The Holy Grail of Red Sox Relics

I have a lot of relics in my Red Sox collection, and there are a lot of Hall of Famers in there.  Some of which are even players from decades ago.  Of course I have Ted Williams.  I even have Rick Ferrell, Joe Cronin and Jimmie Foxx.  I even have Tris Speaker.  But there is one player, I never thought I would be able to find.  Until now:

Yep, Babe Ruth.

This is from the Leaf Immortal Collection, a set focused on Ruth.  I had a couple of priorities before I grabbed one from this set.  For one, it had to be a picture likely from Ruth's Red Sox days.  This card talks about his pitching and does appear to show him in a Red Sox uniform, even without the team name on the front.  Second, Leaf had two bats that they used, one purportedly used when Ruth was with Boston, and the other with New York.  I had to pair the Red Sox picture with the Boston bat.  I found one.  The price was not insane, and so I grabbed it.  I now have a Babe Ruth relic card in my Red Sox collection.

Book Review: The Babe in Red Stockings

I have actually had this book for a very long time.  It was not my first Red Sox book, that honor belongs to The Curse of the Bambino by Dan Shaughnessy, but it was one of the earliest.  I had read something about its upcoming release and decided it was one that I really wanted.

I had previously read a book about Babe Ruth, but the Red Sox portion of his career took up just one chapter.  It was disappointing to me as a Red Sox fan.  This book strives to be the most complete chronicle of the all-time great's first five seasons, all spent in Boston.  The amount of detail in this book is truly remarkable as it follows a chronological story of the development of George Herman Ruth into the superstar he eventually became.

What is often lost in the legend of Babe Ruth is that he was already a massive baseball star prior to his acquisition by the Yankees.  Ruth was widely considered the best pitcher in the league as early as 1916, just his second full season.  And his hitting was already making waves as well.  Of course Ruth would not last as a pitcher because his bat became much too important to not use everyday.

This book briefly discusses Ruth's early life until the point that he was signed by the Red Sox, almost as an afterthought, when the team sought to pick up Ernie Shore, a great pitcher in his own right.  Ruth spent most of the 1914 season in the minors but managed to pitch a few games for the Red Sox.  He then burst upon the scene in 1915.

The book covers Ruth's World Series history in great detail, emphasizing his incredible scoreless innings streak.  It also tells numerous humorous stories, such as the time that Ruth tossed his piano into a pond and his frequent difficulties remembering names.  It discusses the number of times Ruth attempted to jump the team.  Ruth was apparently quite the handful and it was likely part of the reason that Harry Frazee sold him to the Yankees.

Of course the sale to the Yankees is a major portion of this book.  It attempts to look into the various reasons why that sale came to be.  It was most likely a combination of factors, financial and baseball-related.  The theory was that Ruth was sold and the money gained was to be used to purchase another star as the Yankees did not have enough talent to make a trade even.

It is quite clear from reading this book that Babe Ruth was already a force to be reckoned with in baseball even early with the Red Sox.  This is a fascinating read for Red Sox fans and even general fans of baseball.  There just is not enough information out there about Babe Ruth in his Red Sox days.  This book is a fantastic in-depth look at that time period.

Red Sox in Cooperstown Pt. 7: Babe Ruth

BABE RUTH
Years with Boston:  1914-1919 (89-46, 2.19 ERA, 483 Strikeouts, 425 Walks, .308/.413/.568, 49 Home Runs, 230 RBIs)
Best Year in Boston:  1916 (23-12, 1.75 ERA, 170 Strikeouts)

I am sure it is common knowledge that Babe Ruth started his career as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.  I doubt that there are many people out there at all who do not know that, at least among even casual baseball fans.

Ruth had been pitching for the Baltimore Orioles in the International League in 1914 when his contract was bought by Red Sox owner Joseph Lannin, along with Ernie Shore.  The big southpaw was immediately expected to produce.  He had a decent 1914 season, going 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA in four games, but ended up spending much of the year in the minor leagues.  His first full season was 1915, in which he went 18-8 with a 2.44 ERA.  It was an impressive rookie season, but Babe also captured a lot of attention for his bat.  He hit four home runs in 1915, in the midst of the Dead Ball Era.  The league leader hit just seven.  Ruth was held out of the World Series despite his season.

