100 Greatest Red Sox: #44 Tex Hughson

This is the third article I have written for the "Top 100 Red Sox" blog. (http://top100redsox.blogspot.com). It is a countdown of the Top 100 Red Sox players of all-time, with a profile of each written by a Red Sox blogger. I have previously written profiles about Johnny Damon and Bill Monbouquette. This one is about the 1940s Red Sox star pitcher Tex Hughson.

Tex Hughson, P, #21 (1941-1949)
96 W - 54 L, 17 Saves, 225 G, 99 CG, 693 K, 2.94 ERA, All-Star (1942-1944)

He was a tall, lanky righthander from the state of Texas. He wore number 21, like another tall Texan would also at Fenway four decades later. Cecil Carlton Hughson first arrived at Fenway Park in April of 1941. He was a power/control pitcher who went to the University of Texas at Austin, and was known to all his friends in Boston as "Tex." He would have some sensational years for the Red Sox in the early-to-mid 1940s, and it looked like he would anchor the Red Sox staff for years to come and maybe was on his way to the Hall of Fame.

But fate would intervene.

Tex Hughson was born in Buda, Texas on February 9, 1916. He was the cousin of Jack Creel, who pitched briefly for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1945. He was best known as a fearless competitor on the mound who was not adverse to throwing inside on hitters, mixing in a hard fastball and an overhand curveball. He would also at times mix in a knuckleball to his repetoire, and was known to throw maybe four or five in a game. He starred at the University of Texas at Austin, and first made it to the majors with the Red Sox at the start of the 1941 season.

The next season, Hughson led the American League in wins, posting a 22-6 record with a 2.59 ERA, and also leading the league in strikeouts (113), complete games (22), and innings pitched (281.0). It would be his finest year in the majors, and he finished sixth in the AL MVP voting. In 1943, he won 12 games with 114 strikeouts, a 2.64 ERA, and again led the league in complete games (20). He had an 18-5 mark in 1944, topping the league in winning percentage (.783) and also reached a career-best ERA of 2.26. He was selected to the AL All-Star team three straight years, from 1942-1944.

Hughson spent 1945 in military service, but when he returned for the 1946 season, he picked up from where he left off. Hughson won 20 games in 1946, led the league in fewest walks per nine innings (1.65), set a career high in strikeouts with 179, and completed 30 of 35 starts. He and Dave "Boo" Ferriss, who won 25 games, were a tremendous 1-2 starting combination in leading the Red Sox to their first American League championship in 28 years.

Hughson pitched in three World Series games against St. Louis that fall, with mixed results. He started very well in Game 1 and got a no-decision in a game the Sox won in extra innings, 3-2; he got hit hard and left in the third inning and got the loss in Game 4 as St. Louis won, 12-3; and he relieved in Game 6, in a game the Cardinals would tie the series (and go on and win the next day).

But throughout the height of his big league career, Tex Hughson pitched in pain. Finally by 1947, arm and shoulder problems caught up with him. He made just 26 starts that year, going 12-11 with a 3.33 ERA in 189 innings. In 1948, Hughson was limited to just 15 relief appearances, and the next season he would make just 2 starts in 29 appearances. He threw less than 100 innings combined those two years. After that 1949 season, he forced to retire at the age of 33.

In an eight-year career, Hughson posted a 96-54 record with 693 strikeouts and a 2.94 ERA in 1375.2 innings. His control was so good, and he recorded an effective 1.86 K-to-BB ratio (693-to-372).

After retiring from baseball in 1949, Hughson returned to his native Texas and became a real estate developer. He lived in San Marcos until his death on August 6, 1993, from kidney failure, at the age of 77. He was survived by his wife, three children and six grandchildren.

His career was one of those many "what could have been if he stayed healthy" stories. Tex Hughson may not have made it to baseball's Hall of Fame, but he was selected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2002.

John Quinn is a writer who lives in New York City and runs the web site, "The Mighty Quinn Media Machine," and writes for the Red Sox fan site, Bornintoit.com, as "Brooklyn Sox Fan."

Tonight's Trivia Lineup

The weather has taken a really frigid turn once again, and I hope it won't effect tonight's Trivia crowd. We've been getting a pretty loyal following, so hopefully we'll have a good contest.

We will debut another new feature tonight, a category called "IQ." It will be a five-question, multiple choice category of difficult questions worth four points apiece. It will be the fourth category tonight, and the other four will be Current Events, This Day In History, True Or False (once again "The Q Train" lightning round) and General Knowledge.

Hope many of you will brave the cold and come out tonight!

Is It Really 25 Years?

I'm afraid it is.

It was 25 years ago today that the great comic actor John Belushi, who starred in two of my all-time favorite films, was found dead at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles of a lethal mixture of cocaine and heroin. I can remember hearing the news on the radio that day, and my reaction was a mixture of disbelief, and "I knew this was coming."

Belushi was a comic genius, and "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers" will forever be two of my favorite movies. He was one of the original "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" on Saturday Night Live, starting in 1975. But drugs were his demon, and he was into them big-time during his four-year run on the groundbreaking show.

He was just 33 when he died in 1982. Belushi had an incredible movie career in front of him, but it sadly was not to be.

"My advice to you is to start drinking heavily," the line the Bluto says to Flounder in "Animal House," still sends me into howls of laughter.

We still miss you, John.

100 Greatest Red Sox: #46 Bill Monbouquette

Here is my second article that is currently appearing at the web site "Top 100 Red Sox." (http://top100redsox.blogspot.com) It is about the pitcher Bill Monbouquette. I'll have another article up on the site later this week.

Bill Monbouquette, SP, #27 (1958-1965)
96 W - 91 L, 254 G, 72 CG, 16 SHO, 3.69 ERA, 969 K, All-Star (1960, '62, '63)

He was known to his friends and teammates as "Monbo." He grew up in Medford, Massachusetts, and turned down offers from the Tigers and Cubs to pitch for the Red Sox, his hometown team that he grew up rooting for.

