Los Angeles Lakers
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Players of noteBasketball Hall of Famers
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Draft Picks (June 2004):
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Lakers-Celtics Rivalry. * At 92, he is the oldest living former Red Sox player. Draft Picks (June 2004):. Coaches. Rookies:. Manager. Reserves:. * Inducted as Red Sox. Starters:. Olympic hockey team.
Pat Riley Head Coach from 1981-91. The Sox defeated the Cardinals twice in Boston and twice in St. Louis to sweep the World Series, making this their first Series win since 1918. Purchased LA Lakers and Great Western Forum from Jack Kent Cooke. However, he was saved by second baseman Mark Bellhorn, who hit the eventual game-winning two-run homer. Jerry Buss owner since 1979. Louis to tie the game. Bud Grant played for team before playing and coach football. Game 1 set a new record for the highest scoring World Series opening game (breaking the previous record set in 1932). Towards the end of the game, Manny Ramirez committed two errors, allowing St. John Kundla (Hall of Fame coach during Minneapolis years). Louis Cardinals, a team that had posted the best record in the major leagues winning 105 games on the season -- and the team that had defeated the Red Sox in the 1946 and 1967 World Series. Bill Sharman (Basketball Hall of Famer; enshrined both for his playing career with the Boston Celtics and as a coach). The Red Sox moved on to the 2004 World Series against the St. Chick Hearn (broadcaster; Basketball Hall of Famer). Unfortunately the end of Game 7 did not go without rioting in the streets of Boston. Marcus Douthit. David Ortiz was named MVP. Sasha Vujacic. Neither of those teams had trailed in game four of their series, this is generally regarded as the greatest comeback in North American sports history. Tony Bobbitt - Guard, 6'4", 190. They became the first team in baseball history (and the third in North American professional sports history, after the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders of the NHL) to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-7 series. Sasha Vujacic - Shooting Guard, 6'7", 195. The Sox rolled 10-3 to win the series 4-3. Luke Walton - Small Forward, 6'8", 235. The Red Sox rally continued through Game 6, in which Schilling returned to pitch seven innings on an ankle held that had three sutures wrapped in a bloody, literally red sock, and into Game 7, when Johnny Damon (who affectionately referred to the team as "The Idiots" to describe its eclectic roster) hit a grand slam in the second inning and added another home run later. Slava Medvedenko - Power Forward, 6'10", 250. Game 5 set a record for longest postseason game in terms of time (5 hours and 49 minutes) and for longest ALCS game (14 innings). Jumaine Jones - Small Forward, 6'8", 220. Again trailing the next night, the Sox again rallied, and in the 14th inning, Ortiz's RBI single won the game 5-4. Brian Grant - Center, 6'9", 255. In Game 4 of the playoff, down 4-3 in the ninth with Yankees closer Mariano Rivera on the mound, the Sox rallied thanks to a stolen base by Roberts, an RBI single by Bill Mueller and Ortiz's 2-run walk-off home run in the 12th inning to win the game 6-4. Devean George - Small Forward, 6'8", 240. In Game 3, the Red Sox were demolished 19-8, a game which set the record for most runs scored by both teams in a League Championship Series, to fall behind 3-0 in the series. Tierre Brown - Point Guard, 6'2", 190. Pedro started Game 2 and pitched effectively, but the team lost 3-1 because of an unexpected pitching gem by Jon Lieber. Brian Cook - Power Forward, 6'9", 235. Worse, Schilling left early in the game due to an ankle injury suffered in the Anaheim series. Vlade Divac - Center, 7'1", 260. In Game 1, the Red Sox didn't have a hit until the seventh, and lost 10-7. Chris Mihm - Center, 7'0", 265. The Red Sox thus advanced to a rematch in the 2004 American League Championship Series against their bitter rivals: the New York Yankees. Chucky Atkins - Point Guard, 5'11", 160. The playoffs started with a bang as the Red Sox swept the AL West champion Anaheim Angels, winning Game 3 by a score of 8-6 on David Ortiz's 10th inning walk-off home run over the Green Monster. Caron Butler - Small Forward, 6'7", 217. After splitting six games with the Yankees in September, the Red Sox remained in contention, but finished three games back in the AL East, again qualifying as the AL Wild Card. Lamar Odom - Power Forward, 6'10", 225. Also acquired, though less publicized, was speedy outfielder Dave Roberts of the LA Dodgers for minor league prospects. Kobe Bryant - Shooting Guard, 6'6", 220. Management shook up the team at the MLB trading deadline on July 31 by trading shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Orlando Cabrera of the Montreal Expos and Doug Mientkiewicz of the Minnesota Twins in a four-team deal. Microphone Chick Hearn. Through midseason, the team struggled mightily, and fell more than 10 games behind New York. 44 Jerry West. In seven meetings with New York in April, the Sox lost just one, and opened up a 4-game lead early in the season. 