1916 was probably his best year on the mound as he went 23-12 with a 1.75 ERA and lead the league in ERA, games started, and shutouts.  He also hit three home runs and hit .272.  He did pitch in the 1916 World Series and won his only game against the Dodgers.  He gave up just one earned run in a 14 inning complete game.

In 1917 he went 24-13 with a 2.01 ERA.  1918 was a transitional year for him.  He started playing in the field more as well as pitching.  He played 47 games in left, 13 at first, and 12 in center as well as 20 games pitched.  He had a record of 13-7 and a 2.22 ERA and lead the league with 11 home runs.  He hit .300/.411/.555 with 66 RBIs.  He then pitched in two games in the World Series, winning both.  He gave up two earned runs in the Series.  He completed a World Series scoreless innings streak of 29 2/3 which stood as a record until Whitey Ford surpassed it.

1919 saw Ruth become an everyday player.  He spent most of the season in left field and set a new record with 29 home runs.  He also lead the league with 103 runs and 114 RBIs and hit .322/.456/.657 as he became a one-man wrecking crew on offense.  Ruth still found time to pitch in 17 games, going 9-5 with a 2.97 ERA, but it was clear that he was much more valuable at the plate.

Of course after the season Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees for $125,000.00.  He would go on to revolutionize the game with his home run power and turned the Yankees into a dynasty.  Meanwhile the Red Sox went on to an 86-year World Championship drought.  Ruth is most well-known for his time with the Yankees, and for good reason.  But his legend began to grow in Boston.

My Top 15 Red Sox Starting Lineup Figures

I was pretty late to the Starting Lineup craze.  I think the first time I picked one up was in 1997, just a few short years before they were discontinued.  And of course by that time they were releasing fewer and fewer figures.  When I discovered Ebay though I was able to go back and get a bunch of figures that I never was able to get before.

I liked the figures themselves, but it's the fact that they included cards that really sold them for me.  I could add a card to my collection and display a figure.

So without further ado, these are my Top 15 Red Sox Starting Lineup figures.

15.  PEDRO MARTINEZ (1999)

This was one of my most anticipated pieces.  It was the first one of Pedro with the Red Sox.  There is not much to the pose, but it was Pedro.  And he was quickly becoming the greatest pitcher in the game.  I have three pieces of Pedro.  Always on the lookout for more.

14.  MO VAUGHN (1998)

It is kind of a neat pose and it was a nice piece of one of my favorite players.  But that is about all I really have to say about it.

13.  NOMAR GARCIAPARRA (2000)

It is really the pose that makes this one interesting.  I am pretty sure there are others out there like it, but this is the only Red Sox one like it.  It definitely stands out in my collection.

12.  CARL YASTRZEMSKI (1998 COOPERSTOWN COLLECTION)

This one made it this high because it was my first special edition SLU.  The pose is kind of boring unfortunately but it is the only Yaz I have.  He does have some other pieces in other special edition sets, but I have not gotten around to getting any of those.

11.  JOHN VALENTIN (1996)

This one has a couple of things going for it, helping it to place so high.  For one, this is the only John Valentin figure released by Kenner.  Secondly, and most importantly, this was my very first SLU.  The pose is not anything to write home about, but it was my first.  I remember seeing it on the wall of a local card shop with a low price tag, and I decided to take the plunge.

10.  SCOTT COOPER (1995)

Again, the pose is not all that interesting, but this was the only Scott Cooper figure issued.  I remember hearing about its existence from a Beckett magazine, but I never actually saw it until I got on Ebay.  What makes this one particularly interesting is that Cooper is not actually pictured on the card, instead it is Damon Berryhill.

9.  MIKE GREENWELL (1989)

Much of the reason for this placement is the pose.  I prefer the fielding poses personally over the hitting poses.  There just is not all that much you can really do with the hitting poses.  This is the only Greenwell figure I have, but I am aware of a few other figures in existence.