But Bill Monbouquette joined the Red Sox at a very inopportune time, during a dark period in Red Sox history.

Bill Monbouquette was born in Medford on August 11, 1936. He signed with the Sox in 1955 as a free agent and for a $4,000 bonus. He was a righthander who was a finesse pitcher who relied on changing speeds and had pinpoint control. He was brought up by the Red Sox in 1958 and made his debut with them on July 18. He went 3-4 in 10 games with an ERA of 3.31 in just over 54 innings.

Monbouquette was brought up to the Sox at a time when the Red Sox were in a downward spiral, and one of the only reasons many fans came to Fenway in the late 1950s was to see Ted Williams, who was winding down his brilliant career. Monbouquette was used as a spot starter and reliever in 1959, but became a full-time starter in 1960 and began to blossom into a reliable starting pitcher, and was named to the AL All-Star team that season.

Monbouquette also played a little-known part in the social history of the team. In 1959, when Pumpsie Green became the first black player on the Red Sox, he saw that a coach on the Red Sox named Del Baker was giving some racial abuse to the White Sox' Minnie Minoso, who was from Cuba. Green confirms that it was Monbouquette who went over to Baker and let it be known in no uncertain terms to cut it out. Monbouquette would later say that the racial abuse was upsetting Green, who Monbo considered a friend.

Monbo went 14-11 in 1960, and 14-14 in 1961, with over 200 innings pitched both seasons and respectable ERAs both years as well. His first career highlight came in the 1961 season when he struck out 17 Washington Senators in a game on May 12, a 2-1 Red Sox win. It set a team record that would last until April of 1986, when Roger Clemens struck out 20 Seattle Mariners in a nine-inning game to set the major league record.

1962 would be an even better season for Monbo. The Red Sox were a very mediocre club, but Monbouquette took another step as a bonafide top-notch starter. He won 15 that season, with the highlight being a no-hitter he pitched against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park on August 1, a 1-0 win over Early Wynn. (It was one of two by the Sox that season, as Earl Wilson threw one as well.) He was also named to his second All-Star team as well.

But the next season would prove to be the best season in Monbouqette's career. He reached the magic number of 20 wins for the first and only time, and made another All-Star team. He also established career highs in innings pitched (266.7) and strikeouts (174). But again, the Red Sox had a rather miserable team and were nowhere near a pennant race.

The next two seasons would see a decline in Monbouquette's numbers, as he went 13-14 in 1964 and 10-18 in 1965. He was still the ace and workhorse of the Red Sox staff, but the team's on-field play still didn't improve very much. Just after the 1965 season, Monbouquette was dealt to the Detroit Tigers for George Smith, George Thomas and Jackie Moore.

Monbouquette went 7-8 for Detroit in a spot starter/reliever role in 1966, and shortly into the 1967 season, he was released and picked up by the New York Yankees. They used him in a similar role, and he pitched well, going 6-5 with a 2.36 ERA in 101 innings. In 1968, he pitched for both New York and the San Francisco Giants, going 5-8 in 101 innings combined for both clubs. He was released by the Giants before the start of the 1969 season.

At 32, Monbouquette decided to retire rather than go back to the minors to try to fight his way back. He became a very successful minor league pitching coach and scout for such teams as Mets, Blue Jays, Yankees and Tigers. For over 30 years he has been a very-well respected teacher of pitchers in baseball's minor leagues.

In 1988, Monbouquette was coaching for Myrtle Beach in the Toronto organization, when he saw a tall, lanky kid from Texas who he thought had a lot of raw ability but not much "killer instinct." He taught the kid a sinker, and the pitcher credits Monbouquette with changing his career completely. That kid's name: Mike Timlin.

"I like working with the kids," Monbouquette once said to Steve Buckley, in his book, Red Sox, Where Have You Gone. "You like to think you can have an impact on their lives, their careers. It's a good feeling when you can connect with them."

Monbouquette has served as a major league pitching coach on two occasions: with the Blue Jays, and with the Mets from 1982-83. Recently he has been the pitching coach for Oneonta of the New York-Penn League, the Tigers affiliate.

Monbouquette has been married twice, and has three grown children.

He finished his Red Sox career with some very respectable numbers, winning 96 games in nine seasons with some less-than-stellar Red Sox teams. He left the Red Sox shortly before the 1967 Impossible Dream season, and it was a shame that Monbouquette never pitched in a postseason game in his career, in Boston or anywhere else, and that he never got to pitch for the Red Sox after their fortunes upturned.

He was the best pitcher on the Red Sox in a bad era in Red Sox history. But at least he will always be remembered in Red Sox history, as he was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000.

John Quinn is a writer who lives in New York City and runs the web site, "The Mighty Quinn Media Machine," and writes for the Red Sox fan site, Bornintoit.com, as "Brooklyn Sox Fan."

A Very Heroic Comeback Begins

In a "B" game against the Minnesota Twins minor leaguers today, Jon Lester threw one scoreless inning, three up and three down, and just eight pitches, as he comes back from cancer.

So far, so good. Here are some observations from Jon, courtesy of Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:

“There were some nerves. I didn’t know where the first pitch was going to go, but it was a strike. ... I wasn’t worried about how many pitches or innings I threw; I just wanted to throw well and move on to the next step.”

"It's great. Just to get back and be normal again is awesome. Just to get back on the mound and throw the baseball and not worry about other things. So it's good and I enjoyed it and, hopefully, we just build from here."

On whether he was nervous leading up to this outing, “I tried not to think about it and treat it like a normal game, and take it from there,” he said.

