I bought a bunch of random singles from Burbank Sportscards recently. Mostly, it was a way to add some cheap vintage cards, but it also added a Jason Varitek card to the collection. There was not much rhyme or reason for most of the cards, but that's the fun of it.
1. Dennis Bennett. I decided the 1967 Topps set should be the next vintage team set I should collect after recently finishing the 1959 Topps team set. Bennett was acquired in a rather poor trade from the Phillies for Dick Stuart. After being acquired, it was learned that Bennett was hurt, but Boston chose not to revisit the trade. Bennett spent parts of three seasons with Boston and went 12-13 with a 3.96 ERA, 166 strikeouts and 98 walks in 286.1 innings pitched.
2. Bob Tillman. Tillman once held the Red Sox single season record for home runs by a catcher. He hit 17 in a very good 1964 season. That was eclipsed in Carlton Fisk's rookie season. Tillman was my selection for the top Red Sox catcher of the 1960's. He hit 49 career home runs with the Red Sox and batted .236/.307/.372.
3. George Smith. Smith spent just one season with the Red Sox and was the primary second-baseman in 1966. He was not listed on my All-Time One-Year Wonder Second-Baseman post because he never played in more than 52 games in his other three seasons. He was part of the return, along with George Thomas, when Boston sent former ace Bill Monbouquette to Detroit. Smith hit .213/.283/.340 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs.
4. Dan Osinski. Osinski was acquired from the Braves along with Bob Sadowski for Lee Thomas and Arnold Earley. Osinski spent two seasons in the bullpen with the Red Sox and was fairly impressive. He had a 3.09 ERA in 131 innings pitched for the Red Sox and a record of 7-4. He struck out 82 and walked 42. His ERA in the Impossible Dream season was a terrific 2.54. Despite that, he was released early in the 1968 season.
5. Reggie Smith. This is a slightly newer card of one of the most underrated players in baseball history, Reggie Smith. I still think he has a possible Hall of Fame argument. He just needs to get onto an Eras Committee ballot. In 17 seasons, he hit .287/.366/.489 with 314 home runs and 1,092 RBIs. With Boston, he hit .281/.354/.471 with 149 home runs and 536 RBIs. He was an All Star twice and won his only Gold Glove in Boston.
6. Jim Rice. I was supposed to get this card in a package last year and never received it, so I had to buy it. This is an oddball card from 1992 and I like the embossed design. Rice of course is a Hall of Famer with the Red Sox. Not that there is any competition.
7. Mike Lowell. Lowell was the 2007 World Series MVP when he hit .400/.500/.800 with three doubles, a home run and four RBIs. He also stole a base and scored six runs. Lowell spent five seasons with the Red Sox and hit .290/.346/.468 with 80 home runs and 374 RBIs. He was an All Star in 2007 and finished fifth in the MVP vote.
8. Alex Gonzalez. I had been looking for this card for awhile. Gonzalez was with the Red Sox in 2006 and then in 2009. He had a reputation for being a glove-first shortstop. In his first season, Gonzalez hit .255/.299/.397 with nine home runs and 50 RBIs, certainly living up to his reputation. He did better in his second stint, hitting .284/.316/.453 in 44 games. He hit five home runs and drove in 15 runs.
9. Manny Ramirez/Jason Varitek. Here is the Varitek card from the Cut from the Same Cloth insert set. I have a lot of these cards with Varitek paired with a couple of different players and several different colored parallels. It is honestly surprising I did not have this one. Yes, Manny Ramirez is on the card too. Ramirez and Varitek were both on the 2004 and 2007 World Championship teams. Ramirez was the 2004 World Series MVP.
10. George Thomas. I mentioned Thomas when I talked about George Smith. They were acquired together. Thomas spent six years in Boston primarily as a bench outfielder. He never reached 70 games played in Boston. His best season was 1970, when he hit .343/.420/.485. In Boston, he hit .264/.338/.370 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs.
11. Eddie Bressoud. I talked about Bressoud recently. After getting the Fan Favorites auto, I decided I should add another Bressoud card. It is just my third Bressoud card, and the first one from his playing days. This is the 1964 card, which is the year he made his only All Star team.
12. Fred Lynn. And closing things out with a Kellogg's card. I love these oddball cards. I would love it if we could get food issue oddballs again, but with the current climate of the sports card industry, that seems unlikely.
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