All-Fenway Team

As part of their yearlong 100th birthday celebration for Fenway Park, the Red Sox are constructing an all-Fenway team. It’s a fun idea. (I’d like to give a quick hat tip to two-time Scavenger Hunt Champion Jere for bringing this event to my attention.) As with all teams such as this, the meaning is limited. But, it’s a way to be involved with the celebration. The Sox have listed fourteen “positions” for the team, and allow fans to vote on the best player at each position. The voting will be open for different positions at different times during the first half of the season over at http://www.fenwaypark100.com/. Right now, voting is open for left-handed starting pitcher, and right-handed starting pitcher. Who did I vote for? I thought you’d never ask.

For the right-handed pitcher, the ballot lists: Roger Clemens, Dennis Eckersley, Tex Hughson, Jim Lonborg, Pedro Martinez, Bill Monbouquette, Luis Tiant, Tim Wakefield, and Smoky Joe Wood.

Wow. What a great list of talent. Right away, you can see that the nature of the team is going to play a role. There’s no Cy Young on the list, since he never played in Fenway Park. From there, is prolonged success better than quick brilliance? I don’t know if any of the pitchers had a season like Smoky Joe Wood did in 1912. But, that was all he had. He, actually, only pitched four seasons in Fenway himself. I know it’s probably not a surprise, but I have to go with Pedro in this one. If I had an all-time Sox team, he’s probably my starting pitcher. Can’t change it up now. Even if Clemens weren’t evil, the end of his Sox career wasn’t really the stuff of legends. The rest of the group is great pitchers, but someone has to win.

For the left-handers, the ballot includes: Ray Collins, Lefty Grove, Bruce Hurst, Bill Lee, Dutch Leonard, Jon Lester, Mel Parnell, Herb Pennock, and Babe Ruth.

I’ll admit. Those names don’t do a whole lot for me. I went with Lefty Grove, almost by default. He, Ruth, and Pennock are the only Hall-of-Famers. Grove had the better years with the Sox.

So, there are my first two members on the team.

Are they the same as yours?