 30 innings.
That doesn't even factor in the bad ass quality.
Sorry Wakes.
This is Beckett's spot.
THE BULLPEN
KEITH FOULKEFoulke was brought over to the Sox for one purpose only... clinch the last game of the World Series.
MISSION F---ING ACCOMPLISHED.
I've said a few times that he is the most underrated hero of 2004. The stability he gave the pen during the regular season was unlike anything I've seen from a Red Sox team (especially after the disastrous bullpen by committee in 2003 that made Grady gunshy to pull Pedro in the playoffs.)
He essentially sacrificed his career for the 2004 Red Sox.
He should be worshipped like a God in Boston.
HIDEKI OKAJIMAO-Kee was brought over to the 2007 Red Sox for one reason only... to keep Daisuke Matsusaka company.
There was a grand total of ZERO expectations for Okajima.
At one point I said he should have legally changed his name to "The Other Japanese Pitcher."
But out of nowhere he became an All Star.
As late as August 8th, he had an ERA under 1.00!!!!
He faded down the stretch and Francona had the good sense to rest him where he kicked butt in the post season and had a solid 2008 playoff record as well.
And he kept Dice-K company.
LEE SMITHIn 1987 the Red Sox had a disastrous bullpen. Wes Gardner lead the team with 10 saves. They only 16 saves total as a team.
How is that possible? And they had dead weight in their pitching staff like Calvin Schraldi and Al Nipper.
The team desperately needed a closer.
I remember coming home from school to our home in Palo Alto and reading the afternoon paper (remember those) that the Red Sox had traded Al Nipper and Calvin Schraldi to the Cubs for Lee Smith.
Now this was the age when following a team not in your market without the internet required some patience. I had to wait until the 6:30 Sports Center to confirm it.
Yup, the Cubs traded an All Star Closer for two worthless arms.
The Red Sox won the division in 1988 but then dealt Smith away in 1990. Another brilliant Yawkey era "Get the non whites off the team" move.
JEFF REARDONLee Smith was dealt to make room for a nice white boy from Malden and a graduate of U. Mass Amherst.
But to be fair, Jeff Reardon did a solid job for the Red Sox, clinching the division title with the help of a diving catch from Tom Brunansky (who was picked up in the Lee Smith trade.)
He later went nuts when he was off of his depression medication.
But at least he has a ring!
TOM GORDONIt's easy to forget that Gordon was once such a popular and such a good pitcher for the Red Sox that Stephen King used him in the title of one of his books.
And for good measure he was so miserable AGAINST the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS that he helped ice the pennant for his former team!
THE BENCH
RESERVE INFIELDERVERN STEPHENS
Snatched from the Browns in a salary dump after the 1947 season, he gave the Red Sox unbelievable power from the shortstop position. His best year was 1949 when he hit 39 homers, drove in 159 with a .290 average and walked 101 times.
None of the 6 players sent to the Browns did squat. Not sure where the $310,000 the Sox sent to St. Louis was spent.
RESERVE INFIELDER
MIKE LOWELL
Remember how Mike Lowell was considered the baggage of the Josh Beckett deal?
"You want a potential stud? Well then take this $9 million a year albatross off of our hands!"
The Red Sox took him and he looked like another washed up, power mysteriously disappearing when testing started has been.
Instead he became a leader in the clubhouse, an All Star in the line up and picked up a few MVP votes along the way.
Oh yeah... he was the MVP of the 2007 World Series.
Nice baggage!
RESERVE OUTFIELDERDAVE HENDERSON
He was brought in to be a late inning replacement for Tony Armas (a personal favorite of mine who nearly made the list.)
He almost became a goat in the 1986 ALCS when he dropped Bobby Grich's flyball over the wall. Instead his 2 strike homer saved the season and is still one of the most dramatic homers in baseball history. His 10th inning homer in game 6 of the World Series gave the Sox the lead. If that lead held, Hendu would be nothing short of a God in Boston. That title would have to wait for another Dave who was a late season pick up to be a 4th outfielder in a pennant drive.
RESERVE OUTFIELDERDAVE ROBERTS
Oh there have been outfielders who have put up bigger numbers for the Red Sox than Dave Roberts.
Dave only played in 45 regular season games and started in only 18 games for Boston.
He started in no post season games and didn't even play in the World Series.
But his stolen base was to the ALCS what Paul Revere's ride was to the Revolutionary War.
And they should put a statue of Dave Roberts right next to Revere's.
He's that loved in Boston. And if I am forced to put Bob Stanley on this list, then I am damned if I am not going to mention Dave Roberts!!!
RESERVE CATCHER
BIRDIE TEBBETTS
Acquired from Detroit late in his career, Tebbetts put up a pair of All Star seasons for the Sox and helped them get to the verge of the World Series in both 1948 and 1949.
Unfortunately, he popped up to end the Red Sox Pennant hopes for 1949.
25TH MANBILL BUCKNER
There are a lot of people I could have put here.
Tim Wakefield deserves a lot of love.
Others would say Kevin Millar with his club house spirit and that walk he drew off of Rivera.
Some could say Jason Bay, or maybe Don Baylor who woke up the 1986 clubhouse.
But I'm putting Buckner on there because he got waaaaaay too much cr@p for the most overrated play in baseball history.
Again, there are two misconceptions about the error.
1) If he made the play the Red Sox would have won the World Series.
2) When the ball went through his legs, the Mets won the World Series.
Neither are true.
1) The game was already tied.
2) The win tied the series, it didn't end it.
And Buckner was a terrific player. He drove in over 100 runs for the Sox in 1985 and 1986.
He played hurt. He played with heart. And he brought a great intensity.
Who was the first off of the bench to hug Hendu after his homer?
Who flopped head first to score a key run in game 5 of the World Series?
Who jawed with Rick Aguilera in the top of the 10th inning of game 6 of the World Series?
Buckner made peace with the Red Sox and their fans on opening day 2008.
Only idiots still blame him for anything.
So do you think this is excessive praise for Bill Bucks?
Well he got excessive blame for too long. He deserves to have the pendulum swing the other way for a while.
SO WHO WOULD WIN IN A HEAD TO HEAD SERIES?
The Home Grown Red Sox would have the superior line up...
But the Acquired Red Sox have a better rotation, a better bullpen and two Dave's coming off the bench.
Not to mention Papi, Manny, Pedro, Damon, Meuller, Foulke, Lowell, Okajima, Cabrera, Wakes and The Lobster...
You know the guys who actually WON the World Series!
But guess who the home grown team has:
The Bambino!
And they are not trading him this time!!!
VERDICT: THE BABE PITCHES AND HITS THE CURSE-LESS HOME GROWN TEAM TO VICTORY
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That's 1. 29 to go.
Next All Time Home Grown vs. Acquired Team: THE YANKEES
That's 1. 29 to go.
Next All Time Home Grown vs. Acquired Team: THE YANKEES
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