On whether he was frustrated about not going beyond one inning: “No, I understand, I know that the team has my best interests at heart... I'll get my work in one way or the other, so we'll just take it slow and go from here."

It's a great first step. We're all pulling for you, Jon.

Steve Phillips, Comedian

This evening I watched a special edition of Baseball Tonight, and it concluded with each person who was featured on the show making a "bold" prediction (basically something totally unexpected happening in baseball this season). A few were interesting, like Peter Gammons saying Grady Sizemore will win AL MVP and Orestes Destrade predicting Ichiro Suzuki will hit .400.

But there was high comedy when our favorite ESPN punching bag, Steve Phillips, made his prediction. And boy, did he go for the big laughs.

"Alex Rodriguez will win not only the All-Star Game MVP, but he will be MVP of both the American League and the World Series."

Phillips clearly went for laughs. I thought it was hysterical, as it made me laugh out loud, but the crowd at Disney at Orlando behind him booed.

Don't give up your day job, Steve.

On second thought, do us all a favor and give it up.

"Saint Of 9/11"

On Thursday night, I watched a very moving documentary entitled, "Saint of 9/11." It was about the life and times of Father Mychal Judge, the FDNY chaplain who was one of the first FDNY casualties during the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.

My father is a 36-year retired lieutenant from the FDNY, and he knew Father Judge. I will never forget late in the evening of that most horrible day him telling me about Father Judge, and he used the word "saint" to describe him. So, seeing this documentary meant that much more to me.

It is a loving tribute to man who was devoted to God, the people of New York City and the New York City Fire Department. The documentary was made by Glenn Holsten in 2006 and is narrated by the actor Ian McKellan. It goes into detail about the Franciscan priest's early life in New York, his becoming a priest in 1961, his ministry as a priest in New Jersey and his eventually becoming a chaplain in the FDNY. Many who knew him are interviewed.

It also details how he reached out to the families of the TWA Flight 800 crash in 1996, and how he was a pillar of strength for those who lost loved ones. It also chronicles his trips to Ireland, the land where his parents were born, and how he reached out not only to Catholics but Protestants as well, and became a respected and loved man to those who suffered so much in the violence there.

"Saint Of 9/11" also details not only Father Judge's service to New York's firefighters, but to the homeless of the city as well. Former homeless people are interviewed with their loving remembrances of a man who not only reached out to them, but would treat them like a member of his family. The film also deals with the way Father Judge dealt with one his demons: alcoholism, and how he overcame it and became a better man.

The documentary also details the fact that Father Judge was a closeted gay man. He did not want his sexuality to become an issue with those firefighters he loved and respected so much. It also goes into his work with AIDS and HIV patients in New York when so little was known about the disease in the early 1980s and there was nothing but a climate of fear surrounding it. Father Judge felt his calling to reach out to those unfortunate people. At first he was mistrusted because he was a Catholic priest, but he found a way into those people's hearts and became a trusted and loved person in that community.

Of course, Father Judge is best known for his sacrifice on the morning of September 11, 2001. He had the opportunity to leave the World Trade Center but would not do so and leave his comrades behind. I was really moved by this 90 minute documentary of a very holy and selfless man who devotion to the sufferings of others is incredibly inspiring.

I would definitely recommend "Saint Of 9/11." It is a loving tribute to a beautiful man of God who is terribly missed by all who knew him and were touched by his kindness and his mission.

Another Fortune Teller

I was doing some online research on Saturday night on Baseball Reference (which is a fabulous site by the way). I was on the 1998 Red Sox team page, when I noticed the page was sponsor by another idiotic Yankee fan with zero guts. (I must also point out there are a few immature sponsors of pages at Baseball Reference just like this who are both Red Sox and Yankee fans.)Here's what you'll see on the sponsorship section of that page: http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BOS/1998_sched.shtml

JDS sponsor(s) this page.
2004 ALCS - If Tony Clark’s ball doesn’t bounce over that Little League fence in right – the “Red Sox Nation” cries another 86 years. Hope you enjoyed it - too bad you didn't show a little more class.

Where do I start with this moron? First, Yankee Stadium before it was remodeled in 1976 had the same size rightfield fence that Fenway Park currently has. And God knows over the years, the Sox had enough tough breaks in key spots just like Clark's ground rule double go against them. This guy also impresses me as another one of those "fortune tellers" as I like to call them. You know, the ones who used to be "history professors" with their imbecilic "1918" chants, now it's "they won't win again for 86 years." Come up with something fresher pal, that stupid BS doesn't annoy even the first Sox fan. It only makes you look like a frustrated, stupid idiot.

And "too bad you didn't show a little more class?" What did you expect a devoutly loyal fan base where 99% of all of its fans who had never seen their beloved team win a world championship before to act? Like a bunch of stuffed-shirted, arrogant jackasses who think it's their birthright to see their team win? Eight decades of frustration came barrelling out in October 2004. You didn't like it JDS? Tough toenails, buddy.

And I love the fact that this "JDS" put no link to anywhere he could be reached by email (almost all sponsors do, and usually to their web site). Ha, no guts on this wimp's part whatsoever.

100 Greatest Red Sox: # 51 Johnny Damon

I wrote the following article for the web site, "Top 100 Red Sox Blog" and it appeared today there. (http://top100redsox.blogspot.com) Many different Red Sox bloggers on the web are writing articles about the Top 100 players in Red Sox history in reverse order, and the first one I am writing is about Johnny Damon, who is ranked number 51 on the list. I will also be writing two more profiles of Red Sox greats on the site next week.

