Red Sox All-Massachusetts Team
One of my favorite Red Sox players, Tim Wakefield, died recently. It got me thinking of what an "All-Massachusetts" team would look like. By that, I mean players whose names are also names of places in the state.
I could only think of a handful: Tim Wakefield, Mike Lowell, Fred Lynn, etc. I was unsuccessful in finding an authoritative list online. So, I did a little research. Turns out there are a lot more.
I downloaded a list of all placenames in Massachusetts from the USGS, and also a list of anyone who played for the Boston Red Sox (and Boston Americans, their former name) since the franchise was founded in 1901.
Here are all the city/town names I found:
- Bob and Terry Adams
- Tom Bolton
- Lou Clinton
- Dalton Jones
- Dennis Bennett, Dennis Lamp, and Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd
- Carl Everett and Everett Scott
- Billy, Larry, and Wes Gardner
- Garry and Josh Hancock
- Erik Hanson
- Fred Hatfield
- Heath Hembree
- Joel and Sid Hudson
- Bill, Dud and Sang-Hoon Lee, plus Lee Graham, Lee Rogers, Lee Stange, Lee Thomas, and Lee Tinsley
- Mike Lowell
- Fred Lynn and Lynn McGlothen
- Chick Maynard
- Bob Montgomery
- Norwood Gibson
- Otis Nixon
- Paxton Crawford and Mike Paxton
- Jeff Plympton
- Allan, Jack, Jeff, and Rip Russell
- Tubby Spencer
- Drew Sutton
- Tim Wakefield
- Allen, Lenny, and Ray Webster
Bob Tewksbury never played here, but he was a scout for the Red Sox after he stopped playing.
But, those only includes names of municipalities (cities and towns). What about other placenames?
- Damon Berryhill (Berry Hill is a peak in Hancock)
- Chad Bradford (former town that was annexed by Haverhill)
- Galen Cisco (neighborhood/beach in Nantucket)
- Royce Clayton and Clayton Mortenson (neighborhood in New Marlborough)
- Sam Dodge (neighborhood in Charlton)
- Dwight Evans (neighborhood in Belchertown)
- Ellis Burks and Ellis Kinder (neighborhood in Norwood)
- Bill, Greg, Joe, Mickey, Reggie, and Wille Harris (neighborhood in Seekonk)
- Les Howe (neighborhood in Middleton)
- Reggie Jefferson (neighborhood in Holden)
- Ken Wood (Kenwood is a neighborhood in Dracut)
- Bob and Mike Stanley (neighborhood in Bridgewater)
- Tully Sparks (neighborhood in Orange)
- Bob Watson (neighborhood in Ashfield)
If you squint, you can also add in these cities and towns...
- Wally Mayer
- Bill, Bob, Frank, Jimmy, and Marty Barrett
- Josh Beckett
- Frank Oberlin and Andy Tomberlin
- Chet Chadbourne
- Tim McCarver
- Dud Lee (Dudley)
- Bob Fothergill, Bob Gillespie, and Grant Gillis
- Heathcliff Slocum
- Carl Everett
... and these other places
- Rocco Baldelli, Odell Hale, Del Lundgren, and Greg Swindell (neighborhood in Heath)
- Slim Harriss (neighborhood in Seekonk)
- Ken Wood (Kenwood is a neighborhood in Dracut)
- Will Middlebrooks (Middle Brook is a stream in Blandford)
- Jack Rothrock (neighborhood in Middleborough)
Oct 3, 2023
