Comments on: Tim Wakefield would consider playing for another team

By: BC

BC — Wed, 11 May 2011 17:35:55 +0000

Nope. Stairs is 6 months younger than me.

By: BC

BC — Wed, 11 May 2011 17:33:23 +0000

Thank you folks. That would have bothered me all day.

By: heynerdlinger

heynerdlinger — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:43:33 +0000

When you tell the same stories for 50-odd years, they tend to stick with you.

By: aceshigh11

aceshigh11 — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:17:35 +0000

Add Johnny Pesky to the list as well.

He’s 91, and still sharp as a tack. I saw him being interviewed a couple of years ago and couldn’t believe his age, because he was recalling events and telling stories like they happened yesterday.

By: deathmonkey41

deathmonkey41 — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:13:15 +0000

Wakefield should just retire and become Aaron Boone’s personal b1tch!

By: Jack Marshall

Jack Marshall — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:04:28 +0000

I’d say there’s no basis for doubting Wakefield. His first start was terrific; his second was undermined by a lot of sloppy singles and lousy fielding, though he was clearly not sharp. Two starts and a couple of mop-up jobs are hardly a fair test. Lackey looks like he is missing a lot more from his former skill set than Wakefield.

By: Detroit Michael

Detroit Michael — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:03:22 +0000

Bobby Doerr. He’s 93 years old, still alive (according to Baseball-Reference.com anyway), is a Hall of Famer, and spent his entire playing career with Boston.

By: BC

BC — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:49:52 +0000

Here’s a good one. Who is the oldest great or really good Red Sox player still alive. I was going to say Dom Dimaggio, but I did my homework, and sadly he had passed away in 2009. We’re close to getting into Yaz territory, but he’s only 71. There’s gotta be someone older.

By: yankeesfanlen

yankeesfanlen — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:39:32 +0000

To resolve a question posed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old-Timers'_Day

Grumpy and Beewp-beep will have their afternoon filled with activites.

By: cur68

cur68 — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:10:01 +0000

No, don’t staple Lackey to the bench. He’s due up tonight against my beaver boys. Since it’s Jesse Hagar Litsch going up against the noticeably improved Sox hitting, we need Lackey on the mound to have a chance. Frankly Wakefield isn’t much better at the moment, but Bautista needs fastballs to keep lining shots over the left field fence in a reliable and predictable manner.

By: BC

BC — Wed, 11 May 2011 13:58:11 +0000

Actually, Matt Stairs might be older than me. I’ll have to look.

By: BC

BC — Wed, 11 May 2011 13:57:19 +0000

When he was with the Pirates and first with the Red Sox, he could hit 80 – albeit once or twice a game. I doubt he can hit 70 now.
The knuckler just seems to hang a lot more than even a couple years ago. Maybe they need to use him more out of the pen? Or like you said, staple Lackey to the bench.

By: Jack Marshall

Jack Marshall — Wed, 11 May 2011 13:51:12 +0000

Wake’s fast ball never hit 80, unless the wind was behind him. And his knuckler was always a 50-50 proposition. The problem this year and last is that it’s a feel pitch, and the less he pitches, the less effective the knuckler is likely to be. Right now I’d rather see him out there every 5 days than John Lackey.

I saw the first two Old Timer’s games; I believe the Red Sox have had three total. In the second one, I believe, Smoky Joe Wood “threw” out the first pitch.

By: BC

BC — Wed, 11 May 2011 13:25:59 +0000

His knuckleball used to drop off the table. Now its a 50-50 proposition. And he’s no longer to mix in an 80 mph fastball with those 60 mph knucklers.
But he CAN’T retire. Either he stays active the rest of this year, and then Moyer comes back next year, or I’m officially old. I think they’re the only 2 active players older than me (43 going on 44).