Manny said in an article in the Boston Herald today that he is the greatest left fielder ever to play Fenway.  Actually, you like to see this type of attitude in a player, because to be a successful professional athlete, you have to be confident in your abilities.  It’s this type of attitude that leads to the success that Manny has had in the game of baseball.

I don’t take this to be a personal insult on my play as a leftfielder; I like and respect Manny and we talk regularly at the ballpark.  I do disagree with him though.  Manny is a great hitter (one of the best of his era) but it is unfair to compare him to Me or Yaz or Williams because we all played in different eras.  As a fielder, someone needs to let Manny know that this is a new wall that he’s playing.  We used to have a different wall in left field when I played and it was much more difficult to play.

Earlier this season I listed what I consider to be the best outfielders to play Fenway Park.

People keep asking me about my thoughts on the Red Sox having Bill Buckner return to throw out the first pitch during the home opener. I thought it was great! Bill Buckner didn’t leave Boston on good terms so this allows him to have a positive memories of the Boston Red Sox and their fans. This was good for Bill, the fans, and for the Red Sox Organization.

There are a few guys who have been tacked to the wall by the fans. Guys like Bob Stanley, Bill Buckner, or Mike Torrez who had successful careers save for one unfortunate event in a key situation.

I was in the clubhouse for the first pitch and I thought it was funny to see the confusion on the faces of some of the younger players. They had no idea what the ovation was for. The game has changed and the younger players know more about iPods, cell phones, and video games than Williams, Yaz, and Fisk.