The Tao of Fred McGriff - Day 10

Back in 2003, the popular rumor in Boston was that the Red Sox, White Sox, and Rangers were going to put together a three-team trade that would send Manny Ramirez to Texas, Nomar Garciaparra to Chicago, and Magglio Ordonez and Alex Rodriguez to Boston. Nobody knows for sure what would've happened had that trade gone through, but for a minute or two there I could see A-Rod and Ordonez in Sox uniforms.

There have been other players whom I thought would end up on the Sox one way or another (Todd Helton is at the top of that list), but one guy I never saw on the Red Sox was Fred McGriff. Maybe it's because I was raised on the Lou Gorman-led Sox ("What would we do with Willie McGee?"), but the Sox already had Mo Vaughn at first. What would we have done with Fred McGriff?

My grandfather grew up in a small town in South Dakota. His sisters were the switchboard operators for the town, and his father the postman and local semi-pro baseball team manager. He likes to tell the story of how, towards the end of one season, his father lured a star pitcher away from a rival team. And then, instead of pitching him in the big games that followed, kept him on the bench. When asked why he would do that, my grandfather laughs and says that his dad had the luxury of not using the star pitcher--as long as he wasn't pitching for the other team.

And when the A-Rod and Ordonez trades fell through, what did the Yankees do? Did they say "Why do we need A-Rod when we already have Derek Jeter?"

This is one of those little things that we with the Lou Gorman mindset never figure out: having Mo Vaughn at first and Fred McGriff, be it at DH or lounging on the bench, perhaps could've pushed the Sox closer to the pennant. Instead we defensively scoff at even considering the possibility.

Card Notes – January 23

Where to begin, where to begin… Seems we’ve got a number of irons in the fire: 1990s Countdown, The 792, finishing The Baseball Card Book, and everything else that pops up now and then. I also have another checklisting idea that I’m itching to dive into, though I’m going to have to wait for the finish of The 792 before I start. Don’t want to have two going at once.

But first, a few notes.


About Emailing Me
You know, one of the (many) perks of writing The Baseball Card Blog is getting emails from readers. To date I’ve received over 300 stories, messages, and questions from readers around the country and around the world. That’s pretty awesome.

The reason I bring this up is because in real life I am truly a terrible correspondent. It usually takes me an unreasonable amount of time to respond to people about even the most basic questions.

So if you have a question about baseball cards, by all means, send me an email. Just be warned that it may take me a while to get back to you. Thanks.


Tags
One of the things I didn’t do when I started writing was tag each post with keywords. I find this incredibly helpful on other sites (like Cardboard Junkie) and have to admit that The Baseball Card Blog would be better off with tagged posts. That’s why I’ve decided to go back and add tags for the 400 or so posts on the site, dating back to January 2006. Look for these to pop up in the next month or so.


Links
I forgot to mention this earlier. I get a lot of emails about other people wanting me to link to their sites/blogs. I appreciate these emails, and like to think that many of them got their inspiration to go forth and write from The Baseball Card Blog (though I’m often not that vain). This ties back into the thing from before: It takes me a while to respond to emails, and truthfully, I rarely update my links. If you notice, I’ve still got a note announcing A Pack A Day as a new group blog, even though we’ve had it up and running since September.

Also, on the topic of links, the blogroll on A Pack A Day is limited for a reason. With the exception of Beckett, these are individual blogs written by APAD writers. If you’re interested in joining in the APAD madness, email me. (I promise I’ll get back to you in a timely manner.)


Also
I’m formulating my argument as to why Topps Heritage ’59 should be Heritage’s last issue. Look for a long-winded ramble coming soon.

And finally, a bit of humor before I cough up the next hundred or so numbers in The 792.

Tonight Let's Feel Sorry for... Guys with Unfortunate Names
Guys like Don Mossi, the triumphant Marty Feldman-esque Mona Lisa of Cardboard (and stellar pitcher for Cleveland and Detroit in the Fifties and Sixties), and Willie McGee, the superstar Cardinal outfielder who never met a mirror he liked, were ugly. There's no question about this (much has been documented on these subjects). And while ugliness haunted their every move off the field, people forgot about it when they were tiny specks in a big stadium.

But every so often a player comes along for whom you must truly feel bad all the time. I'm talking about guys like Dick Pole, John Butcher, Doc Medich, and all those players with unfortunate names. Sport, as a cross-section of society, is littered with this kind of misfit. By comparison, ugliness ain't so bad.