8.  NICK ESASKY (1990)

Again, I love the pose on this one.  Esasky stretching to make the catch from another infielder.  This is the only Esasky SLU showing him in a Red Sox uniform, obviously since he only spent one year with the team.  The only downside to this one is that one of the cards shows Esasky with the Reds.  I would almost consider picking up the Todd Benzinger SLU just to switch the rookie year cards.  Benzinger has the same pose.

7.  WADE BOGGS (1990)

I have a couple of Boggs SLUs, he was my first favorite player after all.  But this one is my favorite because of the fielding pose.  The others all show him hitting.  I also love the two cards along with it.  This is one that I searched for for a long time.  I almost bought it at the store when I bought the Valentin, but someone else grabbed it when I set it down for a moment.  It was years before I saw it again.

6.  CY YOUNG (2000 ALL CENTURY TEAM)

I do not have a lot of the special edition figures, but this Cy Young was one I had to add.  I love the vintage uniform and the old-style glove and pitching pose.  Plus, it's Cy Freaking Young.  There actually are a couple of other Cy Young figures out there, but this is the only one I have managed to get.

5.  TED WILLIAMS (1999 COOPERSTOWN COLLECTION)

One of the other few special editions I have.  I had to add one of the best hitter in Red Sox history.  I do like this hitting pose and the uniform and card both look great here.  Williams has another piece and one day I might pick it up.  It has been awhile since I bought one.

4.  ELLIS BURKS (1990)

Ellis Burks has some nice SLUs, but none of them come close to matching the awesomeness of this one.  This is the only Red Sox SLU I have seen where the player is on the basepaths.  That added to the fact that there are two cards included and you have a great piece.

3.  BABE RUTH (1994 COOPERSTOWN COLLECTION)

How could I possibly pass up The Babe in a Red Sox uniform?  There just is no possible way to do it.  Plus the great pose that I have never seen on another piece and of course the card.  It's Babe Ruth, come on.

2.  NOMAR GARCIAPARRA (1998)

It is a great pose and also Nomar's very first SLU piece.  This was a little expensive when it first came out, but my grandparents bought it for me for my birthday when I turned 17.  It was a great gift.

1.  LEE SMITH (1989)

I really do not know what it is about this one.  The pose is not terribly exciting.  Maybe it's the fact that it's Lee Smith, and maybe it's because there are no other Red Sox closers who had SLUs.  I am a big fan of Smith's even though I never actually got to see him pitch for the Red Sox since I started watching the team the year after he was gone.  He is one of those players I just try to pick up as much Red Sox stuff as possible.  And this was definitely a goal.

I have just a couple of disappointments from these.  One, they stopped making them.  Two, Boston never got a catcher.  There was a large team piece that had Rick Cerone, but no individual pieces.  And I don't think the team piece had any cards.  If it had gone longer, we might have gotten a Carlton Fisk Cooperstown collection or a Jason Varitek.  It would have been nice if Tony Pena had gotten a piece, but no.  So no catchers, and that is a shame.  It also would have been nice if the Bruce Hurst figure had been released.  Prototypes exist but are hard to find.  That was the only southpaw SLU made for the Red Sox.

Feature: The Rape of the Red Sox?

The series of trades between the Red Sox and Yankees in the late 1910's/early 1920's is often vilified in Boston. The Red Sox traded several important parts of their club to the Yankees, who helped the Yankees become a force in the 1920's. Many of the players Boston received were perceived to be inferior to those sent to the Yankees. But, is that necessarily true? Let's examine each of the major trades and the players changing sides, and assign a winner of each trade.

DECEMBER 18, 1918
Yankees receive: Dutch Leonard, Ernie Shore, Duffy Lewis

Dutch Leonard never played a game with the Yankees and was sold to the Detroit Tigers. WAR = 0.0

Ernie Shore was at the end of his career, despite only being 27. He only pitched in 34 total games in two years with New York, posting ERA's north of 4.00. WAR = -1.0

Duffy Lewis had a little bit of power but was never again the same kind of player that he was in Boston. WAR = -0.5

TOTAL WAR = -1.5

Red Sox receive: Ray Caldwell, Frank Gilhooley, Slim Love, Roxy Walters, $15,000.00