100 Greatest Red Sox: # 51 Johnny Damon

Johnny Damon, CF, #18 (2002-2005)

597 G, 730 H, 461 R, 56 HR, 299 RBI, 98 SB, .295 Avg, .362 OBP, .441 SLG


At 9:11 PM on the evening of October 20, 2004, the centerfielder for the Boston Red Sox hit what many have called the biggest home run in Boston Red Sox history. It was a first-pitch swing against New York Yankees pitcher Javier Vazquez, and he hit it into the short-porch seats in rightfield, just a couple of rows deep. It was a grand slam that gave the Red Sox a 6-0, second inning lead in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, in a game the Sox would go on to win, 10-3, and complete the single greatest comeback in the 101-year history of baseball's postseason.

That one swing made Johnny Damon a legend in the annals of the long, storied history of the Boston Red Sox.

Johnny David Damon was born on November 5, 1973 to a white father and a Thai mother on an Army base in Fort Riley, Kansas. His parents met while his father wasa Staff Sergeant in the US Army. Johnny spent most of his early life as an Army brat travelling with his family to several Army bases before the family finally settled in the Orlando, Florida area. In his early life. Johnny suffered from a stuttering problem, which made his a rather quiet kid.

But he excelled in sports, and at Dr. Phillips High School in 1992 he was rated the top schoolboy prospect in the country by Baseball America, was named to USA Today's High School All-America team, and was the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year. He was the 35th overall pick in the 1992 MLB draft, and turned down a scholarship to the University of Florida to sign with the Kansas City Royals.

Damon was the Royals' Minor League Player of the Year in 1994, and the Texas League MVP in 1995, and was brought up to Kansas City in August 1995. He became a regular in the Royals outfield in 1996, hitting a solid .271 and stealing 25 bases in 145 games.

Damon would soon gain a reputation as one of the fastest outfielders in the game, as he was in the Top 3 in AL in triples three straight seasons from 1997-99. His power numbers steadily increased, as he hit 18 homers in 1998. He stole at least 25 bases in three of his first four full seasons.

But Johnny Damon would have his breakout season in 2000, batting .327 with 16 HRs, 88 RBI, and 214 hits. He would lead the AL with 46 stolen bases, and runs, scoring 136.

The Kansas City Royals had a superstar player in the making, but being a small-market club, simply couldn't pay Damon enough to keep him. He was a free agent after the 2001 season, so in early January 2001, he was traded to Oakland Athletics in a three-team deal that also involved the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Damon's first year in Oakland got off to a rough start, and he struggled a good part of the season. But by August, he finally got hot and managed to salvage what was mostly a lost season for him, hitting .256 with 27 stolen bases and 108 runs.

But the A's had a wonderful season, winning the AL Wild Card with 102 wins. They faced the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series, and it would Damon's first taste of the postseason. He would have a fine series, hitting .409, scoring three runs and stealing two bases. But the A's lost a 2-0 series lead, as the Yankees won two games in Oakland and then wrapped up Game 5 back in New York to advance to the ALCS.

The A's would elect not to pursue Damon as a free agent, as GM Billy Beane would rather let the more expensive players walk and rebuild the farm system with draft picks than increase payroll. So Damon walked away, and on December 21, 2001, Damon signed a four-year, $32 million deal with the Boston Red Sox. This would turn out to be the final move by then-GM Dan Duquette, as he was fired in early 2002, as the Red Sox had been sold that winter to John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino.

It would also prove to be one of Duquette's best moves, as well.

Damon would take over centerfield at Fenway Park and make a big splash right away. He was picked for the AL All-Star team for the first time. He hit 14 HRs, 63 RBI and a .286 batting average. He played a tremendous centerfield, and gave the Red Sox an excellent leadoff hitter and stolen base threat, as he swiped 31 bases.

Damon would put up similar numbers for the Red Sox in 2003, but he would be at the top of one of the most dynamic lineups in baseball history. The Sox faded in June of 2002, finishing second and out of the postseason. But in 2003, they got hot in late August and would go on to win the Wild Card in late September.

The Red Sox opponents in the first round would be Damon's former club, the Oakland A's. The Sox fell behind 2-0, losing the first two in Oakland. They returned to Boston and won Game 3 on a Trot Nixon 11th inning homer, and Game 4 on a clutch David Ortiz double in the eighth inning (it also included Damon's first career postseason home run).

Game 5 would be back in Oakland, and it would be a life-changing game for Johnny Damon.

The Red Sox scored four runs in the sixth on two homers by Jason Varitek and Manny Ramirez to take a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Jermaine Dye of the A's hit a pop up top short center. Damon and Damian Jackson, who had just gone in to 2nd base as a defensive replacement for Todd Walker, both attempted to catch it, but they wound up colliding in a horrendous scene that left Damon unconscious for a short time. He was taken off the field by ambulance, but gave the crowd a thumbs-up before he left. The Red Sox would go on to win, 4-3, to advance to the ALCS and a showdown with the hated New York Yankees.

Damon would be forced to miss the first two games in New York. He wanted to play by Red Sox doctors kept him on the sidelines. He would return for Game 3, but he clearly wasn't the same player before the collision. in the final five games, he would go 4-for-20 with just one RBI. The Red Sox would of course, just miss going to the World Series, but once the Sox season was over, Damon would return home to Florida and do something that would alter his career forever.

He let his hair grow, and he stopped shaving.

Damon showed up at spring training in Ft. Myers in February 2004 with a beard and hair down to his shoulders. It was the talk of training camp and around baseball. More than one sportwriter made the analogy that he looked like Jesus Christ. "How can we lose now that we have Our Lord and Savior playing center field?" T-shirts popped up with Damon's new look, and one catchphrase on one said, "What Would Johnny Damon Do?" Damon would later explain that the migrane headaches he suffered over the winter made him tired to the point where he didn't shave for some time, so he kept the beard when he came to camp.

