Small-Time Golf Talks Baseball

by Craig Small

I remember as a kid growing up in New England that I could always count on my beloved Red Sox putting the same lineup on the field night after night, season after season. I knew I was going to see Jerry Remy, Rick Burleson, Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, Carlton Fisk, Carl Yastrzemski, and for a few glorious seasons, Freddie Lynn. Late in the game I could expect to see Bob Stanley make his way in from the bullpen to keep the game from slipping away from the always shaking pitching staff. If the Royals were in town I knew I was going to see George Brett, Willie Wilson, Hal McRae, Frank White, and Dan Quisenberry. I think you know where I’m going with this. It’s a little strange being a fan in the new era of professional baseball.

I got home tonight in time to watch the Dodger game on my Roku box with the MLB package. I got it pretty much so I could watch Dodger games and listen to Vin Scully for however long he has left in the booth. Just his voice brings me back to my childhood watching the Game Of The Week on lazy summer afternoons with Scully and Garagiola calling the game. Listening to Scully call a game (on his own!!) is like getting to spend three hours a night with a loving grandfather regaling me with stories of the glory days of baseball. Tonight I got home in time to catch the first inning and see Adrian Gonzalez drill a three-run homer down the line into the right field bleachers. The camera scanned the Dodger dugout and I saw Josh Beckett, for years the rock of the Sox pitching staff, looking strange in Dodger blue. Look, I know things have changed. Hell, the Red Sox grabbed Gonzalez and Crawford by throwing boatloads of cash at them a couple of years ago and managed to get Beckett (and Mike Lowell) during one of the Florida (Miami) Marlins annual fire sales. Just two seasons after making headlines with the acquisitions of Gonzalez and Crawford, they’re both gone. I should be used to this by now. I’m not.

What brings this up? Well I go to see my parents every weekend and my dad and I usually find the time to get in a game or two of APBA Baseball. Tonight he was Texas and I was the Red Sox. We used the 2011 teams and I decided to give Beckett the start for old times sake. He pitched a hell of a game. Seven innings, two hits, no runs. Bard pitched the eighth, and Papelbon closed it out in the ninth. Ortiz homered in the seventh for a Red Sox 1-0 victory. As we were playing I looked at my lineup and something struck me, hard.

1. Ellsbury CF
2. Pedroia 2B
3. Gonzalez 1B
4. Ortiz DH
5. Youkilis 3B
6. Reddick LF
7. Scutaro SS
8. Drew RF
9. Varitek C

Starting Pitcher: Beckett
Relief: Bard
Closer: Papelbon

Of the twelve players that appeared in the game for me this afternoon only three are still with the major league team. THREE. Eight of them are now either retired or gone and one is in the minors. God, I miss Remy, Burleson, Rice, Evans, Fisk, and Yaz.

Oh, and you damn kids get off of my lawn!

8 Comments:

  1. Craig,
    Agree with your sentiment wholeheartedly.

    “God, I miss Remy, Burleson, Rice, Evans, Fisk, and Yaz.”

    The 1977 Red Sox was one of the first replays I actually finished. I wish I still had the stats. It was back when I was in high school.

    Lots of power and hitting and NO speed. :)

    Tom

  2. Tom/Craig

    I well remember listening to the Bosox and ’77 was one of my first replays also… I remember celebrating the day I got to use Don Aase (OMG a C starter!).

  3. My beloved Red Sox have some great young players in the pipeline. I have really enjoyed watching Will Middlebrooks and Pedro Ciriaco this year but I’m afraid to get too attached to them. How long until they’re thrown into a trade for a big name pitcher?

    Good news today! Vin Scully re-upped for another season. Looks like I’ll be renewing my MLB package.

    • Please explain Roku and the MLB Package. I have DirecTV and Extra Innings plus the sports package so I can watch Pre-Game Shows, because it seems all I want to watch is baseball.

      As for lineups, I recall playing with my favorite team, ’76 Reds and what I recall as a classic picture with the lineup kneeling around a kneeling Johnny Bench. Good Times!
      Just Google Images “Big Red Machine” and you will see the picture.

      Nice article,

      Steve

      • Hi, Steve

        Roku is a very small box that you connect to your TV to watch streaming content. I subscribe to the MLB TV package which allows me to watch streaming games (except for my local team) on my TV, iPhone, iPad, or computer. I used an ethernet cable to conect my router to the Roku (www.roku.com) and an HDMI cable from the Roku to my TV. The picture is a nice sharp HD quality picture . I love it. The ethernet connection gives you a much better picture than wi-fi streaming.

        Craig

      • Steve,

        Oh, by the way. The Big Red Machine is kind of a sore subject around Sox fans. :-)

        Craig

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