Ray Caldwell went 7-4 with a 3.96 ERA and was released. WAR = -2.9

Frank Gilhooley spent one season in Boston and never did much of anything. WAR = -0.3

Slim Love never played for Boston and was traded to Detroit with two other players for Ossie Vitt, who was never much of a player in Boston either. WAR = 0.0 (Vitt WAR = 2.2, but will not be considered as part of this analysis because other players were traded along with Love for Vitt)

Roxy Walters played for Boston for five years as a backup catcher. WAR = -2.8

TOTAL WAR = -6.0

Winner: Yankees. Boston got more seasons out of Walters and Vitt, who was a product of a trade for Love, but those seasons were not really productive. None of the players involved in this trade were particularly impressive after the trade.

JULY 29, 1919
Yankees receive: Carl Mays

Carl Mays won 20 games each of the next two full seasons for New York. Later, he would be infamous for killing Ben Chapman with a pitch. WAR = 15.2

TOTAL WAR = 15.2

Red Sox receive: Bob McGraw, Allen Russell, $40,000.00

Bob McGraw was terrible for Boston and ended up back in New York the following year anyway. WAR = -1.2

Allen Russell won 10 games the rest of the 1919 season which is the best showing of any of the players involved in the trade that year, and he was a slightly above-average pitcher for a couple of more years. WAR = 5.1

TOTAL WAR = 3.9

Winner: Yankees. Russell had the best transition immediately after the trade, but Mays is borderline HOF-worthy and showed why during his tenure with the Yankees.

JANUARY 3, 1920
Yankees receive: Babe Ruth

Do I really need to say anything? WAR = 149.6

TOTAL WAR = 149.6

Red Sox receive: $100,000.00

TOTAL WAR = 0.0

Winner: Yankees. Sure, $100K was a lot of money back then, but Babe Ruth is quite possibly the greatest player to have ever played.

DECEMBER 15, 1920
Yankees receive: Waite Hoyt, Wally Schang, Mike McNally, Harry Harper

Waite Hoyt is in the Hall of Fame. Mostly for what he did in the 1920's with the Yankees. WAR = 31.0

Wally Schang's best years were behind him, but he was still a solid offensive catcher and should be in the Hall of Fame. He played five years for the Yankees. WAR = 10.2

Harry Harper only pitched in eight games for the Yankees. WAR = 0.9

Mike McNally was a utility infielder. WAR = 0.9

TOTAL WAR = 43.0

Red Sox receive: Del Pratt, Muddy Ruel, Hank Thormahlen, Sammy Vick

Del Pratt was a very good player for two years for the Red Sox. He was the team's best player in 1921 with 102 RBI, a .324 batting average, and he almost never struck out. Not bad for a second-baseman. WAR = 5.9

Muddy Ruel never did much for Boston in two years with the team. WAR = 1.1

Hank Thormahlen pitched poorly and was out of the major leagues for a few years before resurfacing in Brooklyn. WAR = 0.3

Sammy Vick did nothing in 44 games with Boston. WAR = -0.5

TOTAL WAR = 6.8

Winner: Yankees. Pratt was a good player and was later traded for Howard Ehmke and Babe Herman, but the Yankees got a Hall of Famer at the beginning of his prime.

DECEMBER 20, 1921
Yankees receive: Bullet Joe Bush, Sad Sam Jones, Everett Scott

Bullet Joe Bush won 26, 19, and 17 games in three years with the Yankees. WAR = 11.5

Sad Sam Jones was a 21 game winner one year and a 21 game loser another year. He was slightly above average for three years in New York and slightly below average for two years. WAR = 6.5

Everett Scott was never much with the bat, but was a fantastic defensive shortstop. WAR = 0.1

TOTAL WAR = 18.1

Red Sox receive: Roger Peckinpaugh, Rip Collins, Bill Piercy, Jack Quinn, $100,000.00

Roger Peckinpaugh was immediately traded to Washington for Joe Dugan and Frank O'Rourke. Dugan only played part of one season for Boston and was later traded, see below. O'Rourke did not do much. WAR = 0.0.

