I definitely have a big Boston/AL East bias but here is my all-time favorite team and they might not win a World Series but they could beat a lot of people:
Catcher - Carlton Fisk who erased Deion Sanders etchings of a dollar sign inthe batter's box. Don't disrespect the game in front of Carlton. And who can forget the game winning homer is Game Six of the 75 World Series as Fisk wills the ball fair. Edges out...
...Rick Dempsey. Way back in early 80s I believe, he entertained Fenway faithful during a rainout by stuffing towels under his shirt to imitate a portly Babe Ruth and then pointed towards the stands as if emulating the Babe calling a home run shot. When the BP pitcher subsequently fed him a fastball he drilled it over the fence and then as no one was fielding he sloshed around 3rd base and hydroplaned into home. :aktion033 He was a helluva defensive catcher, too.
First base - George the Boomer Scott. He took the mightiest cuts ever for Home Runs and then despite his overweight was slick fielding, he had his glove the Black Widow where line drives went to die. Willie Stargell was better player but not as colorful.
Second Base - Joe Morgan. I hated him at the time cause he was on the Big Red Machine but one of the greatest all-round baseball players when he was in his prime. Hit for average, power, drive runs in, great speed, flawless fielding, totally clutch. If anything, my respect has grown over the years as he is baseball's best analyst.
Shortstop - Robin Yount. In major leagues at age of 19, great offensively and defensively, too. Edges out my hometown bias of Rico Petrocelli and Nomar Graciaparra.
Third Base - George Brett. Clutch player, what a competitor. Two plays define him, the famous pine tar incident and the playoff game with the Yankees when Nettles put a hard tag on him and Brett came up swinging, starting as they used to say, "a donnybrook".
Okay, no use in pretending, I am a "homer"
Left Field: Yaz. Triple Crown Winner and shameless plug for Fenway Franks "they plump when you cook 'em" during my youth. Boston icon.
Center Field: Mickey Mantle and Kirby Puckett edge out Fred Lynn. Mickey once hit a home run while totally hungover, explaining that when he saw three balls coming in at home plate, he just swung at the one in the middle. Never saw him in his prime, because he in his rookie year he stepped on the manhole cover in the World Series that forever robbed him of his exceptional speed (health care was not the same back then).
Kirby had one of the all-time clutch World Series in 1991 when the Twins won, clutch HR and clutch HR saving catches.
Lynn was Rookie of the Year and MVP of 1975. Was a defensive back at USC and supposedly a better athlete than Lynn Swann.
Right Field: Dwight Evans. Maybe the best combination of fielding and throwing arm ever. And as he got older he could hit for power and average, great on base percentage. I'm not saying he was in Barry Bonds' class, but he had similarities in that he could do everything.
Backup fielder: Bernie Carbo. In Game 6 of 75 World Series hit the pinch hit homer to tie it. Had Mighty Joe Young, the stuffed gorilla as his good luck charm. They used to say that out in the bullpen in Fenway, Bernie had his own grass gorwing.
Right Hand Pitcher: Orel Hershiser - The Bulldog. No way he LA could've won the Series in 88? without the dominant stretch run of this self-professed concave -chested pencil neck. All - time clutch performance ever down the stretch and against Mets and A's.
Left Hand Pitcher: Bill Lee - the Spaceman. Admitted that he used marijuana but subsequently clarifed that he only sprinkled it on his buckwheat pancakes. After taking himself out of a 7 inning 2 ER start in World Series explained to reporters that the reason was he had a blister on his thumb that was entirely psychosymatic - only Lee could see it cause it didn't really exist.
Relief Pitcher - Tug McGraw. Greatest quote ever. When asked what he did with his share of the World Series winnings when the Mets won back in 73, he said, "80% of the winnings I spent on whiskey, song and women, the rest I just squandered". Rest in Peace.
Catcher - Carlton Fisk who erased Deion Sanders etchings of a dollar sign inthe batter's box. Don't disrespect the game in front of Carlton. And who can forget the game winning homer is Game Six of the 75 World Series as Fisk wills the ball fair. Edges out...
