Don’t let old acquaintances be forgot

January 4th, 2007 → 11:51 am @ // No Comments

I have a soft spot for Red Sox second basemen. There’s Jerry Remy, of course (I refuse, on principle, to call him Rem Dawg), the power-hitting second baseman I grew up with and perhaps the smartest baseball broadcaster in the game. I spent much of the ’03 playoffs screaming “Toddie Wahker” in a remarkably obnoxious Boston accent…which likely would have resulted in a beating had Walker not morphed into the second coming of Babe Ruth. Mark Bellhorn — he of the shaggy hair and bedroom eyes — was another favorite, and I’m glad he got an SI cover out of the ’04 playoffs; he should rightly have been the WS MVP. And even though Mark Loretta was incredibly overrated — give a guy an All-Star berth and all of a sudden there are folks who think he actually is an All-Star caliber player — I liked him, too.

It looks like he’ll be manning second for Houston. Now I can’t wait for DP to turn into ’07’s sleeper hero.


Post Categories: Dustin Pedroia & Mark Loretta

6 Comments → “Don’t let old acquaintances be forgot”


  1. yerfatma

    17 years ago

    I like to think of that dead period in the early ’90s as “The Scott Fletcher Years”; he was the only one who seemed to be trying on a daily basis. You may remember him when he made his triumphant return as Jeff Frye. I think he’d been in the NWA or WCW in the interim as a bad guy.

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  2. PatsFanDK

    17 years ago

    I’ve actually thought of Pedroia as a player in the Frye/Fletcher (were they really the same guy?!) mold – I’m expecting .275, 5 hr, 45-50 rbi…anything more in ’07 is a bonus.

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  3. HFXBOB

    17 years ago

    I think I saw that Bellhorn has been released by San Diego. He looks to be at the end of the line, which is too bad. The guy was a decent fielder and had a lot of power, but as Joe Morgan said on ESPN, he had ‘holes in his swing’ that resulted in too many strikeouts. Bellhorn certainly had a run with those 8 RBI’s in 4 games starting at ALCS game 6. One of my favorite moments was the home run he hit in game 7 against the Yankees. It eased some of the nerves caused by the Yankees rally against Pedro and with the clang it made against the metal screen in right field it might have been literally the loudest home run ever hit.

    I think the clang you’re thinking of was off of Pesky Pole in Game 1 of the WS…

    — Seth

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  4. HFXBOB

    17 years ago

    Bellhorn’s game winning homer in game 1 of the WS hit the Pesky Pole, but the one he hit in game 7 of the ALCS hit a metal screen that is inside the right field foul pole in Yankee Stadium. When they replayed it Buck and McCarver commented on the incredibly loud sound it made. I know this because I forked over big bucks for the DVD set and I have been trying to get my money’s worth.

    Ah, got it. I think I just always associate clang with the pole — maybe because some writer (Boswell?) described it as the sound of a porch door being shut.
    — Seth

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  5. carnett

    17 years ago

    Wow, Loretta over rated.. what the hell is that? We have been tortured with the likes of Walker, Reese, and the killer in the two hole Bellhorn! Then one day they get rid of Mirabelli and get a true second baseman! This guy can hit, he can field, hard to strikeout, great teammate(this is biggy for Seth!), clutch when given the chance, great family man, loves Boston, and to top it off he get’s ellected to the All-Star game. So the Boston Braintrust decide to move forward and not resign him for the low price of 1million a year, thats right ONE MILLION!! Instead the Braintrust will go with Corky Thatcher at 2nd this year, because his potential OBP is good. Come on!!!!

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  6. Nordberg

    17 years ago

    Loretter played at Northwestern with my brother-in-law, who says the guy did everything asked of him and more. He always came to play baseball. He played almost every position. he played hurt and never complained. And I think he would have stayed in Boston for food money. I know his skills are deteriorating and he’s probably a cup of coffee from being out of baseball, but the man is a professional baseball player. I hate like hell to see him go. I would have found a way to keep him. Yes, I’m sentimental that way.

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