42 James Worthy. Nevertheless, the Red Sox were picked by many to win the American League East in 2004. 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. During the offseason, the Red Sox acquired another ace pitcher in Curt Schilling and almost landed shortstop Alex Rodriguez, but the deal fell through, and Rodriguez went to the Yankees instead. 32 Magic Johnson. He was replaced by Terry Francona, a man who finally brought Boston a championship for the first time in 86 years. 25 Gail Goodrich. Most Red Sox fans saw this as the culmination of two years of questionable decisionmaking by Little, and it was the "straw that broke the camel's back" which led to him not being brought back the following offseason. 22 Elgin Baylor. Many Red Sox fans blamed the loss on their manager, Grady Little, for not removing Martínez after seven strong innings, when he began to show signs of tiring. 13 Wilt Chamberlain. In the deciding Game 7, Boston had a 5-2 lead over the Yankees in the 8th inning, but Pedro Martínez allowed three runs to tie the game, and the Red Sox lost the game 6-5 in 11 innings, on a home run by Yankee third baseman Aaron Boone. Gary Payton. They then faced the Yankees in the 2003 American League Championship Series. Karl Malone. The Sox rallied from a 2-0 deficit against the Oakland Athletics to win the best-of-5 American League Division Series. Derek Fisher. The 2003 postseason delivered another blow to Red Sox fans. Robert Horry. June 27, 2003, the Red Sox established a new Major League Baseball record by scoring 10 runs against the Florida Marlins before the Marlins could get an out in the first inning. Shaquille O'Neal. At 28, he became the youngest GM in the history of the Major Leagues. Green. After almost hiring Oakland's Billy Beane during the 2002 off-season, the Red Sox promoted Yale graduate Theo Epstein to general manager. A.C. The Duquette era ended in 2002, when president and Yawkey trustee John Harrington sold the Red Sox to a consortium comprising John Henry, Tom Werner, and Les Otten, with Larry Lucchino as president and CEO. Duquette was fired, and replaced for the 2002 season by Mike Port. Byron Scott. The sole win was a cathartic 13-1 demolition of former Red Sox Roger Clemens in Fenway Park. Michael Cooper. The Red Sox then met the hated New York Yankees and lost 4 games to 1. Norm Nixon. Game 5 was a tense affair, with the Indians taking a 5-2 lead after two innings, but Pedro Martínez came on in the fourth inning and pitched six innings of no-hit ball while the offense rallied for a 12-8 win, behind two home runs from Troy O'Leary. Jamaal Wilkes. Game 4 was a blowout 23-7 win for the Red Sox and the highest scoring playoff game in history. Happy Hairston. Cleveland took a 2-0 series lead, but the Red Sox won Game 3 9-3 behind the pitching of Ramón Martínez, Pedro's brother, and Derek Lowe. 99 George Mikan (Minneapolis). In 1999 they got revenge on the Indians. 44 Jerry West. In 1998 they won the wild card, but again lost the American League Division Series to the Indians, this time 3-1, despite winning Game 1 11-3 behind Martinez. 42 James Worthy. Martinez would have several spectacular seasons for the Red Sox. 34 Clyde Lovellette (Minneapolis). In 1998 the Red Sox traded for Expos star pitcher Pedro Martínez, and signed him to a long-term contract. 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In the strike-shortened 1995 season, the Sox won the newly-realigned American League East, finishing 7 games ahead of the rival Yankees. Once again, they were swept, this time 3-0 by the Cleveland Indians, running their postseason losing streak to 13 games, dating back to the 1986 World Series. 32 Magic Johnson. The fans and local media often turned on the players; general managers humiliated the manager; managers and players sniped at each other. 