Because Peckinpaugh was traded alone, I will consider Joe Dugan and Frank O'Rourke in this analysis. Dugan WAR = 0.3, O'Rourke WAR = 0.2

Rip Collins won 14 games for a bad Boston team, but lead the league in walks and wild pitches. WAR = 2.7

Bill Piercy won 16 games over the next three years with a decent ERA in one of them. WAR = 0.8

Jack Quinn was a consistently good pitcher for the next three years on bad teams. WAR = 11.6

TOTAL WAR = 15.6

Winner: Yankees. Quinn was a good pickup and for once the Red Sox had the most valuable individual player in the trade, but he did not make up for the loss of Bush AND Jones. If they had held onto Peckinpaugh, this would look to be in Boston's favor.

JULY 23, 1922
Yankees receive: Joe Dugan, Elmer Smith

Nope, the Red Sox did not even hold on to Joe Dugan for very long. Not really a good player, due to inability to take a walk, but he hit for a reasonable average, without any power and was steady for several years. WAR = 5.4

Elmer Smith did nothing in 31 at bats. WAR = 1.2

TOTAL WAR = 6.6

Red Sox receive: Chick Fewster, Elmer Miller, Johnny Mitchell, Lefty O'Doul, $50,000.00

Chick Fewster was your run-of-the-mill utility infielder. WAR = -1.0

Elmer Miller was a terrible backup outfielder for 44 games. WAR = -1.0

Johnny Mitchell was basically Chick Fewster. WAR = -1.0

The Yankees did not know what they had in Lefty O'Doul who later became a big-time slugger. He was just a pitcher for the Yankees when he was traded. Of course the Red Sox did not know either and also tried him as a pitcher where he was terrible and banished to the minors where he would later be drafted away and become the slugger he was capable of being. WAR = -1.5

TOTAL WAR = -4.5

Winner: Yankees. The Yankees did not get anyone terribly impressive, but Boston got some spare parts and O'Doul who they did not know what to do with. If he had been turned into a position player while with Boston, this one may have turned out differently.

JANUARY 3, 1923
Yankees receive: George Pipgras, Harvey Hendrick

George Pipgras was a big winner for the Yankees later on in the decade and never actually played for the Red Sox. WAR = 8.8

Harvey Hendrick was only a part-time player. WAR = -0.3

TOTAL WAR = 8.5

Red Sox receive: Al DeVormer, cash

Al DeVormer was a part-time catcher with no bat. WAR = -0.4

TOTAL WAR = -0.4

Winner: Yankees. Yeesh, even the minor deals turn out incredibly one-sided with Pipgras being a 20 game winner later on and DeVormer doing basically nothing.

JANUARY 30, 1923
Yankees receive: Herb Pennock

Pennock turned out to be a HOFer and the ace of the Yankees staff for the remainder of the decade. WAR = 29.2

Red Sox receive: Norm McMillan, George Murray, Camp Skinner, $50,000.00

Norm McMillan played regularly at three infield positions the next year, but was not much of a hitter. WAR = -1.2

George Murray walked too many hitters and had high ERAs each of the two years he played in Boston. WAR = -1.0

Camp Skinner played seven uninspiring games and was out of baseball. WAR = -0.2

TOTAL WAR = -3.4

Winner: Yankees. No question.


YANKEES OVERALL TOTAL WAR = 268.7

RED SOX OVERALL TOTAL WAR = 12.0

Overall Winner: Yankees. The Yankees received HOFers Babe Ruth, Waite Hoyt, and Herb Pennock and gave away only a couple of players who were any good at all. Del Pratt, Allen Russell, and Jack Quinn were the "highlights" of these deals for the Red Sox. Not much to say other than, these were overall terrible deals for the Red Sox. It is interesting that the trade involving Quinn could have swung in Boston's favor had they not immediately traded Peckinpaugh. That's the only trade that could be argued as a decent trade for both teams though. The Red Sox received $360,000.00 in those trades, which I think basically shows what these deals were really about. The Red Sox could have undone most of it though with one trade. The Yankees wanted to trade for Boston's first-baseman Phil Todt, and offered a first-baseman of their own, but Boston said no after the rash of bad trades earlier. The player the Yankees offered was Lou Gehrig.

Now, I'm depressed.