Forgotten Stars Pt. 6: Tony Armas

When a team that has as long a history as the Red Sox it is natural to have players who have been largely forgotten. These are some players who simply do not get mentioned anymore or are largely forgotten.

A Boston Red Sox hitter has lead the American League in home runs 19 times since 1901.  Some of the players who have done this are obvious.  Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, Manny Ramirez, and David Ortiz have all done it at one point.  But some other players are a little less memorable.  Tony Armas is one of these players.  Armas actually lead the American League in home runs twice during his career.  The first time was in 1981 when he tied in the strike-shortened season with Bobby Grich, Eddie Murray, and future Red Sox teammate Dwight Evans.  The second time was in 1984.  

Armas originally came up in the Pirates organization before establishing himself as a strong defensive right-fielder and power hitter for the Oakland Athletics.  Armas broke out in 1980 when he hit 35 home runs for the A's at the age of 26.  For the next several seasons he was one of the most powerful hitters in the league.  After the 1982 season, Boston sought some more power in their outfield after losing Fred Lynn to the Angels before 1981.  They had a surplus at third base with the development of Wade Boggs and traded Carney Lansford to the A's along with a couple of spare parts for Armas and Lansford.  It was a trade that worked out for both teams.

In 1983, Armas hit 36 home runs and drove in 107 runs but hit just .218/.254/.453.  He also was miscast defensively as a center-fielder, despite his strong arm.  Armas would not be moved from center during his time with the Red Sox due to the presence of the superior Dwight Evans in right and Jim Rice in left.  1983 was not quite the season Boston was looking for, other than the power.  Luckily the best would be yet to come from Armas.

In 1984, Armas had his best season as a Major Leaguer.  He hit .268/.300/.531 and lead the majors in home runs (43), RBIs (123), and total bases (339).  He also lead the league in strikeouts but his power made up for it.  Armas made his second All Star team and won the Silver Slugger award.  He finished seventh in the AL in the MVP vote.  

1985 saw a decline in Armas's overall numbers mostly due to injuries.  His batting line was close to the same as his '84 season, but he hit just 23 home runs and drove in 64.  Armas's days as an everyday player were over.  His 1986 season saw him hit just 11 home runs and he took a seat on the bench when Dave Henderson was acquired.  After the season he was granted free agency and signed with the Angels.  He played three more seasons before retiring.  

Armas did not last long as an elite power hitter, but he certainly had a memorable season in 1984.

Mailday and an A&G Break

A couple of forum trade packages to show off today and then I bought an A&G Blaster.

Up first is a trade for some Bowman Platinum stuff.

1.  2013 Bowman Platinum Top Prospects Matt Barnes.  Barnes is struggling a little this year, but he is currently in Portland.  If he turns things around, which he should, he could get to Boston as soon as late next season.

2.  2013 Bowman Platinum Cracked Ice Blue Will Middlebrooks.  It is nice to see Middlebrooks is back and hitting in Boston.  He hit his first home run since his return on Sunday.  If he can cut down the strikeouts and increase the walks he could still develop into a star.

3.  2013 Bowman Platinum Cracked Ice Blue Jacoby Ellsbury.  He is having a nice season this year.  I am torn.  I want Ellsbury back but I also want Jackie Bradley Jr. in Boston next year.  Something has to give.

The next trade practically depleted my Pirates tradebait.

4.  2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Mini Jed Lowrie.  Lowrie could always hit but I think Boston got tired of waiting for him to be healthy.  Now he is getting a chance to prove himself.

5.  2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Mini Tris Speaker.  The Grey Eagle was the first superstar that Boston developed.  Unfortunately he had his best seasons with Cleveland after being traded in 1916.  And his Hall of Fame plaque sports a C on his cap.

6.  2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Mini Cy Young.  I love this picture.  Those old Boston uniforms were really interesting.

7.  2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Framed Emerald David Ortiz.  I always liked these framed Gypsy Queen cards.  Ortiz is having another terrific season.  He could be a Hall of Famer yet.

8.  2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Framed Emerald Jon Lester.  He pitched well against the Giants yesterday.  Hopefully he can keep it up.  Boston needs good pitching to contend for the postseason.

9.  2010 Topps Legendary Lineage Victor Martinez/Carlos Santana.  V-Mart had a great stint with Boston but I definitely understand why they did not want to take the risk and bring him back for a long contract for a lot of money.

10.  2011 Topps Gypsy Queen The Great Ones Cy Young.  Another great card of the great pitcher.

11.  2011 Topps 60 Years of Topps Carlton Fisk.  Fisk is second to Varitek of my favorite catchers, but I definitely love adding cards of him.

12.  2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Framed Relic Josh Beckett.  This was the highlight of the trade.  I do not really have a lot of good Beckett cards.  Strange.

13.  2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects Boss Moanaroa.  Nice wantlist hit here.  Moanaroa will likely never make the Majors, but he is an interesting story.

The last trade package netted me one of my favorite new players of the year.

14.  2013 Topps Gypsy Queen Mini Black Border Jonny Gomes.  Gomes exemplifies the "Boston Strong" theme the team has taken this year.  He has also been an invaluable clutch hitter.

Finally, my A&G Blaster was less than exciting personally.  I don't care a lot for this product because I don't like all the non-baseball cards personally.  So I don't buy much of it, but I typically pick up a blaster or two.  My luck ran out with this blaster.  I did not get many Red Sox and I did not get many really good cards to trade.  Up first is the Red Sox card.

15.  2013 Topps Allen & Ginter Jacoby Ellsbury.  I do like the wide shot here.  Unfortunately this was my only Red Sox card.

And here is all the tradebait.  I would love to move some of this for Red Sox cards.  

I should note, the Schmidt, Ethier, and A-Rod cards are A&G backs.  Please email or comment if you want something.

Yankees Series

Boston continued to struggle over the weekend against the Yankees at Fenway.

Yankees 10 Red Sox 3 (72-52)
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
RUBBY DE LA ROSA:  2.1 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout.

Red Sox 6 (73-52) Yankees 1
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
JACOBY ELLSBURY:  3 for 5, Double, 2 RBIs

Yankees 9 Red Sox 6 (73-53)
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
WILL MIDDLEBROOKS:  2 for 3, Home Run, Double.

Huge Catch Up Post Featuring a Hot Corner Trade, Platinum Break, and Tradebait

I was on vacation for several days and when I came back the customary large number of packages were waiting for me.  So I have been a bit behind.  Well let's get into it.

Up first was a trade from the forums.  I gave up some Bryce Harper cards that I had no use for and some other stuff for a couple of nice 90's inserts.

1.  1997 Sports Illustrated Extra Edition Roger Clemens.  This is from the cover subset and is serial-numbered to 500 because it is the parallel set.  I had one of these once a few years ago that was also Roger Clemens, but since it had a Blue Jays logo on the back it did not find its way into my Red Sox collection.  I actually have the issue of the magazine that this card is a reprint of.  I used to collect the occasonal magazine with Red Sox on the cover.  Clemens was one of the biggest Red Sox stars when I first started collecting.

2.  1996 Ultra Diamond Producers Mo Vaughn.  This is a nice insert of The Hit Dog.  Mo Vaughn was a favorite player of mine for several years.  He was the rare power hitter who struck out a lot, yet still hit over .300 pretty much every year.  I was heartbroken when he left, even moreso than Wade Boggs or Roger Clemens.  Much of the reason for this is probably due to the fact that I got to watch him develop into a star.  Boggs and Clemens were already stars when I started collecting.

Up next is an Ebay win:

3.  2009 SP Legendary Cuts Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd.  This was #1 on my Top 10 Most Wanted.  I was very excited to find this on Ebay.  I have wanted it for a long time.  Boyd had a few nice seasons for Boston.  Of course it is his nickname that has really made him memorable.

Another forum trade:

4.  2013 Topps Target Red Border Felix Doubront.  His last two starts have been pretty bad, but he has had a nice season.  I got this for a Mets Bowman parallel.  Not bad one for one trade.

And another forum trade:

5.  1976 Topps Ted Williams.  It is a nice vintage card of The Splendid Splinter.  It's from 1976 so it is not real old, but I consider stuff from before my birth vintage personally.  I got this for a Tigers Chrome orange refractor of Justin Turner.

And for the last forum trade of the day, I gave up a bunch of A's cards for this nice group:

6.  2004 Leaf Certified Cuts Marble Blue Trot Nixon.  The original dirt dog.  I liked these parallels.  I have a lot of Variteks from this set, but not much from other players.  I figured it was about time to add something.

7.  2005 Absolute Memorabilia Marks of Fame Luis Aparicio.  Yes Louie played for Boston for the last three years of his career.  He made the All Star team a couple of times for them too, but he was clearly past his prime.  Around 2004 to 2005 though Donruss/Leaf/Playoff made a ton of cards of him for the Red Sox for some bizarre reason.  But I won't argue, it's fun getting Hall of Famer cards.

8.  2009 UD A Piece of History Franchise History Turquoise Jason Varitek.  The rare Varitek that I did not already have.  I have the non-parallel version, but I go for as many Variteks as I can possibly get.  It seems unlikely but possible that I could get to 1,000 different cards of him.  Currently I am at 874.

10.  1993 Select Chase Rookies Bob Zupcic.  These cards were highly valued at the time they came out.  I had forgotten this existed.  Zupcic did not have a long career, but he had a couple of nice seasons in 1992 and 1993 for Boston.  I saw him play once when he was with the White Sox.  I did not see my first Red Sox game in person until 1997.

While I was on vacation I had a box of 2013 Bowman Platinum in my hand at Wal Mart in Wyoming.  I decided against buying cards on vacation, but it was a difficult decision.  Sometimes I like to try my luck at places away from home to see if I am any luckier.  When I got home I did buy a blaster.  It was a smart move:

11.  2013 Bowman Platinum Prospects Xander Bogaerts.  He was called up today.  Bogaerts is the most highly-anticipated Red Sox prospect since Hanley Ramirez.  Hopefully Boston will hang on to him.

12.  2013 Bowman Platinum Prospects Autograph Keury De La Cruz.  Wow.  I actually pulled a Red Sox autograph out of this blaster.  I did not expect that.  This is only the third Red Sox autograph I have pulled out of a pack.  De La Cruz is developing into a decent prospect.  Time will tell if he makes it.  I loved this blaster break.

13.  2013 Bowman Platinum Prospects Matt Barnes.  And another top prospect for Boston.  Barnes is Boston's top pitching prospect.

Next was a trade with Patrick from Hot Corner Cards.  I noticed he had a particular autograph that I wanted and I have built up a surplus of Tigers cards.

14.  2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autograph Ellis Burks.  I now only need the Lynn auto.  Next to the Dennis Boyd, this was the autograph I wanted the most.  Burks was one of my early favorite players.  And this is the first Red Sox auto of him.  He did not even have a game-used card before.

15.  2013 Topps Opening Day Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  I was very happy to see this card.  I have been looking for it for awhile.  Salty has so few cards.  I try to get them when I can.

16.  2013 Topps Heritage John Lackey.  Lackey has been pitching well this season.  This was the last non-SP I needed from this set.

17.  Vintage Sports Cards Game-Used Manny Ramirez.  I have no idea what this thing is.  I am happy to add it to my collection though.

Thanks Pat!  Hope to trade again. 

And finally another Ebay win:

18.  2001 Aramark Jimmy Collins.  These cards were available one per game in Spring Training 2001 and are kind of hard  to find.  There are 16 in the set covering some of the biggest stars in franchise history, and I previously had a few.  Collins was one of the first Boston stars and was their first manager.  He is also in the Hall of Fame.  

19.  2001 Aramark Johnny Pesky.  This was the card that lead to me buying these three cards.  I was reading a biography on Pesky while on vacation.  He was a fascinating player, a singles hitter who lead the AL in hits his first three seasons.  

20.  2001 Aramark Dom DiMaggio.  Joe's younger brother was a standout himself for Boston in center field.  He could have been a Hall of Famer had he not missed three seasons in WWII service.

The last mail package is a non Red Sox card.  I won this Trevor Bauer autograph on Topps's Chase promotion.  I am not sure when.  I wish it had been a Red Sox, but no big deal.  I would love to trade it for a nice Red Sox auto, particularly if anyone has the Shane Victorino or other harder-to-find Red Sox cards.

And finally the tradebait from the Bowman Platinum Blaster.  If anyone sees anything they like, let me know.   I am always willing to trade for Red Sox.

Red Sox in Cooperstown Pt. 9: Waite Hoyt

WAITE HOYT
Years with Boston:  1919-1920 (10-12, 3.85 ERA, 73 strikeouts, 69 walks, 226.1 innings)
Best Year in Boston:  1919 (4-6, 3.25 ERA, 28 strikeouts, 22 walks, 105.1 innings, 1.149 WHIP)

(Hoyt has no Red Sox cards that I am aware of)

Right-hander Waite Hoyt appeared in one game for the New York Giants in 1918, making his Major League debut that season, before he was sent to the Red Sox.  He was just 19 in his first year with Boston and was used sparingly.  He only appeared in 13 games for the Red Sox in 1919.  He was used a little bit more often in 1920, pitching in 22 games but he was still not a regular.  Hoyt actually finished 10 games for the Red Sox that season.

Hoyt was considered a promising pitcher, but he was traded to the Yankees anyway in December of 1920, just a few weeks prior to the sale of Babe Ruth.  Hoyt was packaged along with Wally Schang, Mike McNally, and Harry Harper for Muddy Ruel, Del Pratt, Hank Thormahlen, and Sammy Vick.  This was actually one of the few trades that was not terrible for Boston during this time period.  Pratt and Ruel were decent players for a couple of years.

Of course Hoyt had his greatest successes with the Yankees in the 1920's.  He won 157 games for the Yankees and was one of their best pitchers at the beginning of the dynasty.  Hoyt's time with the Red Sox was pretty much irrelevant to his Hall of Fame case.

Unknown Heroes Before My Time Pt. 9: Lee Smith

I started collecting in 1991 so my first cards showed stats from the 1990 season.  Lee Smith started the 1990 season in Boston but was traded early on, so I just missed him.  Now you might think it odd that I am talking about Lee Smith, a potential Hall of Famer, in a series titled "Unknown Heroes", but Lee Smith really did kind of fly under the radar in his time in Boston.  I doubt many people think of the Red Sox when they think of Smith.  They may think of the Cubs or the Cardinals, but not likely the Red Sox first.  It helped that Smith was not an All Star and did not lead the league in saves in either of his full seasons with the Red Sox.

Smith was picked up in a pretty good trade for the Red Sox.  Boston sent Al Nipper and Calvin Schiraldi to the Cubs for Smith, making the call as soon as GM Lou Gorman learned he was on the block.  Schiraldi and Nipper never did a whole lot after leaving Boston, meanwhile Lee Smith eventually developed into one of the best closers of all time.

Smith was good in 1988, going 4-5 with a 2.80 ERA and saving 29.  He struck out 96 in 83.2 innings and was an overpowering presence at the end of the game for the AL East Champions.  In 1989 he was 6-1 with a 3.57 ERA and 25 saves, while again striking out 96, this time in just 70.2 innings.  It was another impressive season for the big closer.

Boston made the odd decision to sign Twins closer Jeff Reardon prior to the 1990 season despite inferior numbers.  Apparently the idea was to have two closers ready and have a strong bullpen.  Naturally that caused a little dissension and Smith was not happy.  He appeared in 11 games for the Red Sox, going 2-1 with a 1.88 and four saves before being traded to the Cardinals for Tom Brunansky.  Smith became the dominating, potential Hall of Famer in St. Louis.

Smith's tenure in Boston is not the first thing many people remember when they think of his Hall of Fame case, but he did have two strong seasons there.  As a result there is an effect on the after-career cards of him.  He has had exactly one card issued of him after his career with the Red Sox and that was a buyback card.  He has never had an autograph or relic card with the Red Sox.  That is unfortunate.

Nevertheless, his SLU is still my favorite one in my entire collection.

Unknown Heroes Pt. 34: Lou Merloni

I am not a Boston native.  I have never lived anywhere near Boston in fact.  I was born and lived all my life in Nebraska.  Nevertheless I still strongly enjoy the Red Sox players who grew up nearby.  Players from the New England era are massively popular with Red Sox fans, and for good reason.  And even though I am not a local product, I too enjoy the players from the area.

Lou Merloni is one such player who enjoyed a massive fan following despite the fact that he was little more than a utility infielder.  Dubbed "Framingham Lou" due to his hometown being nearby Framingham, MA, Merloni was always greeted with a chant of "LOOOOUUUUU" whenever he came to the plate.

I was actually in attendance at Merloni's Major League debut.  He was called up to replace the injured John Valentin in 1998 and played against the Royals in Kansas City for his debut in which he played second base.  Merloni was 27 when he finally made it to the Majors.  He had previously been a replacement player in 1995 during the strike, which greatly affected the number of baseball cards that were issued of him.  Merloni was decent in 1998, hitting .281/.343/.375 with one home run and 15 RBIs in 39 games.  Merloni traveled frequently between Boston and Pawtucket, something he would get used to over the years.

Merloni continued to bounce back and forth between the Majors and Minors for the next three years.  Merloni was actually sold to the Yokohama Bay Stars in 1999 before returning to the Red Sox system.  He did spend a chunk of the 2000 season in Boston when the team struggled to find third-basemen.  Merloni hit .320/.341/.438 with 18 RBIs in 40 games that season, mostly as a third-baseman.  It was his re-acquisition from Yokohama that lead to David Eckstein being placed on waivers.

In 2001 Merloni spent a fair amount of time at shortstop due to the Nomar Garciaparra injury.  He hit three home runs that year which was a career high to that point.  2002 was his best season thus far as he hit four home runs and played terrific defense.  2003 saw Merloni go to San Diego before making his return to Boston, where he played in just 15 games.

Following the 2003 season, Merloni bounced around a little.  He is currently a radio host for the Red Sox.

I was always disappointed that Merloni never really had many cards.  He had just three mainstream base cards issued and some oddball and minor league cards, but that is pretty much it for Merloni Red Sox cards, and he never had any mainstream cards for other teams.  

Season in Review: 2005

The honeymoon did not last long.  A lot of the heroes of the 2004 postseason struggled.  Boston did make it to the postseason in 2005, but they were eliminated in a graceless three-game sweep to the White Sox.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS:

Jason Varitek
Varitek signed a big contract to stay in Boston prior to the season, when he was also named Captain, and had one of his finest seasons.  He was elected to start the All Star game, and won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.  Varitek hit .281/.366/.489 with 22 home runs and 70 RBIs.

David Ortiz
Ortiz lead the league with 148 RBIs while hitting .300/.397/.604 with 47 home runs.  He came in second in a very close race for the Al MVP.

Johnny Damon
In his final season for the Red Sox, Damon was elected to the All Star team and hit .316/.366/.439 with 10 home runs, 75 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases.

Manny Ramirez
Ramirez finished fourth in the AL MVP race when he hit .292/.388/.594 with 45 home runs and 144 RBIs.

Trot Nixon
Nixon was injured for a large part of the season and only played in 124 games.  He was decent when healthy though, hitting .275/.357/.446 with 13 home runs and 67 RBIs.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Tim Wakefield
It was another underrated season for Wakefield as he lead the team with 16 wins, going 16-12 with a 4.15 ERA and 151 strikeouts, both of which also lead the team.

Mike Timlin
Timlin was the only stable member of the bullpen in 2005, going 7-3 with a 2.24 ERA and 59 strikeouts versus 20 walks in 80.1 innings.  Timlin spent some time as the closer and was second on the team with 13 saves.

Bill Mueller
Mueller was showing his age but still had a decent season, hitting .295/.369/.430.  Despite this, it was obvious that Kevin Youkilis was ready to take over.

FAVORITE ACQUISITIONS

Edgar Renteria
Renteria was terrible in Boston in 2005.  I was still excited about him, but he had a bad year at the plate and in the field.  He hit .276/.335/.385 with eight home runs and 70 RBIs.  He struck out 100 times though and made 30 errors.

Matt Clement
Clement made it to the All Star game and looked to be having a career year until he took a line drive to the head.  He finished the season 13-6 with a 4.57 ERA and 146 strikeouts, numbers that would have been better had he not been injured.

David Wells
Boomer was 42 in 2005 but still had a lot left.  He was one of Boston's more consistent pitchers, going 15-7 with a 4.45 ERA and 107 strikeouts versus just 21 walks.

FAVORITE MIDSEASON ACQUISITIONS

Tony Graffanino
With Mark Bellhorn struggling and eventually released, Boston needed a new second-baseman.  Graffanino was acquired for a couple of minor leaguers from the Royals and was very good down the stretch, hitting .319/.355/.457.

John Olerud
Olerud was signed as a free agent in May and made it up to Boston by the end of the month.  He hit .289/.344/.451 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs in his final season in the Majors.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
NONE

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

Curt Schilling
One year after finishing second in the AL Cy Young race, Schilling was just 8-8 with a 5.69 ERA.  He did strike out 87 in 93.1 innings.  Boston attempted to use him as a closer and he did save nine games, but he was generally ineffective in the role.

Keith Foulke
Schilling and Timlin had to be used as closers because of Foulke's struggles.  Foulke was 5-5 with a 5.91 ERA and just 15 saves.

POSTSEASON GOAT
Tony Graffanino
Despite his good play down the stretch, Graffanino made a critical error in the ALDS which lead to a loss in Game 2 which Boston never recovered from.

Stumbling...

Ugh, Boston is just playing sloppy baseball lately.  They better get their act together soon.

08/13:  Red Sox 4 (72-49) Blue Jays 2
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
KOJI UEHARA:  1.1 innings, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, Win.

08/14:  Blue Jays 4 Red Sox 3 (72-50)
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
MIKE NAPOLI:  1 for 5, 2 run home run.

08/15:  Blue Jays 2 Red Sox 1 (72-51)
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
DANIEL NAVA:  3 for 4, run, 2 doubles.

Catching Up

I was on vacation in Yellowstone for the last several days.  I don't want to get too far into these game summaries, so I won't.  This is strictly to catch up, I will name Players of the Game, but don't feel like getting pics of cards.

08/05:  Astros 2 Red Sox 0 (68-46)
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
JOHN LACKEY:  6 innings, 8 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts, Loss.

08/06:  Red Sox 15 (69-46) Astros 10
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
JACOBY ELLSBURY:  2 for 4, 2 home runs, 4 runs, 3 RBIs, 2 walks.

08/07:  Red Sox 7 (70-46) Astros 5
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
STEPHEN DREW:  2 for 4, home run, 3 RBIs.

08/08:  Royals 5 Red Sox 1 (70-47)
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
STEPHEN DREW:  2 for 4, RBI.

08/09:  Royals 9 Red Sox 6 (70-48)
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
MIKE NAPOLI:  2 for 3, run, 3 RBIs, double.

08/10:  Red Sox 5 (71-48) Royals 3
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
JACOBY ELLSBURY:  4 for 5, 2 RBIs, 2 doubles, stolen base.

08/11:  Royals 4 Red Sox 3 (71-49)
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
RYAN LAVARNWAY:  2 for 4, 2 RBIs.

Whacking Days

Boston took two out of three from the Arizona Diamondbacks in Fenway Park this weekend.  The title is a reference to The Simpsons.

08/02:  Diamondbacks 7 Red Sox 6 (66-45)
Jon Lester was terrible again.  Boston came close in the bottom of the ninth but could not get the walkoff for a third game in a row.  Former Sox Cody Ross terrorized Boston pitching.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

STEPHEN DREW:  2 for 2, run, 3 RBIs, Home Run.

08/03:  Red Sox 5 (67-45) Diamondbacks 2
Jake Peavy made his anticipated first start with the Red Sox and was terrific.  Shane Victorino and Jarrod Saltalamacchia provided some offense.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

NO CARD YET

JAKE PEAVY:  7 innings, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, Win.

08/04:  Red Sox 4 (68-45) Diamondbacks 0

Stephen Drew continued to hit well against his former team, but this one was all Felix.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

FELIX DOUBRONT:  7 innings, 5 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts, Win.

1991 Topps #375 Tony Pena

In this series, I look at my first team set: 1991 Topps. This was the set I started my baseball card collection with.

I have always liked catchers.  I was aware that Tony Pena was the Red Sox catcher coming off of the 1990 season.  I previously had one card of Pena, a 1990 Topps Big card.  This is the first card of Pena that I got that featured him in his catcher's gear.

Pena had been an All Star catcher and Gold Glove winner for the Pirates and Cardinals before joining the Red Sox as a free agent.  He actually received some MVP votes in 1990, finishing 21st in the balloting.  It was his intangibles, his veteran leadership, and his ability behind the plate that helped the team the most and got him his recognition in the MVP vote.  He only hit .263/.322/.348 with seven home runs and 56 RBIs in 1990, not bad numbers for a catcher, but not particularly good either.

Pena would win the Gold Glove award in 1991, the second Red Sox catcher to do so.

I do like this card quite a bit.  Mostly because of the catchers' gear, but it appears this is after a play at the plate or a wild pitch.  There is some dust that has been kicked up and Pena looks pretty intense.

Red Sox With No Cards Pt. 9: Bryce Florie

Bryce Florie's baseball career is best remembered for the above image.  He actually played in parts of three seasons for the Red Sox after being acquired in a trade with the Tigers at the 1999 trading deadline for Mike Maroth, not one of Dan Duquette's better moves.  Florie pitched in 14 games down the stretch with a 4.80 ERA.  He started two of those games.  He struck out 25 and walked 15 in 30 innings, mostly as a middle reliever.

Florie was a major part of the Red Sox bullpen in 2000, pitching in 29 games with a 4.56 ERA.  That is, until September 8, 2000 when he was struck in the face with a line drive off the bat of the Yankees' Ryan Thompson.  Florie suffered broken bones in his face and eye damage.  He did come back in 2001 but was generally ineffective.  He was released in late July

Forgotten Stars Pt. 5: Tommy Harper

When a team that has as long a history as the Red Sox it is natural to have players who have been largely forgotten. These are some players who simply do not get mentioned anymore or are largely forgotten.

It was not that long ago that "Tommy Harper" was the answer to a trivia question.  In 2009, Jacoby Ellsbury broke Harper's 36-year-old single season team stolen base record.  Since Ellsbury eclipsed his mark, hardly anyone remembers that it was Harper who held the team's record.

Harper was a veteran of about ten years before he was traded to the Red Sox in October of 1971 in the deal that sent Ken Brett, Jim Lonborg, and George Scott among others to Milwaukee and brought Marty Pattin and Lew Krausse to Boston as well.  Harper was the rare speedster of that time that also had some pop.  He was a member of the 30/30 club while in Milwaukee in 1970.

Harper was 31 by the time he arrived in Boston and speedy players typically do not age well.  Nevertheless, Harper provided two good seasons.  In 1972, he hit .254/.341/.388 with 14 home runs, 49 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases.  That performance was good enough to garner him a little MVP consideration, he finished 24th in the voting, but it was not his best season in Boston.

In 1973, Harper had what was likely the second best season of his career.  He finished the season hitting .281/.351/.422 with 17 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 54 stolen bases.  That was the season he broke the team record for stolen bases that was previously held by Tris Speaker back in 1911 when he stole 52.  Harper lead the league in stolen bases in 1973, a rarity for Red Sox.

The next season Harper's numbers declined drastically.  Harper's days as a regular were over and he was traded to the Angels for Bob Heise.  He played two more seasons.

New Additions to the Blog

I have added my tradelist.  It is now a separate page on the right side.  I also added a bunch of stuff to my wantlist, including 2013 Panini Golden Age singles, 2013 Bowman Platinum singles, and 1959 Topps singles.  If anyone can help out with my wantlist, I would greatly appreciate it.

R.I.P. Frank Castillo

I missed this news the other day apparently.  After George Scott died, former Red Sox pitcher Frank Castillo also died.  Castillo was a longtime Cubs pitcher who came to the Red Sox in 2001 and was a decent pitcher in a patchwork rotation.  Castillo won 10 games that season.  I remember him pretty well because he was the starting pitcher against the Royals in the game I went to that season.  He had a good game too.  2002 was a poor season as he lost 15 games, but he pitched well against the Yankees.  R.I.P. Frank.

Autograph Mailday

Well I turned my Dylan Bundy autograph into something pretty nice.  Behold:

1.  2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autograph Mike Greenwell.  Greenwell was a favorite player of mine early on in my Red Sox fandom.  The left-fielder finished second in the AL MVP race when he racked up 23 game-winning RBIs and had a stellar season.  He was never quite that good again, though he did have a nice career.

2.  2012 Topps Tribute Autographs Sepia Dustin Pedroia.  Of course Pedroia is arguably Boston's best current player.  There really is not much else to say.  This is also serial-numbered 35/35.