2004 would be Damon's best season to date. He would hit 20 HRs, a career-high at the time, drive in an amazing 94 runs for a leadoff hitter, and hit .306. The Red Sox struggled through a good part of 2004, playing .500 ball for a good three months, before finally getting hot in mid-August and wrapping up a Wild Card berth in late September. Damon would have a terrific ALDS against Anaheim, going 7-for-15 with 4 runs scored in a three-game sweep.

The next ALCS would be a rematch with the Yankees. It would be the worst of times, and then the best of times for Johnny Damon.

The first three games of the 2004 ALCS were a total disaster for the Red Sox. They lost all three, and Game 3 was the worst of all, losing 19-8 before the Fenway Faithful. They were now in a 3-0 hole, and no team in history had ever comeback to win after being down so far. And Johnny Damon was having an absolutely terrible series, going 0-for-8 with 5 strikouts in the first two games. But like that person Damon was once compared to, the Sox rose up and made it a series again. They won Games 4 and 5 both in extra innings and in dramatic style to get the series back to New York. Curt Schilling pitched one of the most heroic games in postseason history to even the series and force a winner-take-all Game 7. But through those three wins, Johnny Damon still wasn't hitting. He was 3-for-29 in the first six games.

All of that was forgotten the next night.

Damon led off with a single to open Game 7, but was thrown out at home on a Manny Ramirez single. David Ortiz would homer on the next pitch to give the Sox a 2-0 lead. Damon's second at-bat would be in the next inning, with one out and the bases loaded. Javier Vazquez came in to relieve starter Kevin Brown. Damon later said he knew Vazquez would try to get ahead with a fastball, so he looked for it on the first pitch and drove it over the rightfield wall near the pole to give the Sox a commanding lead of 6-0.

But Damon's heroics weren't through. In the fourth with another man on, he drilled another first-pitch from Vazquez into the upper deck to give the Sox an enormous 8-1 lead. Two pitches, two homers and six RBI. The previous six days were a long and distant memory for Damon as the Red Sox went on to win, 10-3 and advance to the World Series for the first time since 1986. They had pulled off the greatest comeback ever in baseball history, and they did it to their longtime rivals in their own backyard. It was a gift to every Red Sox fan, and Johnny Damon became an instant legend in Boston sports history.

The NL Champion Cardinals were simply no match for the Red Sox, who were now Destiny's Darlings. Damon opened the World Series with a double, and scored on David Ortiz' three-run shot. The Sox took the first three, and Johnny Damon would personally make sure it would be a four-game sweep. Damon would hit .286 for the Series.

He hit the fourth pitch of the night off Jason Marquis for a long homer to right to open the game and get the Sox on their way. The Cardinals were kept off the board all night, and the Sox won, 3-0 for their first World Series championship since 1918. It set off wild celebrations all over New England and Red Sox Nation.

And it made a national celebrity out of Johnny Damon.

He turned up on "The Late Show With David Letterman," "Live With Regis and Kelly," "Saturday Night Live" and "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy," among other TV shows. He also collaborated with Peter Gollenbock on a biography about his life. (It's a shabbily written book.) He also appeared in the film, "Fever Pitch" which centered on one Red Sox fan's obsession with the team. He had become the face of the club, and you couldn't go anywhere without seeing him that winter.

He had another good season in 2005, but he began to show signs that he was peaking as a player. His arm, never strong to begin with, seemed to be getting even weaker, and his defense wasn't as good as past years. His Home run numbers dropped by half, down to 10, in 2005. He battled injuries, but Damon kept on playing through them. He was in the batting race for most of the year, and finished fourth at .316.

Damon was a free agent after 2005, but most fans thought he would be back. But in mid-December, the baseball world was stunned when Damon, the face of the Red Sox and the man who termed the 2004 club, "The Idiots," signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the rival Yankees. The Yankees desperately needed a centerfielder and made Damon an offer he couldn't walk away from and the Red Sox wouldn't match. It was all the more stunning after Damon made the following statement about the Yankees in May 2005:

"There's no way I can go play for the Yankees, but I know they're going to come after me hard. It's definitely not the most important thing to go out there for the top dollar, which the Yankees are going to offer me. It's not what I need."

Damon was vilified as a traitor and a turncoat for going to New York. Red Sox fans who once compared him to Jesus were now calling him "Judas." Fans burned Damon jerseys and other Johnny paraphernalia. Damon made his return to Fenway with the Yankees on May 1, 2006, to a crowd that booed far more than they cheered. Damon took the hostile reception in stride. He also had one of his best years in 2006, hitting 24 home runs, 80 RBI and a .285 batting average.

Johnny Damon became a father for the third time this past January, as his second wife Michelle had their first child together, a girl named Devon Rose.

He will always be part of one of the most beloved Red Sox teams in franchise history, "The Idiots" who won the first title in team history since 1918, and one that did it in a way that will be remembered forever in baseball history. But as a businessman, he made a decision to continue his career in New York, rather than stay in Boston for less money. His legacy was at Fenway, but there most fans just look upon him with vile, because of the team he signed on with. If he'd gone anywhere else, it wouldn't be like this. His decision to leave would be more respected.

I can't help but think one day after his career is long over, Johnny Damon will give an inevitable interview about his baseball life. And in it, no matter what he's accomplished from 2006 on, he will say, "I made a mistake leaving Boston. Not signing with New York, but leaving Boston."

We can only hope so.

John Quinn is a writer who lives in New York City and runs the web site, "The Mighty Quinn Media Machine," and writes for the Red Sox fan site, Bornintoit.com, as "Brooklyn Sox Fan."

The Era Of Dice Begins

Daisuke Matsuzaka made his Red Sox debut on Friday night in an exhibition game against the Boston College Eagles before a soldout crowd at Ft. Myers, and the Sox went on to a 9-1 win.

There was also a good crowd watching at Professor Thom's to see the Japanese phenom make his debut. NESN showed the first three innings of the game, and it brought out a number of fans for the 6:05 PM start. There was a definite "Japanese" feel to the bar, as Asahi beer was featured, along with free shrimp chips and shots of sake. (Of which I partook in. Not bad to be honest.)

