Who's your favorite *bad* Red Sox player?

[Dojji]

Tavarez had one of the alltime outrageous quotes after the Nationals signed him in 2009. They were apparently the only team interested in him and Julian was not especially thrilled to be joining them, but, as he explained it:

 

"Why did I sign with the Nationals? When you go to a club at 4 in the morning, and you're just waiting, waiting, a 600-pounder looks like J-Lo. And to me this is Jennifer Lopez right here. It's 4 in the morning. Too much to drink. So, Nationals: Jennifer Lopez to me."

 

That's what I loved about Tavarez. A lot of athletes have thought stuff like that, but Crazy Julian was the only guy I ever knew who was insane enough to say it.

[Spitball]

Simple to anyone of my generation, either Dick (Dr Strangeglove) Stuart or Don Buddin.

 

Both for their level of incompetence with a glove that bordered on the hilarious. They were so bad they were actually fun to watch in that perserve sort of way that marked Red Sox fans of the late fifties and early sixties.

 

I loved/hated Dick Stuart. He had a unique personality and seemed to take pride in his poor fielding. When he was later in his career and in the National League, Eddie Matthews hit a liner at Stuart playing first base. Stuart actually caught the ball. As Matthews came down the line Stuart commented, "I must be getting old, Eddie. I used to be able to get out of the way of those."

 

Another time at Fenway, Stuart bent down and caught a hotdog wrapper that was blowing across the field. The crowd gave him a standing ovation. He tipped his hat to the crowd.

[Dojji]

Stuart was actually a pretty good player by the numbers. He hit 42 and 33 homers for the Red Sox in his 2 years with them. In the modern era, they would have used him as a DH and he would have largely been valuable in that role..

[kapsis21]

Mmm. That's a tough one. He had a couple great partial seasons for us. That change was vicious, and when he combined it with a 89-91 MPH sinker and was able to locate, he was pretty deadly. He had the makings of a pretty danged decent success-out-of-nowhere story. Threw 12 consecutive scoreless innings in limited time in 06, and in '07, he came up when Schill got hurt and dominated. I'll never forget his "where the **** did that come from" CGSO against KC . It was rated at the end of the 2007 season as the third best Red Sox starting pitching performance of the year, behind Clay's nono and Schill's one-hitter.

 

He had the stuff. When he was on, he could strike you out and he could keep the ball down. If he hadn't gotten hurt he could have made a career for himself. After he got hurt his command went all to hell though. Just another injury-related baseball tragedy.

 

yep infact we got him back after he was traded to Texas... but like you said due to injury he lost his command.. i still dont think he was bad.. though .. thinking again..

[Elktonnick]

I loved/hated Dick Stuart. He had a unique personality and seemed to take pride in his poor fielding. When he was later in his career and in the National League, Eddie Matthews hit a liner at Stuart playing first base. Stuart actually caught the ball. As Matthews came down the line Stuart commented, "I must be getting old, Eddie. I used to be able to get out of the way of those."

 

Another time at Fenway, Stuart bent down and caught a hotdog wrapper that was blowing across the field. The crowd gave him a standing ovation. He tipped his hat to the crowd.

 

You know I remember the hot dog game!

[Elktonnick]

Stuart was actually a pretty good player by the numbers. He hit 42 and 33 homers for the Red Sox in his 2 years with them. In the modern era' date=' they would have used him as a DH and he would have largely been valuable in that role..[/quote']

 

He would have been a DH today! But he stunk as a 1st baseman

[seabeachfred]

So he was your favorite?

 

I dont think you read the instructions.

 

 

OOOOOPPPPPPPPPSSSSSSSS----well, that's what my wife says too. I guess it would be Papelbon. He used to piss me off with his dramatics but every time I saw him in person he pitched well as the closer, and I liked the way he showed his pleasure after getting the last out. He wasn't some wooden soldier. Hey SCM, does that pass?

[jung]

Boy Dick Stuart is a pretty good choice based on the criteria. I have always given him a break for what has now got to be something that is ingrained and embedded somewhere in my brain.

 

Stuart was my first Red Sox baseball card and he looked so damned good in his "B" cap. Might be the best photo of Stuart ever taken. In fact that card became the germ of an inkling of being a Red Sox fan surrounded by Yankee fans as I was living in enemy territory at the time and became a Red Sox fan a few years later while still living there. I loved that card and simply was too young (59 now) to understand how terrible he was at 1st and could not realistically value him as a player.

 

Even today, did not even think of Dick in these terms until somebody else choose him.

