2012 Bowman Shaq Thompson

Oh, come on, I couldn't resist this opportunity with the Super Bowl around the corner, could I? The story of Shaq Thompson is pretty well known: Red Sox farmhand who went 0-for-39 with 37 strikeouts in the Gulf Coast League before deciding that football might be a better occupation. You can read more about Mr. Thompson's baseball career here.

By the "WTF did I get myself into?!" look on his face in this pic, I'm guessing he was at about 0-for-30 or 31 at this point.

That said, there are a ton of kids out there who would likely give up their Alexi Ogando autograph collection for a couple weeks in the lowest rung of the minor leagues. As the folks who run the lottery like to say: "You can't win if you don't play."

(An aside: Isn't it amazing all these athletes who were born in the 90s and named for Shaquille O'Neal? I wonder how many parents named their kids for His Shaqness in the hope that having his name might somehow access his awesome powers? I wonder how many parents were/are disappointed?)

1955 Topps Frank Malzone; 1986 Topps Traded Dave Henderson

It's been a while. Let's try to get back into the swing on things.

The last few days have been rough for Sox fans, with the sudden losses of postseason star Dave Henderson and ace third baseman Frank Malzone. I believe Malzone was associated with the Red Sox for close to 70 years in one capacity or another, except for a brief stint with the Angels in 1966. His picture was still in the Red Sox' yearbook as recently as this year.

My favorite line about Malzone comes from the Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, just because it sums up the sorry state of the Sox of that era:

"Malzone scored 107 runs for Milford in the Eastern Shore League in 1948, but didn't make the majors for only nine years after that because of a serious injury, military service, assorted bad luck, and the fact that the Red Sox were run for much of the 1950s by morons."

Malzone's rookie card is in the 1955 Bowman set; he and Elston Howard are the most notable rookies in that set. Above is what his 1955 Topps card might have looked like if he had had one. And yes, the small pic is from his 1964 Topps Stand-Up card, a mere nine years later. Best I could do.

In 1957, Malzone was the third baseman on the very first Gold Glove team (there was one combined AL/NL that year only), and is still the only Sox third baseman to win a Gold Glove (sorry, Shea Hillenbrand or Jack Brohamer fans). 

We all know about Hendu and his 1986 ALCS homer. Part of me has always wished he had just made an out to end Game 5; it would have saved a lot of heartbreak later on. On the other hand, in the words of Wayne Brady, it's go big or go home. If you want to win the World Series or the Super Bowl, you're going to have to risk losing in dramatic fashion. If you can't take the heat, go move to Cleveland or something. 

Besides, that homer -- especially with Al Michaels' dramatic call -- puts a smile to my face every time. The photo on his hypothetical '86 Topps card is from that homer. 

1976 Topps World Series (Game 7)

So near, but so far. What impressed me about the '75 Reds was how they bounced back after such a devastating Game 6 loss, when they could have easily folded, much like the '86 Sox or '91 Braves or '13 Spurs. OK, the Braves one might be a little unfair, but still: most teams that suffer a dramatic Game 6 defeat lose Game 7.

And while the Red Sox lost, there was such an incredible feeling of optimism, as anyone who has read Peter Gammons' book/bible "Beyond the Sixth Game" knows. With all that young talent, they were going to be back again and again, right? But of course, as the book says at the end, "tomorrow never came." 

1976 Topps World Series (Game 6)

Really, what more can I add about this game that you don't already know? It's Game 6, it's Carlton Fisk, it's the church bells ringing in Charlestown, N.H. Is there anything profound or thought-provoking I can provide to the discussion? No. So sit back and enjoy the moment!

2010 Topps Heritage Anthony Rizzo

We're going to take a break from our '75 World Series retrospecticus, as the real '75 Series endured an off-day and three straight rainouts. 

Oh, this card breaks my heart. I see this creation and visions of Bart Giamatti's "The Green Fields of the Mind" sling through my head. I see this and I feel like a high schooler dumped at his prom. 

One of the reasons for the Red Sox' post-2007 decline is their lack of long-term thinking. WE-MUST-WIN-NOW!!! This despite three World Series titles, which you think would buy some patience from the Nation. 

And promising young players such as David Murphy, Jose Igleseas, Hanley Ramirez and Justin Masterson are thoughtlessly dumped for the latest shiny object. (Of course, Ramirez and Masterson returned to the Sox after they ceased to be of any use anywhere else.) 

To that list we can add Mr. Rizzo, who was shipped to the Padres as part of the Adrian Gonzalez debacle in 2011 after a decent-but-promising .263/.334/.481 slash at Portland. What's mind-blowing, of course, is that the Padres dumped Rizzo to the Cubs after one year despite a .331/.404/.652 slash in Triple-A. Well, the Padres haven't done much the last few years, either. (Andrew Cashner, who went to the Padres for Rizzo, was 6-16, 4.34 for San Diego this year. Oops.) 

Yeah, I know the Sox have won three World Series titles and I have no right to complain. But it's like looking at the career stats of Ted Williams or Junior Griffey. They're great, but you also wonder what might have been. Think about that when you see Han-Ram butchering the baseball at first base next year at Fenway while Rizzo challenges for a Triple Crown at Wrigley.

1976 Topps World Series (Game 5)

Tony Perez, who had been 0-for-15 through the first four games of the 1975 World Series, couldn't be held silent any longer, as blasted two homers and put the Red Sox on the brink (just as the card above says).

Perez is, I believe, one of two members of the '75 Reds who went on to play for the Red Sox (Jack Billingham was the other). His election to the Hall of Fame in 2000 was not met with universal praise, as he was considered a guy who piled up tons of RBIs and benefitted from the great table-setters in front of him in the batting order (Rose, Morgan). Baseball-reference's JAWS leaders has Doggie ranked as the 27th-best first baseman of all time, behind the likes of Keith Hernandez, John Olerud and Will Clark, who are more likely to be inducted into the Hall of Pretty Darn Good than Cooperstown any time soon. 

Still, being a fondly remembered member of a great team isn't too shabby, even if it shouldn't automatically make you a hall of famer.

In five days: Game 6. You might have heard about this one.

1976 Topps World Series (Game 4)

Pitch counts weren't a big deal in the 1970s, but even the most grizzled fans were impressed by Luis Tiant's 163-pitch, complete-game effort as the Red Sox evened the '75 series at two games apiece.

Remember what I said in my Game 1 post about baseball card magazine writers complaining about how 1980s-90s baseball wasn't what it was in the 1950s-60s? For fans who grew up on '70s baseball, this is one of their smoking guns when they complain about how today's baseball isn't what it used to be. Let's face it: Some pitchers' arms are indestructible, and others' will fall off at the slightest wear and tear. And pitch count or not, Luis Tiant  (who was allegedly 34 during the series) had a bionic arm.

Tomorrow: Game 5.