Dice gave up a double to BC outfielder Johnny Ayers on his very first pitch, but left him at third to end the inning. He pitched two innings, threw 25 pitches, 19 for strikes. He was impressive, even if it was just against college competition. He mixed his pitches well, and seemed to be enjoying it, especially after he retired to the dugout for the night.

The Dice-K Era has officially begun. He will face major league competition for the first time on Tuesday afternoon against the Florida Marlins in Jupiter.

A Loss And a Tie: Who Cares?

Baseball was back for the first time yesterday, and it was so good to see it again.

I watched part of the Mets 5-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers on SNY, and then headed to Professor Thom's pub to watch the Red Sox play the Twins at Ft. Myers. That contest ended in a 4-4 tie after 10 innings. It's kind of silly to evaluate the first game of spring training in terms of who did what. My only main concern in early spring training games is, "Did anyone get hurt?"

Fortunately, the answer in both games is no.

Oliver Perez got hammered in first two innings of the Mets opener, and Curt Schilling pitched two solid innings in his start. Curt definitely looks a bit more chunky out there. I found it interesting during the Mets game that one of the announcers (I think it was Keith Hernandez) said that Tom Seaver would always come into spring training about 10 pounds overweight and just work it off by Opening Day. I'm sure Schilling will look a little slimmer by the time the Red Sox get to Kansas City on April 2 as well.

It was a festive atmosphere in the bar last night as many of my friends turned out for the spring training opener. Many had that look of excitement in their faces that a new season was about to commence. It was nice to see many of them again, and the bar had the feel of a midseason game. The passion for the Red Sox that my friends have is so strong and there is such a great sense of community among all of us. Many will also be back tomorrow to witness the debut of Daisuke Matsuzaka on NESN.

My pal Gareth was at the game last night, sitting behind home plate a little ways up (so I couldn't see him on TV). He was sending me text messages throughout the game, and I was letting my friends know what he was writing. It was just great to have one of "us" down there seeing the Red Sox Grapefruit League opener in person.

Baseball in 2007 is underway, and I couldn't be happier to have it back.

Spring Is In The Air

The snow outside is melting away. It's currently about 50 degrees outside. There's the smell of spring in the air, even though the calendar says there's about 3 weeks of winter left.

Let's play ball.

The Mets open their spring training schedule today, with a game on TV on SportsNet New York against the AL champion Detroit Tigers this afternoon at Port St. Lucie. And tonight, Curt Schilling takes the mound against the Minnesota Twins at 7 in Ft. Myers on NESN.

I wish I could be there in person, but the TV will have to do.

At least the weather here in New York is cooperating. It makes bringing on the baseball season all the more enjoyable.

33 days and counting until Opening Day. Let's go.

Trivia Q&A: February 27

We had 15 teams take part in Trivia Night on Tuesday. We debuted a new category, "This Day In History" about events surrounding February 27. Most teams did fairly well in it. The Q Train lighning round was the True Or False category, and that went well for the second straight week. (I'm thinking about putting a new wrinkle into it next week.)

The winners were "One Blind Guy, Two Egg Heads With Glasses and Chopped Liver." You've got to love that name! They won by five points, as they rolled up 15 out of a possible 20 points in Multiple Points Trivia. Well done, guys. (There was a slight bit of controversy at the end, as two teams thought I said "Old Testament" in the second question, when everyone else heard me correctly that I said "New Testament." Sorry guys.)

We also did something special in the "This Day In History" category at the end. We honored trivia player Trivia Pete, as it was his birthday. As a bonus point, we asked everyone to guess his age. Two teams got it right: 31. (His own team could not take part in that question of course.) Happy birthday, Pete!

Current Events
1. This film won 4 Oscars on Sunday, including one for Best Picture.
2. This restaurant chain in NYC was invaded by a gang of rats last week, forcing its closing, possibly for good.
3. This film, starring Nicolas Cage, was number one at the box office last week.
4. The new Chinese New Year honors this animal.
5. The fight over Anna Nicole Smith's 5-month-old child switched to this place on Monday, where her son is buried.
6. This nation's Catholic Church has banned mentions of sex and drunkeness in eulogies at all funeral masses.
7. This filmmaker is part of a film that claims to have found Jesus Christ's actual tomb.
8. Vice President Dick Cheney met with this nation's leader on Monday in hopes that they will step up their fight against terrorism.
9. This Boston Red Sox player reported to spring training yesterday, three days before he was expected to appear.
10. Tom Vilsack dropped out of the Democratic presidential race last week. What midwest state was he once governor of?

Answers: 1. The Departed; 2. KFC/Taco Bell; 3. Ghost Rider; 4. pig; 5. Bahamas; 6. Australia; 7. James Cameron; 8. Pakistan; 9. Manny Ramirez; 10. Iowa.

This Day In History, February 27
1. Which nation gained its independence on this day in 1844? a. Dominican Republic; b. Haiti; c. Jamaica; d. Guyana.
2. Which popular magazine was published on this day for the first time in 1974? a. Life; b. People; c. Crain's; d. Woman's Day.
3. The American Indian Movement occupied the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee in 1973 on this day? What state is Wounded Knee in? a. North Dakota; b. South Dakota; c. Montana; d. Idaho.
4. Which US president announced "Kuwait is liberated" on this date in 1991? a. Ronald Reagan; b. Bill Clinton; c. George H.W. Bush; d. Jimmy Carter.
5. The Exxon tanker Valdez was involved in a disasterous oil spill on this date in 1990. Off which coast did it occur? a. Alaska; b. Russia; c. Venezuela; d. Canada.
6. The presidential limitation to 2 terms amendment was ratified on this day in 1951. What number amendment was it? a. 21, b. 22, c. 23, d. 24.
7. The infamous Civil War confederate prison at Andersonville was opened today in 1864. Which state was the prison located in? a. Florida, b. South Carolina, c. Alabama, d. Georgia.
8. On this date in 1900, this British political party, which is currently headed by Tony Blair, was founded. Which is it? a. Liberal, b. Conservative, c. Labour, d. Liberal Democrats.
9. The British won a major battle in the Second Boer War on this day in 1900. In which country was it fought in? a. The Philippines, b. South Africa, c. Tanzania, d. Ethiopia.
10. The first Christian emperor of Rome was born on this date in 280 AD. Who was it? a. Marcus Aurelius, b. Nero, c. Constantine, d. Caesar Augustus.