[User Name]

OOOOOPPPPPPPPPSSSSSSSS----well' date=' that's what my wife says too. I guess it would be Papelbon. He used to piss me off with his dramatics but every time I saw him in person he pitched well as the closer, and I liked the way he showed his pleasure after getting the last out. He wasn't some wooden soldier. Hey SCM, does that pass?[/quote']

 

No Fred, it doesn't pass.

 

The point of the thread is to name your favorite player that actually sucked while on the team. A guy that wasn't good at all but you loved him for one reason or the other.

 

Someone like Cesar Crespo, Pokey Reese, or Eric Gagne would fit the bill.

[kapsis21]

does Gabe Kapler qualify, loved him due to the brawl and his mentality... but he never was good with the bat...

[iortiz]

Well, i guess, Carl Crawford could be in that category if he doesn't bounce back.

[Dojji]

does Gabe Kapler qualify' date=' loved him due to the brawl and his mentality... but he never was good with the bat...[/quote']

 

Kapler's actually a very good one.

[Beaneater]

I always liked Brian Daubach for some reason. I don't know if he technically meets the requirements, but he was never more than a role player on the team. I was always happy to see him get the chance to play.

 

Speaking of back-up first basemen, I must also mention Dave McCarty, another guy I always liked to see in the games. And like Nick Green, he could pitch a little, too.

 

I just looked him up on Wikipedia. Did you know he was the 3rd overall draft pick in 1991? Whoah!

 

EDIT: Oops. I must have been thinking exclusively of Daubach's second stint with the team. From 1999-2002 he played a lot and he OPSed .922 in 1999 so I think he's disqualified. Still like the guy, though. Mea culpa.

[jung]

If Crawford does not bounce back he could be the poster child for the category and retire the award for all time.

[Spitball]

Boy Dick Stuart is a pretty good choice based on the criteria. I have always given him a break for what has now got to be something that is ingrained and embedded somewhere in my brain.

 

Stuart was my first Red Sox baseball card and he looked so damned good in his "B" cap. Might be the best photo of Stuart ever taken. In fact that card became the germ of an inkling of being a Red Sox fan surrounded by Yankee fans as I was living in enemy territory at the time and became a Red Sox fan a few years later while still living there. I loved that card and simply was too young (59 now) to understand how terrible he was at 1st and could not realistically value him as a player.

 

Even today, did not even think of Dick in these terms until somebody else choose him.

 

I remember one of his cards after one of the times he changed teams was him in a Pirates uniform without his hat. He had thick greasy hair.

 

There was a humorous article in The New Yorker I believe in the late-1960s. The author saw that Stuart had been placed on waivers late in his career and could be acquired for $1 as was the rule in those days. The author contemplated paying the dollar and having him sit on a bench in his front yard. He was going to have him work with his son on his little league skills. He figured Stuart was not good enough to make his son feel inferiour.

[Spitball]

Dick Stuart's 29 errors in 1963 with the Red Sox still stands as the most errors by a first base man.

 

Butch Hobson's 43 errors in the late 1970s are also a record for third base man. He was possibly the worst fielding player I have ever seen.

 

He was also an emotional/drug using minor league manager.

 

[Elktonnick]

Besides Stuart we have Don Buddin:

"Though team owner Tom Yawkey paid an estimated $50,000 bonus to sign Buddin out of high school, believing he “could become one of the top ballplayers of his time,” Buddin was one of the least surehanded shortstops ever. In Boston, he averaged 30 errors a year, despite only playing an average of 126 games a year. Two years after Buddin left the Sox, the Sox acquired Dick Stuart, the stone-handed former Pirate who first earned the nickname “Dr. Strangeglove.” But Buddin deserved the nickname more than Stuart ever did; Stuart didn’t make 30 errors in a season even once. Still, Buddin had no shortage of dubious nicknames, including “Bootsie,” “Bootin’ Buddin,” and “E-6.”"

[Spitball]

Besides Stuart we have Don Buddin:

"Though team owner Tom Yawkey paid an estimated $50,000 bonus to sign Buddin out of high school, believing he “could become one of the top ballplayers of his time,” Buddin was one of the least surehanded shortstops ever. In Boston, he averaged 30 errors a year, despite only playing an average of 126 games a year. Two years after Buddin left the Sox, the Sox acquired Dick Stuart, the stone-handed former Pirate who first earned the nickname “Dr. Strangeglove.” But Buddin deserved the nickname more than Stuart ever did; Stuart didn’t make 30 errors in a season even once. Still, Buddin had no shortage of dubious nicknames, including “Bootsie,” “Bootin’ Buddin,” and “E-6.”"

