"Now batting......the left fielder....#39.....Mike....Greenwell..."

So tonight I was flipping through the tv channels after Dancing with the Stars ended, in an attempt to find something to watch, and I came across the 2008 Red Sox Hall of Fame inductions on NESN. Unfortunately, I only caught half of the show, as DWTS runs to 9:30, and the HOF show started at 9pm. The thing that bugs me even more is the fact that I missed my most favorite baseball player ever, whom I haven't seen in years.


Maurice (Mo) Vaughn


Along with Maurice (Mo) Vaughn, who was our "Big Papi" before David Ortiz hit Boston, Mike Greenwell was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame.


Mike Greenwell, my favorite of all time!!

"The Gator", good ole' #39, was the one player that really caught my attention when I was a kid, and solidified my heart in Red Sox Nation. He came up from the minor league Pawtucket Red Soxs, back in the fall of 1986 and played well enough to earn the full time spot in 1987. Greenwell, along with center fielder Ellis Burks, and shortstop Jody Reed were the new, young faces of the BoSox that year, and had me glued to the television set every game I could watch. I believe it was in 1988, that he had an incredible year, in which I feel he should have won the American League Most Valuable Player, but he was overlooked by Major League Baseball, and they picked the steroid freak, Jose Canseco!!


Mike, you totally got jipped!!


Sadly, the front office felt in the 1990's that they could let Greenwell(Japan), Burks(San Fran), Reed(San Diego), and Vaughn(Anahiem) go over the years. Everyone knows that Red Sox fans tend to get attached to certain players, and the ones I've mentioned were some of the many players that I became attached to over the years. But then again, if it hadn't of happened, we wouldn't have seen the other players come up through the minor league system, or get traded for over the years, that we became attached to also. We would have never seen Manny in Left, Nomar at short, and many other players that came to replace our one time favorite players. Hopefully, the Red Sox Nation will one day induct another one of my favorite players who wore "Red Sox" on their chest, to the HOF, John Valentin, who was an awesome middle infielder, who went over to third base so that Nomar Garciaparra could play shortstop. Valentin was another well balanced, productive player who gave it his all throughout each and every year he put on the uniform.


John Valentin #13

Oh.....wait, and how about Trot Nixon, "the Dirt Dawg", and...never mind, my list could go on and on and on of my favorites.


The Dirt Dawg, Trot Nixon... #7

That's when you know you're a Sox fan, when you can recall many, many players who kept you glued to that ball game on tv!

Congratulations Mike and Mo!!