Answers: 1. a; 2. b; 3. b; 4. c; 5. a; 6. b; 7. d; 8. c; 9. b; 10. c.

True Or False Trivia (The Q Train)
1. Besides the Milky Way, the only other galaxy that can be seen by the naked eye is Andromeda.
2. Tenzing Norgay is most famous for exploring the Pacific Ocean.
3. Sumo wrestlers throw salt in the ring before every wrestling match.
4. Stendhal's Syndrome is when a person has a marked physical reaction to beautiful art.
5. There are four valves on a typical modern trumpet.
6. The flour in a cheese souffle causes it to rise.
7. Utah was the last state admitted to the Union in the 19th Century.
8. The Philippines are made up of just more than 7000 islands.
9. The Australian Open tennis tournament is played every year at Roland Garros Stadium.
10. The New York Yankees franchise originally started in Baltimore in 1901.

Answers: 1. true; 2. false, he was one of the first men to climb Mt. Everest; 3. true; 4. true; 5. false, there are three; 6. false, egg whites make it rise; 7. true; 8. true; 9. false, The French Open is played at Roland Garros; 10. true.

General Knowledge
1. Which rock band had a 1987 song that mentions Lenny Bruce, Leonard Bernstein, and Leonid Brezhnev?
2. The Dominican Republic borders the Caribbean Sea and which ocean?
3. The first televised US presidential debate took place between which two candidates?
4. Which western US state's name is believed to be based on a mythical paradise in a 16th Century Spanish novel?
5. Amber is a shade of which color?
6. In the 1988 film, "A Fish Called Wanda," what are the main characters trying to steal?
7. Which North American city has hosted the Summer Olympics more than once?
8. Which US president recorded greetings to extraterrestials on the Voyager space probes?
9. How many syllables does the word, "independence" have?
10. "Myocardial infarction" is the medical term for what condition?

Answers: 1. REM ("The End Of The World As We Know It"), 2. Atlantic; 3. John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon; 4. California; 5. yellow; 6. jewels; 7. Los Angeles; 8. Jimmy Carter; 9. four; 10. heart attack.

Multiple Answers Trivia
1. Name 3 of the 5 largest cities in California by population.
2. Name 4 of the first 6 books of the New Testament.
3. Name 4 of the 6 actors to have portrayed James Bond in the movies.
4. Name 4 of the 6 most widely spoken languages in the world.

Answers: 1. Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Long Beach; 2. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans; 3. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig; 4. Mandarin, English, Hindi, Spanish, Arabic, Russian.

And The Winner Of The Oscar Pool Is...

Me!!

Yes, I got the word from my sister earlier today that I won my family's Oscar Pool for the second time in my life, as the 51 points got me the win, two points over my sister Barbara. I walked out of the Oscar party on Sunday night not really sure if that was good enough to take it. I got a lot of the "little" categories right (and some were just pure guesses) to take the title of Oscar Pool Champion for 2007.

I win the pot of money collected (I won't say how much but it's nice) from the 36 people who took part.

I'm really proud of my accomplishment, and I want to thank the Academy, my parents for bringing me into the world, and all the little people who made this win possible...

Tonight's Trivia

Since "The Q Train" was such a spectacular success last week (actually, I wasn't booed off the mic when I did it so that counts as a success), we will have that lightning round again tonight. I haven't as yet made up my mind to which category it will be fitted into.

Tonight's categories will be Current Events, General Knowledge, True Or False, the return of Multiple Answers Trivia, and a new category I'm bringing in: "This Day In History." I'll ask questions about famous events that occurred on this day, and it will be the multiple choice round as well.

And like The Q Train, if its a reasonable success, it will return in the future.

See you tonight.

The Sad End Of Tower Goes On

Over the weekend, my sister sent me a link to a newspaper article from the Seattle Times about how my former employer, the now-defunct Tower Records (I can't believe I just wrote that) is going to sell off to the highest bidder its web site, its famous logo and its international rights.

The sad ending of Tower Records goes on.

Here's the complete article, as its interesting reading.

Tower Records Web site for sale
By Dale Kasler
The Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tower Records is edging closer to selling its Web site and other leftover assets of the Tower empire.

Two months after its last U.S. stores closed, including Seattle outlets at Fifth Avenue on Lower Queen Anne and in the University District, the defunct Sacramento-based retailer is preparing to auction off Tower.com, the company's famous trademark, and its international rights.

An earlier deal to sell the Web site fell through, Tower said in court papers.

Tower expects to auction the assets March 15 at its law firm in Wilmington, Del., according to papers filed late Wednesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington.

"Numerous parties" have already indicated they will participate in the new auction, Tower said in court papers. The assets may be sold as a group or individually, and proceeds will help repay Tower's remaining debts.

The most prominent asset, the Web site, has remained open for business even though Tower's Sacramento warehouse has closed.

A wholesaler has been filling customer orders.

The international licenses cover the right to operate Tower outside the United States. Some 142 stores operate in seven foreign countries.