 

Buddin was very bad, bad, bad. He just wasn't as colorful as Stuart. I felt sorry for Buddin because he was so bad. Stuart seemed to have a misplaced arrogance.

[Spitball]

Does anyone remember pitcher Billy Muffett? He was really bad, but was a pitching coach for someone in the late 1960s.

[seabeachfred]

No Fred, it doesn't pass.

 

The point of the thread is to name your favorite player that actually sucked while on the team. A guy that wasn't good at all but you loved him for one reason or the other.

 

Someone like Cesar Crespo, Pokey Reese, or Eric Gagne would fit the bill.

 

Well then there would be no such animal. He was a s***** ballplayer he probably hurt the team and didn't help it win so why the hell would I like such a guy? I'll answer it myself........I wouldn't!!!!!!!! Later for me on this thread.

[SCM33]

Well then there would be no such animal. He was a s***** ballplayer he probably hurt the team and didn't help it win so why the hell would I like such a guy? I'll answer it myself........I wouldn't!!!!!!!! Later for me on this thread.

 

I still dont think you understand.

 

Its more of rooting for the underdog.

 

Lou Merloni, Frank Castillo, Gabe Kapler, Darren Lewis, Darren Bragg....

 

They didnt have to suck, they didnt have to hurt the team.....its just about a player who you liked who didnt exactly light the world on fire when they were here.

[Dojji]

And some people only like the star players that carry the team.

 

That's fine. It's a part of the fanbase I understand.

[a700hitter]

Dick Stuart's 29 errors in 1963 with the Red Sox still stands as the most errors by a first base man.

 

Butch Hobson's 43 errors in the late 1970s are also a record for third base man. He was possibly the worst fielding player I have ever seen.

 

He was also an emotional/drug using minor league manager.

 

And the owners fired Walpole Joe Morgan to install Hobson as manager before some other team stole him away from us. Morgan was a pretty good manager and Hobson may have been the worst Sox manager in post-67 era.

[YAZMAN]

My choice is Butch Hobson. As much as he sucked at 3rd, he hit some absolute bombs. And as a Little League kid watching the games, those bombs always erased the errors in my mind. Afterall, what kid is going to be critical of a launched throw or 12....and boy could he launch them! Then he'd spend a few minutes with his hand on his elbow rearranging his bone chips.

[Elktonnick]

My choice is Butch Hobson. As much as he sucked at 3rd' date=' he hit some absolute bombs. And as a Little League kid watching the games, those bombs always erased the errors in my mind. Afterall, what kid is going to be critical of a launched throw or 12....and boy could he launch them! Then he'd spend a few minutes with his hand on his elbow rearranging his bone chips.[/quote']

 

Don Buddin and Hobson had a lot in common. Buddin was touted as a "power hitting" shortstop in the day that did not expect SS to hit for power. I think he actually hit about 12 or 14 hrs one year. Buddin had good range and could get a ball if it wasn't hit right at him. He had a real problem fielding anything that he didn't have to move for. My memory of him as a kid was bending over to play a ball between his legs only to have him miss it. It happened so often it became a running joke for us as kids.

[a700hitter]

My choice is Butch Hobson. As much as he sucked at 3rd' date=' he hit some absolute bombs. And as a Little League kid watching the games, those bombs always erased the errors in my mind. Afterall, what kid is going to be critical of a launched throw or 12....and boy could he launch them! Then he'd spend a few minutes with his hand on his elbow rearranging his bone chips.[/quote']The rearranging of the bone chips was pretty cool.

[Bellhorn04]

My choice is Butch Hobson. As much as he sucked at 3rd' date=' he hit some absolute bombs. And as a Little League kid watching the games, those bombs always erased the errors in my mind. Afterall, what kid is going to be critical of a launched throw or 12....and boy could he launch them! Then he'd spend a few minutes with his hand on his elbow rearranging his bone chips.[/quote']

 

And Butch capped his Red Sox career by being a lousy manager and getting busted for coke. Extra points for that.

[a700hitter]

And Butch capped his Red Sox career by being a lousy manager and getting busted for coke. Extra points for that.

I thought he was in the Yankee organization when he got busted for the coke.

[Bellhorn04]

I thought he was in the Yankee organization when he got busted for the coke.

 

It was Scranton-Wilkes Barre, but it was when they were in the Phillies org.

[BSN07]

Tim Naehring was always a favorite of mine growing up.