Red Sox 1-36: 8 is for…

Retired number 8

Carl Yastrzemski. Yaz. There’s probably not a lot I can say about this Hall of Famer that hasn’t already been said. He’s clearly one of the best players in Red Sox history, as well as the game itself.

I’m too young to really remember Yaz. My only recollection of him, as I’ve probably said before, is of that guy on the team who looked really old. I’m guessing I saw him play once live. I have a scorebook from the 1983 season, but can’t be sure he actually played in the game I attended. I should probably try and figure out the exact date. I may need to add him to my “seen live” list. But, that’s my only connection to him as a player.

Since he’s retired, I’ve seen him at Fenway a few times. At the All-Century presentation at the 1999 ASG. He got to help raise the World Championship banner on Opening Day 2005. He threw out the first pitch last year. That’s about it. My second trip to Cooperstown was during the year he was inducted. (Oddly, I’ve been to Cooperstown three times, and coincidentally a Red Sox player has been inducted during each year)

That’s apparently just the way he likes it. For such a great player, who could be so much more beloved, he likes to stay out of the spotlight. That’s certainly his prerogative. If he doesn’t want to be paraded all over the place every three months, I can’t blame him. But it’s also the reason I’m having trouble coming up with much of a spark for this entry. That’s too bad. I should have stories flowing all over the place about such a wonderful player. Alas, that’s not the case.

8 is for Number 8, Carl Yastrzemski.