Someone purchasing the trademark, meanwhile, could open new stores under the Tower name.

After filing for bankruptcy in August, Tower was auctioned off to a liquidating firm in October. The liquidator, Great American Group, completed the going-out-of-business sales in late December.

As part of the auction, Tower.com was sold for $3.8 million to Norton, an Internet business in San Francisco that sells memorabilia and concert recordings acquired from the estate of rock promoter Bill Graham.

The deal ran into problems almost immediately. Tower accused Norton of trying to back out or substantially change the terms. Norton said the hang-up was a legal restriction involving the transfer of the Web site's customer list — a restriction it says it didn't know about until after it agreed to the purchase.

The two sides tried to work out their differences but failed.

"Certain business, technical and operational issues became apparent in the course of these negotiations, and that transaction did not close," Tower said in its court papers.

Norton owner Bill Sagan wouldn't comment on the failed negotiations Thursday but said he might make another stab at the Web site at the March auction.

"I'm still thinking about it," he said.

Separately, Sagan is being sued by such rock stars as Carlos Santana and Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant. They say his rock-memorabilia Web site is illegally profiting from their work. Sagan has called the suit "frivolous."

The Prodigal Son Reports

The long national nightmare is over: Manny's back in town.

Manny Ramirez reported to Red Sox camp in Ft. Myers today, three days ahead of the date the Sox gave him permission to be in.

Let's hope his mom's doing better, and now we can cut out all this stupid, silly nonsense and get back to the business of winning another title.

Yeah, right.

Oscar Scorecard

I didn't do too badly in my Oscar picks last night. I got 15 of the 24 total Oscar picks correct. And I got all the major ones right with the exception of Best Supporting Actor, which went to Alan Arkin instead of Eddie Murphy. I was happy to see Arkin win, as he deserved it. It was the toughest of all the major awards for me to pick.

I got a total of 51 points in my sister's pool, and I'll know in a few days if I won or not. There were some surprises, but to almost no one's shock, Martin Scorsese finally won an Oscar for Best Director for "The Departed." (One of four the film won, including Best Picture.) It was certainly well-deserved after five previous misses. (I read an article online today about how he broke "the curse." Why must everything like this be called a curse? Damn that Dan Shaughnessy.) He was probably the greatest living director without one before last night.

I was also in an Oscar pool at Professor Thom's last night (there was a good crowd on hand for the festivities), and I made all the same picks as my sister's pool. (I'll know soon about that one too.) We also played a game called "Oscar Bingo." It was like a regular bingo board, but instead of numbers, there were actor's names on it, and other phrases on it like, "Thanks Grandparents," "Forgot Glasses," and even outrageous ones like "Dies On Stage," "Falls Out Of Dress." Nobody, to no one's shock, won Oscar Bingo last night.

The show itself wasn't bad. Ellen DeGeneres was OK as host, as she was funny and did her best to keep the show moving. But the major drawback was that it was WAY too long (it went 40 minutes overtime). We could have done without things like that Sound Effects Choir. But I liked Jerry Seinfeld's take on going to the movies. The show turned out to be an Al Gore Lovefest (what a shock), as "An Inconvenient Truth" won for Best Documentary and Best Song. The joke Ellen made about Gore and Jennifer Hudson got probably the biggest laugh of the night (another shock, eh?). But I was very glad to see a lack of political grandstanding on this night (our Commander-in-Chief was not mentioned even once). One thing that always turned me off about many previous Oscar shows is when some braindead Hollywood star gets up and starts ranting about this cause or bashing the current occupant of the White House.

Thankfully, everybody parked that nonsense at the door, and allowed us to just enjoy Hollywood's biggest night. Congratulations to all the winners.

Never Forget: February 26, 1993

Today is a very sad memorial, as on this day in 1993, the World Trade Center was attacked for the first time, as a bomb left in a van by Islamic terrorists exploded in an underground parking garage, killing six people and injuring over 1,000.

The bomb exploded at 12:18 PM that day. I was working at the Tower Records store in Greenwich Village, for the TRIP company. I'll never forget going to lunch that afternoon and hearing the alarms from the fire trucks and ambulances that were racing to the scene, and I remember seeing smoke in the sky on Broadway to the south. I put on the radio to discover their was an explosion at the World Trade Center, and it turned out it was deliberately done by Islamic extremists who hoped to collapse one the towers into the other. I will also remember seeing those people who worked in the World Trade Center leaving the buildings with soot covering their faces, and an unbelievable scene of carnage down in the garage where the bomb went off.

Six people died that day:

John DiGiovanni, 45, Dental equipment salesman
Robert Kirkpatrick, 61, Port Authority Senior Maintenance Supervisor
Steve Knapp, 48, Port Authority Mechanical Supervisor
Monica Rodriguez Smith, 34, Port Authority Office Assistant
William Macko, 57, Port Authority Mechanical Supervisor
Wilfredo Mercado, 37, Purchasing Agent for Windows On The World

A memorial to those victims was dedicated in the rotunda of the World Trade Center (pictured top right). But the memorial was destroyed on September 11, 2001. Only one small piece of the entire memorial survived, and it had the name "John" on it (from 1993 victim John DiGiovanni, pictured top left). At times these 1993 victims have been overlooked since 9/11, but please say a prayer for all six of these victims today.

They will never be forgotten, nor will that terrible day in 1993.

Happy Birthday George

Today would have been the 64th birthday of one of the great legends of rock'n'roll. A man who is much missed, George Harrison.

It's hard to believe that George has been gone for over five years now. He made a body of music, with the Beatles and as a solo artist, that will be enjoyed by music fans from now until time comes to an end. He is truly in a category of music immortals with legends like Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, George Gershwin and Frank Sinatra.

I know God has rewarded you, George. You were a truly spiritual man who gave millions of people, including myself, countless hours of joy.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday.