Last week, we put to a vote on Fire Brand who should win the honorable mention spot on the All-Aughts Team of the Decade. The winner of the poll, which looks to be Mike Lowell, will be officially added to the team later this week when we recap his accomplishments in Boston.
Today, I bring to you the dishonorable mention candidates. No Team of the Decade roster is complete without recognizing those that made waves in Boston for all the wrong reasons. Below are five candidates, none of which are Manny Ramirez given he’s already made the team. Please take your time and vote for the candidate you feel belongs on the roster, either at the end of this article or on the right sidebar, near the top. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my displeasure to present:
Carl Everett: Served 2000-2001 with Boston. A .281/.350/591 line over 1,010 at-bats makes him the most productive player on the list. Was acquired prior to the 2000 season for Adam Everett and cranked 34 home runs in 2000 before a forgettable 2001. Claim to sacrilege: Being a polarizing figure. Where to start? Head-butting home plate umpire Ron Kulpa after Kulpa asked Everett to move his back foot into the batter’s box (Everett used to stand as deep in the box as possible). Proclaiming that dinosaurs don’t exist, giving rise to the nickname “Jurassic Carl.” He also dubbed Boston Globe writer Dan Shaughnessy as the “Curly-Haired Boyfriend” of then-colleague Gordon Edes (now with ESPN Boston)
Shea Hillenbrand: Served 2001-2003 with Boston. .284/.317/.432 across 1,287 at-bats and a walk-off home run against Mariano Rivera . Claim to sacrilege: Hillenbrand was originally a feel-good story as he plied his trade at Double-A Trenton before nabbing a spot on the 2001 club at age 25 with average minor league credentials. With extensive work from then-manager Jimy Williams, Shea turned himself into a decent player. He was the starting third baseman on the 2002 All Star Game, but was a liability defensively and couldn’t take a pitch. When the Red Sox signed Bill Mueller for 2003 and put Hillenbrand in a time-share, he was not happy. He was then dealt to Arizona for reliever Byung-Hyun Kim and had a feud with GM Theo Epstein, calling him a derogatory name for homosexuals. He would go on to clash with Arizona and Toronto management and is out of baseball.
Byung-Hyun Kim: Served 2003-2004 with Boston. 3.72 ERA across eight starts and 48 relief appearances, saving 16 games. Claim to sacrilege: Kim was acquired for the aforementioned Hillenbrand and while he made a few starts, he was quickly moved to the bullpen to address Boston’s failed closer-by-committee experiment. He was a solid pitcher for the year and did not allow a run in September 2003. Injuries failed him as the posteason started, and was pulled with two outs after the ALDS Game 1 with the Athletics. During the Fenway introductions during Game 3, he was loudly booed and Kim then flipped the bird to the crowd. Injuries forced him off the ALCS roster. Injuries and ineffectiveness limited him to three starts in April of 2004 and a couple of relief innings in September before leaving Boston.
Jay Payton: Served 2005 with Boston. .263/.313/.429 in 133 at-bats. Claim to sacrilege: Payton came to Boston along with David Pauley, Ramon Vazquez and cash for Dave Roberts, as Roberts wanted more playing time. Payton felt similarly despite being an average hitter — the type of player that is a bench player on a good team, a starter on a bad team. Payton was not happy about his new role despite getting 133 at-bats through the first half which is a pretty good number for a bench player. He picked a fight with Terry Francona publicly on the bench. Payton maintained he had no issues with Francona and simply did it to force his way off the team. You can bet Manny took a lesson from that, as Payton was jettisoned during the All-Star Break to the A’s for reliever Chad Bradford.
Edgar Renteria: Served 2005 with Boston. .276/.335/.385 in 623 at-bats, 30 errors. Claim to sacrilege: Renteria was a big-ticket signing of four years and $40 million to replace Nomar Garciaparra and came to the team he made the final out against for the World Series. Renteria blamed Fenway Park for his errors even though half of his errors were in away games. He had some pop against lefties but overall was a flat-out awful hitter, although he did score 100 runs for the first time in his career, largely a product of the offense behind him. “Rent-a-Wreck” gets the nod here over Julio Lugo because Lugo lasted longer in a Sox uniform and at least won a ring, plus contributed some value the second half of 2007 and 2008.
Well, what are you waiting for? Voice your displeasure at these players in the poll (below or in the sidebar near the top) and let us know your vote in the comments!
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