 |
| Carney Lansford |
There are certain Red Sox players who—while not
superstars in the strictest sense of the word—were key contributors to the team's success. Think of guys like
Bill Mueller,
Kevin Millar,
Trot Nixon,
John Valentin, and
Tim Naehring. They came to play everyday and always did
something to make it easier to win. Another of this breed—
Carney Lansford—turns 59 today. Lansford played here for only two seasons (1981, 1982), but won a batting title in his first (.336 ). He didn't have a
lot of power (15 HRs over his two years in
Carmine Hose), but he had a knack for getting the big hit in key situations. He came to Boston from the Angels (along with
Mark Clear and
Rick Miller) for
Rick Burleson and
Butch Hobson—a
huge transaction at the time. He left town in a deal that sent him to Oakland in exchange for
Tony Armas. He went on to win a World Series championship with the A's (1989).
Many moons ago, when your
Editor-In-Chief was still playing softball, he wore the number four in honor of Lansford's two solid years at Fenway. Lansford was the last to wear it before it was retired for the great
Hall Of Famer Joe Cronin. Happy 59th, Carney!
