A to Z Challenge Number 2 – My Boston Red Sox

Tonight is Night #2 of my A to Z Challenge. For those of you who missed Challenge Number 1, you can read all of the cool ballparks I have visited, and I nearly named one for each letter of the alphabet. Heck, I have no idea how long idea of mine is going to last. But until that time, I present to you with A to Z Challenge Number 2 – Name a Boston Red Sox player using every letter of the alphabet. This is going to be fun and will bring back some amazing memories of the greatest sports team of all time, my Boston Red Sox. Without further distraction, here is my list from A to Z:

A – Don Aase, yes I am juvenile but he did P for the Sox

B – The Bird, Mark Fidrych – local Worcester, MA kid who made it big time in the Major Leagues for Detroit and others

C – Tony Conigliaro – a superstar unlike Boston had ever seen career trajectory changed with that HBP

D – Dustin Pedroia – the most hustle I have ever seen on a baseball diamond, Pedroia rarely missed a grounder to him or way the heck to the left or right of him

E – Dwight Evans – an arm that most pitchers would have killed for, Evans locked down RF for the Sox for many a season

F – Fred Lynn – smooth left handed bat, amazing fielder, why did you go to California???

G – Mike “Gator” Greenwell – got to meet him at his golf and batting cage some years back in Ft. Myers, FL

H – Bruce Hurst – with Roger Clemens, a formidable 1-2 pitching force in the 1980s

I – Jose Iglesias – maybe the best fielding shortstop of his generation

J – Jackie Bradley, Jr. – quite possibly the most incredible outfielder I have ever seen live or on TV

K – Kevin Youkilis – his batting stance was epic, somehow he hit the ball fair and sometimes out of the park

L – Larry Lucchino – met him in Pawtucket, in his office, where he showed me plans for a theoretical stadium in nearby Worcester, MA – soon to be built and is now called Polar Park

M – Manny Ramirez – Manny being Manny aside, Ramirez was the best right or left handed batter for nearly a decade in MLB

N – Nomar Garciaparra – an absolutely ridiculous athlete, Nomar could have been a professional (fill in the blank) if he did not choose baseball

O – David Ortiz – Big Papi, Red Sox Nation is so happy you left Minnesota and we appreciate that you played your ass off for us for all those years

P – Pedro Martinez – proved the most crafty and skilled pitchers do not have to be 6 foot 6. Pedro dominated like Sandy Koufax for nearly a decade.

R – Jerry Remy – I really miss this guy. Remy had more character than all of Walt Disney World. What a talent in the booth and on the field.

S – Splendid Splinter – Ted Williams – the most interesting human being to ever play Major League Baseball – a veteran, a fisherman, a beautiful swing, and oh what a temper!

T – Mike Torrez – without Mike Torrez, we have no Bucky Dent. Give Dent some credit, he did yank it right over the wall with the season on the line.

U – Koji Uehara – Colonel Koji was so freaking awesome for so many years in the Sox bullpen. His splitter was just unhittable.

V – Mo Vaughn – A Connecticut kid who got drafted #1 by the Sox, and hit some monstrous home runs.

W – Ryan Westmoreland – I was so close to this story for so many years. A RI kid with unlimited potential and promise and talent – except he couldn’t escape the cancer that affected his brain. Westy is now a prominent coach on the RI travel baseball circuit.

X – Sox and Paws, the former Pawtucket Red Sox mascots, RIP McCoy Stadium

Y – Carl Yaz – Without question, my favorite player. As I have written about nearly 10 million times in my lifetime.

Z – Don Zimmer – This scrappy guy, Zim always ended up mixing it up for the Sox or against them. The definition of a baseball lifer from player to coach to manager to advisor.

That was fun. Based on my answers, you can probably guess the Red Sox teams and players I am most familiar with. The names just flow out of my Red Sox memory bank – Clemens, Boggs, Hurst, Marty Barrett, Ellis Burks, Armas, Rice, Papelbon, Timlin, Wakefield, Betts, Bogie. I could probably do a follow up Red Sox A to Z decade edition. Maybe if I run out of ideas, which could happen??? Nah, not likely. Well, I hope you enjoyed this A to Z Challenge #2 – Boston Red Sox players. How does your list of Sox players stack up? Send me some really unique ones, if you got ’em.