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Gator, Spaceman and Big Mo among Red Sox Hall of Fame inductees

The Red Sox Hall of Fame will induct eight new members at its next induction dinner, Nov. 7 at the Marriott Copley Hotel in Boston.

The inductees: outfielder Mike Greenwell, pitcher Bill Lee, pitcher Frank Sullivan, first baseman Mo Vaughn, pitcher Wes Ferrell, shortstop Everett Scott, scout George Digby and longtime executive Edward Kenney Sr.

The 2008 inductees were selected by a committee comprised of Red Sox executives and broadcasters, media members, and representatives of the New England Sports Museum and BoSox club.

The committee also selected its seventh Most Memorable Moment for Hall of Fame recognition: Ted Williams’ home run in his final major league at bat on Sept. 28, 1960, versus the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park.

The eight inductees bring the number of Red Sox Hall of Famers to 52.

WES FERRELL: Pitched for the Red Sox from 1934-37 with a 62-40 overall record in that span…Led the A.L. in wins (25), starts (38), complete games (31), and innings (322.1) in 1935 and recorded 20 victories in 1936…Had a 193-128 overall record in a 15-year major league career…Holds the ML career record with 38 homers by a pitcher…Died in 1996.

MIKE GREENWELL: Played his entire career with the Red Sox from 1985-96, serving as the team’s regular left fielder for most of that period…Batted .303 with 130 homers and 726 RBI in 1269 games…Is among Boston’s all-time leaders in doubles (9th, 275), hits (10th, 1400), RBI (12th), and average (13th)…Hit over .300 5 times…Hit .325 and finished 2nd in A.L. MVP voting in 1998.

BILL LEE: Pitched for the Red Sox from 1969-78 with a 94-68 record and 3.64 ERA in 321 games/167 starts…Ranks 8th in club history in appearances and is 3rd among Sox lefthanders in wins…Recorded 17 wins each in 3 consecutive seasons from 1973-75…Had an overall career record of 119-90 in 14 major league seasons.

EVERETT SCOTT: Was Boston’s regular shortstop from 1914-21, playing on 3 World Series winners (1915-16-18)…Holds the Red Sox club record by playing in 832 consecutive games and leads all Boston shortstops with 2310 putouts and 3394 assists…Played in 1654 games in a 13-year career, including a them ML record 1307 straight contests from 1916-25…Died in 1960.

FRANK SULLIVAN: Posted a 90-80 record in 252 games/201 starts with the Red Sox from 1953-60…Won 13 or more games in 5 straight seasons from 1954-58 with a career high 18 victories and a 2.91 ERA in 1955…Was an A.L. All-Star in 1955 and 1956…Overall won 97 games in an 11-year major league career.

MO VAUGHN: Was one of the league’s top offensive players in his 8 seasons with Boston from 1991-98…Hit .304 with 230 homers and 752 RBI in 1046 games with the Red Sox…Ranks 6th in club history in homers and slugging (.542), 9th in RBI, and 12th in average…Was the 1995 A.L. MVP with 39 homers and 126 RBI…Hit .326 with 44 homers and 143 RBI in 1996 and .337 with 40 homers and 115 RBI in 1998…Won 3 straight Red Sox MVL Awards from 1994-96…Played in 3 All-Star Games…Had a .293 average with 328 homers and 1064 RBI in 1572 overall ML games.

GEORGE DIGBY: Served as a Red Sox amateur scout for 50 years from 1944-1994…Signed Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, newly elected Red Sox Hall of Famer Mike Greenwell and Dalton Jones and Reid Nichols among others…Was the 1985 East Coast Scout of the Year…Served as a scouting consultant for the Red Sox through 2004.

EDWARD KENNEY SR.: Served as a Red Sox executive for over 40 years…Started in the Boston organization as a pitching prospect in 1946 but had arm problems and went to work in the ticket office…Joined the minor league department in 1948 and became farm director in 1966…Retired in 1991 after a stint as Vice President of Baseball Development…Died in 2006.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Morning Fort Report: Colon signing is news to Manny

Journal photo / Brita Meng Outzen
Manny Ramirez greets fans as he heads out to the practice field today in Fort Myers.

I attempted to engage Manny Ramirez in some discussion about Bartolo Colon, with whom he is very friendly.

I didn't get very far.

``I didn't even know we had signed him,'' said Ramirez as he dressed this morning.

When I asked if he thought Colon could help the Sox, given the injuries he's battled the last two seasons, Ramirez gave me a strange look.

``I'm not a pitching coach,'' said Ramirez.

And that was that.

On the subject of pitching coaches -- sort of -- Bruce Hurst has accepted a formal par-ttime position with the organization and will serve as a Special Instructor for Player Development.

Hurst has been in camp for the last two weeks, but in an informal, undefined role. He has agreed to travel once or twice a month to the Sox' minor league affiliates and continue as a spring training instructor.

``I think this is THE elite organization in baseball,'' said Hurst, who pitched for the Sox between 1980-1988. ``It's the epitome of this place can be.''

Hurst said he will stress mechanics, command and mental toughness when he works with the young pitchers in the organization.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 9:59 AM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink | Comments 1