I would say the loss of the Bundy auto is well worth it for these two cards.

Two Walkoffs in a Sweep of the Mariners

It was a wild series against the Mariners in Fenway Park this week.  I will elaborate in the individual game summaries.

07/30:  Red Sox 8 (64-44) Mariners 2
The only somewhat calm game of the series saw Brandon Workman continue to shine in the rotation.  Of course later that evening Jake Peavy was acquired.  Workman struck out nine in six innings, giving up one run.  Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia all homered for Boston.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DUSTIN PEDROIA:  2 for 4, Home Run, 2 runs, 3 RBIs.

07/31:  Red Sox 5 (65-44) Mariners 4

John Lackey pitched reasonably well, but Junichi Tazawa surrendered the game-tying home run in the eighth and the game went into the 15th inning before Boston won.  Included in this game was an unassisted double play by left-fielder Jonny Gomes.  Rookie Drake Britton got the win.  The winning run scored on a base hit by Stephen Drew.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DUSTIN PEDROIA:  2 for 6, Home Run, 2 runs, 3 RBIs.

08/01:  Red Sox 8 (66-44) Mariners 7
Felix Hernandez shut down Boston's offense for seven innings and the Mariners lead the Red Sox 7-1 going into the bottom of the eighth.  Shane Victorino homered and then in the ninth, the Red Sox exploded for six runs.  Daniel Nava drove in the winning run and knuckleballer Steven Wright got the win.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

SHANE VICTORINO:  2 for 5, Home Run, 2 runs, 3 RBIs.

Red Sox in Cooperstown Pt. 8: Herb Pennock

HERB PENNOCK
Years with Boston:  1915-1922, 1934 (62-59, 3.67 ERA, 358 strikeouts, 299 walks, 1,089.1 innings)
Best Year in Boston:  1919 (16-8, 2.71 ERA, 70 strikeouts, 48 walks, 219 innings)

Southpaw Herb Pennock is one of the many players that the Red Sox traded to the Yankees in the late '10's/early '20's in the so-called "Rape of the Red Sox".  Pennock originally came up with the Philadelphia Athletics as an 18 year old.  He spent a couple of years bouncing between Philadelphia and the minors before being selected off of waivers by the Red Sox.  Pennock was young and it took a couple of seasons before he was ready to be a full-time starter.  He also served some time in the military for World War I.

Pennock returned to Boston in 1919 and became one of Boston's most consistent starters on an otherwise underwhelming rotation.  Boston had already lost Carl Mays, Ernie Shore, and Dutch Leonard, and Babe Ruth became an outfielder.  Pennock lead the team in victories that season as well as in 1920 with 16 in both seasons.  Pennock continued to be a good pitcher throughout his first tenure in Boston, but it was not until he was traded to the Yankees that he became a big star.

The Red Sox traded Pennock to the Yankees for Norm McMillan, George Murray, and Camp Skinner.  None of whom did anything of substance.  They also received $50,000.00.  With the Yankees, Pennock was able to pitch for a good team again and his record improved.  He was one of the big pitching stars for the 1920's dynasty Yankees.

In 1934, Pennock returned to the Red Sox.  He was 40, but still had a decent season, mostly as a reliever.  He was 2-0 with a 3.05 ERA.

Pennock is wearing a Red Sox cap on his Hall of Fame plaque (I am sure of it), but most of his best years were spent with the Yankees.

Oddballs and Vintage

It was another kind of odd mix of cards that came in yesterday.

1.  1954 Bowman Ellis Kinder.  Kinder was an important pitcher for the Red Sox in the late 1940's and early 1950's.  Nicknamed "Old Folks" due to not making it to the Majors until he was 31, Kinder nevertheless managed to put together a pretty decent career.  This is my first vintage Bowman card.

2.  2005 Jewish Major Leaguers Adam Stern.  I like Stern because he played for my alma mater Nebraska for college.  This is the first card I have found of him individually with the Red Sox.  I like these cards quite a bit but you can almost never find them for a halfway reasonable price.

3.  1995 Collector's Choice Mark Whiten.  Finally, the last card I needed for the expansion send-ins from this set.  I mentioned before that I have been after these because I got the cards to send in but one year too late.