...Rick Dempsey. Way back in early 80s I believe, he entertained Fenway faithful during a rainout by stuffing towels under his shirt to imitate a portly Babe Ruth and then pointed towards the stands as if emulating the Babe calling a home run shot. When the BP pitcher subsequently fed him a fastball he drilled it over the fence and then as no one was fielding he sloshed around 3rd base and hydroplaned into home. :aktion033 He was a helluva defensive catcher, too.
First base - George the Boomer Scott. He took the mightiest cuts ever for Home Runs and then despite his overweight was slick fielding, he had his glove the Black Widow where line drives went to die. Willie Stargell was better player but not as colorful.
Second Base - Joe Morgan. I hated him at the time cause he was on the Big Red Machine but one of the greatest all-round baseball players when he was in his prime. Hit for average, power, drive runs in, great speed, flawless fielding, totally clutch. If anything, my respect has grown over the years as he is baseball's best analyst.
Shortstop - Robin Yount. In major leagues at age of 19, great offensively and defensively, too. Edges out my hometown bias of Rico Petrocelli and Nomar Graciaparra.
Third Base - George Brett. Clutch player, what a competitor. Two plays define him, the famous pine tar incident and the playoff game with the Yankees when Nettles put a hard tag on him and Brett came up swinging, starting as they used to say, "a donnybrook".
Okay, no use in pretending, I am a "homer"
Left Field: Yaz. Triple Crown Winner and shameless plug for Fenway Franks "they plump when you cook 'em" during my youth. Boston icon.
Center Field: Mickey Mantle and Kirby Puckett edge out Fred Lynn. Mickey once hit a home run while totally hungover, explaining that when he saw three balls coming in at home plate, he just swung at the one in the middle. Never saw him in his prime, because he in his rookie year he stepped on the manhole cover in the World Series that forever robbed him of his exceptional speed (health care was not the same back then).
Kirby had one of the all-time clutch World Series in 1991 when the Twins won, clutch HR and clutch HR saving catches.
Lynn was Rookie of the Year and MVP of 1975. Was a defensive back at USC and supposedly a better athlete than Lynn Swann.
Right Field: Dwight Evans. Maybe the best combination of fielding and throwing arm ever. And as he got older he could hit for power and average, great on base percentage. I'm not saying he was in Barry Bonds' class, but he had similarities in that he could do everything.
Backup fielder: Bernie Carbo. In Game 6 of 75 World Series hit the pinch hit homer to tie it. Had Mighty Joe Young, the stuffed gorilla as his good luck charm. They used to say that out in the bullpen in Fenway, Bernie had his own grass gorwing.
Right Hand Pitcher: Orel Hershiser - The Bulldog. No way he LA could've won the Series in 88? without the dominant stretch run of this self-professed concave -chested pencil neck. All - time clutch performance ever down the stretch and against Mets and A's.
Left Hand Pitcher: Bill Lee - the Spaceman. Admitted that he used marijuana but subsequently clarifed that he only sprinkled it on his buckwheat pancakes. After taking himself out of a 7 inning 2 ER start in World Series explained to reporters that the reason was he had a blister on his thumb that was entirely psychosymatic - only Lee could see it cause it didn't really exist.
Relief Pitcher - Tug McGraw. Greatest quote ever. When asked what he did with his share of the World Series winnings when the Mets won back in 73, he said, "80% of the winnings I spent on whiskey, song and women, the rest I just squandered". Rest in Peace.
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>WR</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Don Beebe</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>LB</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Cornelius Bennett</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>LB</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Ray Bentley</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>LB</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Shane Conlan</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>QB</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Jim Kelly</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>WR</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Andre Reed</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>RB</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Thurman Thomas</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>DE</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Bruce Smith</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>C</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Kent Hull</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>QB</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Jim Kelly</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>WR</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Andre Reed</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>RB</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Thurman Thomas</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>DE</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Bruce Smith</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>C</TD><TD align=right></TD><TD align=left>Kent Hull</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
