Life is good. The World Series resumes tonight in Los Angeles with my Red Sox up 2-0. Here's hoping the magic continues!
I read an article earlier this week showcasing
the greatest players that have played for both the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. This year's World Series is also the first where both managers played for both teams. I thought it would be fun to construct a basic lineup of players that have donned both uniforms.
Catcher: David Ross
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| 2014 Topps Update #US-60 David Ross |
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| 2003 Upper Deck #590 David Ross |
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I recently picked up his autobiography at a library sale. I'm hoping it's a good read.
1st Baseman: Adrian Gonzalez
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| 2011 Topps Update #US20 Adrian Gonzalez |
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| 2015 Topps Update #US172a Adrian Gonzalez |
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He was an All-Star for both teams, that makes him an easy inclusion!
2nd Baseman: Alex Cora
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| 2006 Upper Deck #535 Alex Cora |
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| 2002 Topps Heritage #372 Alex Cora |
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This was a tough one to do, but in the end I decided to reward the current Red Sox manager.
Shortstop: Nomar Garciaparra
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2002 Fleer Tradition Update
#U306 Nomar Garciaparra |
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2006 Topps Updates & Highlights
#UH244 Nomar Garciaparra |
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I completely forgot he was an All-Star with both teams too. Nomah!!!
3rd Baseman: Adrian Beltre
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| 2010 Topps Update #US-328 Adrian Beltre |
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| 1999 Stadium Club #162 Adrian Beltre |
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Oh, what could have been had the Red Sox resigned him...
Left Fielder: Manny Ramirez
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| 2005 Topps #362 Manny Ramirez |
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2008 Topps Updates & Highlights
#UH237 Manny Ramirez |
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Say what you will about him, he put the "fun" in dysfunctional.
Center Fielder: Reggie Smith
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| 1968 Topps #61 Reggie Smith |
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| 1981 Topps #75 Reggie Smith |
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A very underrated player in his day.
Right Fielder: J.D. Drew
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2008 Topps Updates & Highlights
#UH221 J.D. Drew |
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| 2005 Topps #498 J.D. Drew |
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What, you were expecting Carl Crawford?
Starting Pitcher: Pedro Martinez
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2004 Topps World Champions
Boston Red Sox #53 Pedro Martinez |
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| 1994 Donruss #179 Pedro Martinez |
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Simultaneously one of the worst trades the Dodgers ever made, and one of the best the Red Sox ever made.
Closer: Eric Gagne
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2007 Topps Updates & Highlights
#UH130 Eric Gagne |
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| 2004 Topps #715 Eric Gagne |
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He fixed Craig Kimbrel! If the Red Sox win the World Series, they may want to consider giving him a cut of the playoff share.
Manager: Grady Little
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| 2003 Topps #265 Grady Little |
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| 2006 Upper Deck #1103 Grady Little |
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Grady could lead this team to a Championship so long as he remembers to pull Pedro out after 100 pitches...
That's a lot of talent in this group, and it's even more impressive when you consider players that didn't make the cut - guys like Bill Buckner, Hideo Nomo, Hanley Ramirez, and the great Rickey Henderson come to mind, not to mention again the esteemed Dave Roberts!
Go Red Sox!
Sweet team. First person I thought of was Nomah. After that Rickey and Manny.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how connected these two franchises have been. And Eric Gagne's advice for Kimbrel was probably the best thing he ever did for the Sox.
ReplyDeletep.s. I hate to be that guy but the Sox got Pedro from Montreal, who got him from LA.
Yeah, I should have worded that better. I meant he'd appear on both lists, not that it was the same trade.
DeleteGreat post! I never knew there were that many guys who played for the Red Sox and Dodgers. By the way, the David Ross autobiography is a great read. Enjoy the rest of tge World Series and the book when you get to it.
ReplyDeleteAwesome list! I was VERY late to the party reading this post.
ReplyDelete