MLB 2018

[BostonBeaneater]

COUNTERPOINT: Pedro was better than any pitcher on either team in 2018. Manny was a than any hitter on either team in 2018.

In 2004? Not Pedro. A few years esrlier, tho, there aren't many pitchers who were ever better than Pedro. And, without looking at the numbers, I don't think Manny was clearly better than Martinez or Betts (i.e., it's probably close). Plus Moolie was better on the bases and, obviously, in the field.

Disagree. Maybe Price and Eovaldi were on par with Pedro or even better but, as a whole, the 2004 pitching was better if you consider Foulk, Schilling, Lowe, Arroyo, Wakefield, Timlin, and Williamson and even Embree.

You didn't say the whole staff, tho, you just said Pedro, who was no longer immortal in 2004. But, yes, the 2004 staff was better, tho pre-injury Sale was better than anyone on that 2004 staff. Watching Sale when he's on has that same vibe as peak Pedro—this fucker can do absolutely anything with a ball that he wants, he's an artist.

OK, the whole staff. I would say that Pedro and Sale were both winged for the World Series and the road to victory was really a cobble. Sale is great, no doubt, but I don't think anyone can replace Pedro in my eyes.

[BostonBeaneater]

I always have a hard time letting to of baseball once the World Series ends...I guess because 1) it's my favorite game and I'm an obsessive fan and 2) it represents the end of summer for me and the coming of a cold, bleak winter.

For all of you fellow fanatics out there...who was your favorite player as a kid? I'm now somewhat bummed to admit that mine was Roger Clemens. I idolized the guy growing up as a kid in the 1980's. I still have a large plastic tote in my basement full of baseball cards and posters and whatnot. It makes me sad that I grew up and discovered what a piece of crap he was/is...but when I was a kid...he was the man.

I was raised by a father how loved Ted Williams so I latched onto hitters who reflected him. For the Red Sox it was Wade Boggs and league wide KIrby Puckett and Tony Gwynn were idols to me. Jim Rice, Dwight Evens and Tony Armas were made up the Sox outfield in the mid 80s and I loved all of them.

[Wolter]

First: Ryne Sandburg
Then: Andre Dawson
I loved Maddux but then he was a Brave and that was hard.

[BostonBeaneater]

First: Ryne Sandburg
Then: Andre Dawson
I loved Maddux but then he was a Brave and that was hard.

Man, all you Cubbies guys love Ryno. I get it, he was a great ballplayer and was there forever. I guess I just find it hard to rate him over Awesome Dawson. Dawson just looks like baseball to me.

[WestwayKid]

Harrington was an interesting character.

I grew up in the same town as the Harringtons. They were very good people. My family went to the same parish as them so we know them pretty well. In 1988 during the ALCS against the A's my dad shook his hand after church and said, "John, I'll be the only one today not asking for tickets". Two hours later he showed up at our house with a set of four tickets to the game.

Harrington was in a very strange figure in that he never had an ownership stake of the team. He was basically the steward of the Yawkey trust and had fiduciary control and therefore power to run the club. I can't say he did everything right but he did usher in this era of winning.

Fantastic story! He still heads up the Yawkey Foundation, right?

[WestwayKid]

First: Ryne Sandburg
Then: Andre Dawson
I loved Maddux but then he was a Brave and that was hard.

Man, all you Cubbies guys love Ryno. I get it, he was a great ballplayer and was there forever. I guess I just find it hard to rate him over Awesome Dawson. Dawson just looks like baseball to me.

Dawson was a cool dude. He was also one of my faves as a kid.

[Dr. Medulla]

Nomar and Pedro, but mainly Nomar, brought me back to serious Sox fandom. I hate that he became so bitter and surly at the end, even tho trading him in 2004 was, arguably, the spark that got them the rest of the way. Mookie's the only Sox player since then that has captured that same admiration/envy, of being young and talented and, far more so in Mookie's case, enjoying the game. Players who don't seem to enjoy what they're doing are a complete mystery to me. They're blessed with enviable ability, well compensated, and playing a game that thrills millions of spectators. Young guys who clearly love what they're doing are so easy to cheer for.

[BostonBeaneater]

Harrington was an interesting character.

I grew up in the same town as the Harringtons. They were very good people. My family went to the same parish as them so we know them pretty well. In 1988 during the ALCS against the A's my dad shook his hand after church and said, "John, I'll be the only one today not asking for tickets". Two hours later he showed up at our house with a set of four tickets to the game.

Harrington was in a very strange figure in that he never had an ownership stake of the team. He was basically the steward of the Yawkey trust and had fiduciary control and therefore power to run the club. I can't say he did everything right but he did usher in this era of winning.

Fantastic story! He still heads up the Yawkey Foundation, right?

He's got to be in his 80s by now so he probably just sits on the board. I'll ask my folks if they still see him at mass.

An Open Letter to the New England Community:

Recently, as part of an important series examining whether Boston deserves its reputation as a racist city, the Globe's Spotlight Team looked at the role of sports in contributing to this perception, including the history of the Red Sox under former owner Tom Yawkey.

The story described calls by team (and Globe) owner John Henry to change the name of Yawkey Way outside of Fenway Park as a sign of "hope" for improving the city's image, since "no other professional sports franchise plays near a street named for such a racially divisive figure."

As the Spotlight series makes clear, perceptions do matter. But they can be unfair and often based on misinformation and myths. And because Tom Yawkey cannot speak for himself we feel compelled to speak for him.

