Before getting started, I must acknowledge and congratulate two former famous Red Sox left fielders who were inducted into Cooperstown, New York’s Baseball Hall of Fame: Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice. Henderson was one of my idols growing up (as an Oakland A’s player) as the stolen base king provided much inspiration to me during my playing days in local youth baseball leagues.
And for Jim Rice, who was the key part of the best Red Sox outfield in team history (with Fred Lynn at center and Dwight Evans in right), and who’s #14 will be retired at Fenway tonight, his induction is long overdue but much deserved. In fact, it should have been a no-brainer but the baseball writers finally got it right in Rice’s last year of Hall eligibility. Ironic fact: Jim Rice has more career triples (79) than Henderson (66).
Red Sox Record for the Week of July 20: 2-4
With the New York Yankees playing some of the best baseball in the AL (along with the Angels) and the Red Sox struggling to win games, the hometown team has seen its three-game AL East lead at the All-Star break disappear and is now looking at a two-and-a-half game deficit going into tonight’s action.
Through Sunday's game against Baltimore, the Red Sox had an AL-worst .215 batting average since the All-Star break. That average climbed a bit higher after the Sox pounded out 14 hits last night in an 8-3 win over Oakland to start this week, but such offensive explosions have been few and far between lately.
With this in mind, GM Theo Epstein made a surprising but very much welcomed move last week in bringing first baseman Adam LaRoche to Boston from Pittsburgh for a couple of mid-level prospects. LaRoche, who has hit at least 20 home runs the last four seasons doesn’t have an impressive batting average (in the .250 range) but definitely adds power, solid defense and a fresh face to the lineup. He will and is seeing familiar faces in Boston as well, which should make his transition to a new home a little easier, as his former Atlanta Braves teammate J.D. Drew is providing housing for him and he is now reunited with former Pirates slugger Jason Bay.
Article comments
1 - Tony
Doesn't it seem odd that Jim Rice had to be inducted into the Hall of Fame BEFORE he got his number retired at Fenway? They name a pole after Johnny Pesky but this "feared" slugger (and his scary .854 OPS) couldn't get his number retired at Fenway?
By the way, I've argued this point enough so I really don't feel like getting into it, but Jim Rice in no way belongs in the Hall of Fame.
2 - charlie doherty
Tony, if Yaz thinks Rice should be in the Hall, who is anyone do quarrel with a man of his stature? (True story: Various hall of famers came up to Rice during induction weekend to say to Rice's face that he must really belong here if you got Yaz to show up at the ceremony)
Besides that, Rice was one of the best and most feared LFs of his era for over a full decade (1975-1986).
His only problem was longevity, but all that really means is a few more years of putting up average numbers to get his HRs, hits and run totals up, even though that obviously wasn't needed for him to get in the Hall. Just common sense. Thank goodness baseball writers finally had some in his 15th and final year of eligibility.