Music:
Movies:
Books:
Heroes:
Wade Boggs was a virtuoso with a bat and one of the game's true masters at striking a baseball between the foul lines at an alarmingly successful rate. Utilizing great bat control and a good eye, Boggs won five batting titles, strung together seven consecutive seasons of 200 or more hits, and earned 100 walks in four straight seasons. With his knack for getting on base, Boggs often batted leadoff, and scored at least 100 runs every season from 1983 to 1989. A member of the 3,000-hit club despite failing to get a chance to play in the big leagues regularly until he was nearly 25 years old, Boggs retired with a lofty .328 batting average."I used to tell my pitchers I could get them two strikes on Boggs easy, but from then on they were on their own. There's no doubt in my mind that he is the best two-strike hitter in history."
— Rene LachemannJimmy Collins was a magician with the glove and a terror with the bat. A feared clutch hitter for the Boston ball clubs, he batted .346 in 1897 and the following season, led the National League in home runs with 15. Collins hit .300 or better five times, was Boston's player-manager for its first six seasons in the upstart American League, and led his club to the World Championship in 1903. His defensive wizardry at the hot corner neutralized the opposition's bunting tactics."With a swoop like that of a chicken hawk, Collins would gather up the bunt and throw it accurately to whoever should receive it. The beauty about him was that he could throw from any angle, any position on the ground or in the air."
— John B. Foster, Spalding Guide 1902Joe Cronin was the American League's all-star shortstop seven times and its MVP in 1930 when he hit .346 with 126 RBI. The jovial, square-jawed Irishman possessed the determination and toughness to become a wizard with the glove and a powerhouse at bat. He topped the .300 mark eight times and also enjoyed eight 100-RBI seasons. At age 27, Cronin won the 1933 pennant as a rookie manager with Washington before being traded to the Red Sox. He later served two terms as American League president."Oh my yes, Joe is the best there is in the clutch. With a man on third and one out, I'd rather have Cronin hitting for me than anybody I've ever seen."
— Connie MackBio
Ted Williams called Bobby Doerr "the silent captain of the Red Sox." He hit .288 lifetime and .409 in the '46 World Series, driving in 100 runs six times, with a high of 120 in 1950. Doerr once held the American League record by handling 414 chances without an error and frequently led American League second basemen in double plays, putouts and assists. The affable second baseman was signed by Eddie Collins on the same scouting trip that netted Ted Williams for Boston."He is one of the few who played the game hard and retired with no enemies."
— Tommy HenrichA strong and durable receiver, Rick Ferrell retired having caught more games than any other American Leaguer (1,806), a record that lasted over 40 years. A defensive standout with a strong throwing arm, he had a knack for handling the knuckler, which was the out-pitch of four Senators starters. The North Carolina farm boy hit .281 lifetime and better than .300 four times during his 18-year career. Connie Mack's respect for him was so great that Ferrell caught all nine innings of the first All-Star game in 1933."Brother or no brother, … he was a real classy receiver. You never saw him lunge for the ball; he never took a strike away from you. He'd get more strikes for a pitcher than anybody I ever saw, because he made catching look easy."
— Wes FerrellBaseball's most durable catcher with 24 years behind the plate, Carlton "Pudge" Fisk caught more games (2,226) than any player in history. The 11-time All-Star hit 376 career home runs, including a record-setting 351 as a catcher, since bested by Mike Piazza. His most memorable home run came in Game Six of the 1975 World Series - a 12th inning blast off the left field foul pole at Fenway Park - giving his Red Sox a 7-6 win over Cincinnati. His tremendous pride and work ethic were respected by both teammates as well as the opposition."Pudge works harder than anyone I know, because he sets goals for himself and then follows through. I think he's the ultimate professional."
— former White Sox manager, Jim FregosiA fearsome power hitter whose strength earned him the moniker "The Beast," Jimmie Foxx was the anchor of an intimidating Philadelphia Athletics lineup that produced pennant winners from 1929 to 1931. The second batter in history to top 500 home runs, Foxx belted 30 or more homers in 12 consecutive seasons and drove in more than 100 runs 13 consecutive years, including a career-best 175 with Boston in 1938. He won back-to-back MVP awards in 1932 and '33, capturing the Triple Crown the latter year."He had great powerful arms, and he used to wear his sleeves cut off way up, and when he dug in and raised that bat, his muscles would bulge and ripple."
— Ted LyonsHigh-strung Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove was the backbone of the Philadelphia Athletics' dynasty of 1929 to 1931, with an astonishing 79-15 record over those three Triple Crown seasons. He topped the American League in wins four times, winning percentage five times and strikeouts seven consecutive times. Most impressive, are his nine ERA titles, easily the greatest total in history. He won 112 games for the minor-league Baltimore Orioles, in addition to his 300 major-league victories."His fastball was so fast that by the time you'd made up your mind whether it would be a strike or not, it just wasn't there anymore."
— Charlie GehringerA steady leadoff hitter and spectacular defensive outfielder, Harry Hooper is the only man to play on four Red Sox World Championship teams. One of baseball's most dignified and intelligent players (and owner of an engineering degree), Hooper remains the Red Sox’ all-time leader in triples (130) and stolen bases (300). From 1910 to 1915 he teamed with Tris Speaker and Duffy Lewis to form one of the finest outfield trios ever assembled."If there was any one characteristic of Harry Hooper's, it was that he was a clutch player. When the chips were down that guy played like wildfire."
— Joe WoodThe Red Sox' Ted Williams was one of baseball's greatest hitters. Combining keen vision with quick wrists and a scientific approach to hitting, he set numerous batting records despite missing nearly five full seasons due to military service and two major injuries. His accomplishments include a .406 season in 1941, two Triple Crowns, two MVPs, six American League batting championships, 521 home runs, a lifetime average of .344, 17 All-Star game selections, and universal reverence."Confidence oozed out of him. He took something away from you even before you threw a pitch."
— Gene ConleyDid You Know... that Ted Williams won the Triple Crown in 1942 and 1947, yet was not voted MVP in either of those standout years?When Carl Yastrzemski retired in 1983 after 23 seasons in Boston, he was the all-time Red Sox leader in eight major categories - games, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, total bases, RBI and extra base hits. An intense performer, Yaz played in more games (3,308) than any other American Leaguer, topping 3,000 hits and 400 home runs. A 14-time All-Star, he won seven Gold Glove Awards. A three-time batting champion, Yastrzemski was the American League MVP in 1967 when he won the Triple Crown, batting .326 with 121 RBI and 44 home runs."Yaz did it all the time. We'd be on the road and he'd call, 'C'mon, we're going to the ballpark.' I'd say, 'Christ, it's only one o'clock. The game's at seven.' He lived, breathed, ate, and slept baseball. If he went 0-for-4, he couldn't live with it. He could live with himself if he went 1-for-3. He was happy if he went 2-for-4. That's the way the man suffered."
— Outfielder Joe LahoudOwner and sportsman Tom Yawkey purchased the struggling Boston Red Sox in 1933 and dedicated his time and finances for the next 44 years to building winning teams. His teams' best seasons occurred in 1946, '67 and '75 when the Red Sox captured the American League pennant, and then went on to lose each World Series in seven games. The popular owner was a generous man and a leader among big league owners. Yawkey also served as American League vice president from 1956 to 1973."He's a man who cares about his players and cares about baseball. He's a millionaire many times over and just as regular a guy as you'd want to find."
— George Pipgras