The Globe's characterizations of Tom Yawkey, presented as a generally accepted viewpoint at a time when its publisher is seeking to rename Yawkey Way, are a prime example of why it is important to look behind perceptions to see what is fact and what is fiction.

It is indisputably true, and regrettable, that the Red Sox were last in the Major Leagues to integrate, in 1959. But the Globe's claim that Yawkey worked to keep his team white "longer than anyone else" is contradicted by the notable efforts that he and general manager Joe Cronin made during the 1950's to acquire and develop black players.

In 1950, according to negroleaguebaseball.com, "the Boston Red Sox ended their era of racial exclusion" when they signed Lorenzo "Piper" Davis to a minor league contract with their Scranton Class A affiliate.
In 1950 and 1952, the Red Sox sought to acquire Larry Doby, a black center fielder for the Cleveland Indians, at one point offering to trade Dom DiMaggio, but Cleveland decided Doby was too valuable to let go. The team also tried in late 1952 to acquire black St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Bill Greason, but the offer was rejected.
In 1953, the Red Sox signed a highly rated 19-year-old black prospect, Earl Wilson. After he won a 5-2 victory pitching in a spring training game against the team's Major League squad in 1957, the consensus was that he was ready to be promoted, which would have put the Red Sox ahead of several other teams in integrating. But within two weeks of his win, Wilson was drafted by the Marines. After serving his country for two years, he returned to the team in 1959, a week after Pumpsie Green officially integrated the Major League club.
In 1954, the team offered $100,000 to the Dodgers to acquire black second baseman Charley Neal, but was rebuffed, as reported in contemporary press accounts, including the Globe's.
The often-repeated story that Tom Yawkey yelled a racial slur at a tryout for Jackie Robinson and two other black ballplayers in April 1945 is demonstrably false. According to several sources, including Yawkey's wife, Jean, he was not even in Boston at the time, and Globe columnist Will McDonough, based on his reporting, wrote in 1997, "That never happened."
It is reasonable to ask why the Red Sox could not achieve integration of the Major League club sooner, or why, like many other teams, they were unable to sign black stars like Robinson and Willie Mays. But it is highly unreasonable to use those facts without context to paint Tom Yawkey as racially divisive.

In fact, Tom and Jean Yawkey treated everyone alike. Through the Yawkey Foundations they left almost all of their wealth for people in need, regardless of their color. To date, the Foundations have poured nearly $450 million into charities -- $280 million to Boston charities.

Boston must confront the question posed by the Spotlight series and seek to change the city's stubborn image as an inhospitable place for minorities. But there should be no doubt about Tom Yawkey's character or about keeping the name of the street that honors his memory.

Sincerely,

The Trustees of the Yawkey Foundations
John L. Harrington, Chairman | James P. Healey, President

[Flex]

I was brought up idolizing Sox players of the past - the usual suspects: Ted, Yaz, Rico. I was growing up at the right time to "come up with" Nomar and Pedro once I was a touch older - easy spoils to latch onto.

The first ball player I remember loving was Jeff Reardon, for reasons that escape me now. Good beard, I guess. He was with the Sox from 90-92, so that would be about right.

[BostonBeaneater]

Nomar and Pedro, but mainly Nomar, brought me back to serious Sox fandom. I hate that he became so bitter and surly at the end, even tho trading him in 2004 was, arguably, the spark that got them the rest of the way. Mookie's the only Sox player since then that has captured that same admiration/envy, of being young and talented and, far more so in Mookie's case, enjoying the game. Players who don't seem to enjoy what they're doing are a complete mystery to me. They're blessed with enviable ability, well compensated, and playing a game that thrills millions of spectators. Young guys who clearly love what they're doing are so easy to cheer for.

Nomar is a sad story. It did suck to see the relationship go foul. I have to think he juiced and his muscles got stronger than his tendons. I am convinced he would have had a longer and more productive career if he has kept trim and flexible.

[Flex]

On the Rockies side, I liked that whole Blake Street Bombers crew and my love of The Toddfather is good and real. And, in the rando pitcher category, I latched onto David Nied, who put up a few unremarkable years for the Rox from 93-96.

[BostonBeaneater]

I was brought up idolizing Sox players of the past - the usual suspects: Ted, Yaz, Rico. I was growing up at the right time to "come up with" Nomar and Pedro once I was a touch older - easy spoils to latch onto.

The first ball player I remember loving was Jeff Reardon, for reasons that escape me now. Good beard, I guess. He was with the Sox from 90-92, so that would be about right.

I hope Jeff Reardon is ok. He went flying off the rails about ten years ago.

[BostonBeaneater]

On the Rockies side, I liked that whole Blake Street Bombers crew and my love of The Toddfather is good and real. And, in the rando pitcher category, I latched onto David Nied, who put up a few unremarkable years for the Rox from 93-96.

No Jody Reed love?**

**edit, I know the Rockies picked him up on the expansion draft but I see he never played for them. He turned down a lucrative contract at one point thinking he could get more and then quickly faded away.

[WestwayKid]

I was brought up idolizing Sox players of the past - the usual suspects: Ted, Yaz, Rico. I was growing up at the right time to "come up with" Nomar and Pedro once I was a touch older - easy spoils to latch onto.

The first ball player I remember loving was Jeff Reardon, for reasons that escape me now. Good beard, I guess. He was with the Sox from 90-92, so that would be about right.

I hope Jeff Reardon is ok. He went flying off the rails about ten years ago.

I believe he actually underwent electroshock treatment. Yikes.

[BostonBeaneater]

Jeff Reardon looks like he could be the leftist president of Paraguay.