Happy 36th Birthday Lenny DiNardo!

Ok. Quick confession. This is the second post I wrote today. The first one was a glowing retelling of DiNardo's huge contribution to the Red Sox. After all, I wrote. Not many people remember that he was actually the winning pitcher in game four of the 2004 ALCS. Without that win, after all, who knows what would have happened to the Sox since then? Many of you may have noticed the tragic flaw in that post.

That wasn't Lenny DiNardo.

It was Curtis Leskanic who got the win when David Ortiz drove home Manny Ramirez to avert the sweep.

So, I'm left with an interesting question. What did Lenny DiNardo do? I mean, I don't wish every Red Sox player even a happy birthday. Sometimes I go down the list, and can't think of anything worthwhile to say about the player. But, when I saw DiNardo's name, my eyes lit up. It was like seeing the name of an old friend. I knew he was a player I would recognize. But why?

It's not because if the ALCS. He didn't pitch in game one of the World Series that year, so I didn't see him there. Looking back at old scorecards, I can only find one game I was at where he pitched. It was an unremarkable inning in an unremarkable game. So, there's no fond memories of him trotting out from the bullpen.

The only thing I can find is that he was a member of the 2004 Red Sox. He has a ring to prove it. (Well, I assume he still has it.) And, frankly, that is enough for me to wish a player a happy 36th birthday. With DiNardo, though, it just feels like there's more.

Anyone else have a DiNardo memory that I'm forgetting?

In any case...

Happy 36th Birthday Lenny DiNardo!