Boston Red Sox forgotten gems
By Rick McNair
The Boston Red Sox have a long list of players who were noted contributors but generally forgotten. Here are a few of my selections.
For the last 20 seasons, the Boston Red Sox have had some remarkable players who were All-Stars and a few who may end up in the Hall of Fame. Stars of great magnitude, wealth and certainly ones that have created a cottage industry of books. A big assist goes to three championships and players that get associated with special consideration. Dave Roberts will never have employment worries if he relocated to Boston.
Roberts is a player noted for one very special moment, but others for a series of special moments – David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett and many, many more that are considered stars. They get all the attention at duck boat parades. But what about the others?
Ever since I started to follow and be pained by the local baseball entry starting around 1954 I have had a special attraction to those players, not on the high elevated plateau of stardom, but competent professionals who have their limitations yet perform respectably for several seasons in Boston or elsewhere.
The names may be recognized or send you to a baseball site to find out who they were? Troy O’Leary, Ike Delock, Dalton Jones, Mike Andrews and Marty Barrett are a few who were never All-Stars but may – at times – have been close. They simply were the supporting cast. If it was Playbill they would be in the small type versus the bold type of the stars.
The last twenty years have added to my list of such players. Overachievers? Underachievers? All subjective, but they had some qualities that I respected for their ability to get what I saw as the most out of a limited skill set.
The players I will profile played within their limits and in some instances had a certain level of savior faire that would still bring a smile when their names are mentioned.