25 Gail Goodrich. Duquette's reign began with promises to revive the flagging Sox farm system, but ended with several huge contracts to major stars and a great deal of public acrimony. 22 Elgin Baylor (Minneapolis-Los Angeles). Longtime Sox general manager Lou Gorman was replaced in 1994 by Dan Duquette, who had previously run the Montreal Expos. 22 Slater Martin (Minneapolis). A trust controlled by John Harrington took control of the team. 19 Vern Mikkelsen (Minneapolis). Tom Yawkey had passed away in 1976, and his wife Jean took control of the team, until her death in 1992, ending over 60 years of Yawkey ownership. 17 Jim Pollard (Minneapolis). A winner-take-all playoff game was held at Fenway Park. The Yankees drove a stake through the hearts of Red Sox fans when Bucky Dent drove a game-winning home run over the Green Monster. 13 Wilt Chamberlain. The race for the pennant often came to a close competition between the Red Sox and the Yankees. The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry came to a head in the 1978 season, when the two clubs finished the regular season in a tie for the American League East division title. 11 Bob McAdoo. The Red Sox may have lost to the National League champions in the World Series, but their true rivals were the New York Yankees, who after the Babe Ruth trade in 1919 would go on to win 26 World Series championships. Their most bitter rivals are the Boston Celtics who have more Championship than them. Despite the series-tying win, the Red Sox lost Game 7, and this time it would be Yaz who never again played in a World Series. The 2004-05 season marks only the fourth time the Laker franchise has failed qualifying for the post-season since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1960. Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, against the Cincinnati Reds' so-called "Big Red Machine," is regarded by some as the greatest game in baseball postseason history, an extra-inning drama featuring dramatic home runs by Bernie Carbo and Fisk (the latter a game-winner, the famous 'body English' homerun). Los Angeles is the only city to have two NBA teams (the other is the Los Angeles Clippers.). The Sox won the AL pennant in 1975, with Yaz surrounded by other stars such as rookie outfielders Jim Rice and Fred Lynn (who won both the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP awards), veteran outfielder Dwight Evans, catcher Carlton Fisk, and pitchers Luis Tiant and the eccentric junkballer Bill Lee. This took place in a time before efforts were made to speed up gameplay, such as the addition of the shot clock. The 1967 season is remembered as one of the great pennant races in baseball history since four teams were in the AL pennant race until almost the last game. On November 22, 1950, the Lakers were leading until the fourth quarter, when the Pistons pulled ahead to win 19 to 18. Louis Cardinals. As the Minneapolis Lakers, the team holds the record for the lowest-scoring NBA game ever played along with the Fort Wayne Pistons. But the Red Sox lost the series - again to the St. 2004-05 Record: 34-48. Yaz won the American League Triple Crown and put on one of the greatest displays of hitting down the stretch in baseball history. NBA Championships: 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002. Red Sox fans remember 1967 as the year of the "Impossible Dream." The team had finished the 1966 season in ninth place, but they found new life with Yaz leading the team to the World Series. National Basketball League Championship: 1948. The 1960s also started poorly for the Red Sox, though 1961 saw the debut of Carl Yastrzemski ("Yaz"), who would become one of the best hitters of the pitching-rich decade. Logo Design: A gold basketball, with purple text "LOS ANGELES LAKERS" superimposed. Supposedly the right-field bullpens in Fenway Park were built in part for Williams' left-handed swing, and these are sometimes called "Williamsburg". Official Colors: Purple (Pantone 526) and Gold (Pantone 123) (Alternate Color: Laker Blue). Prior to signing Green, Yawkee passed on Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson both of who tried out for the Red Sox and were highly praised by Red Sox scouts. Former Arena: Great Western Forum. The Sox finally became the last Major League team to sign an African American player when they signed modest infielder Pumpsie Green in 1959. Home Arena: Staples Center. Williams retired at the end of the 1960 season, famously hitting a home run in his final at-bat. Formerly known as: Detroit Gems (1946-1947), Minneapolis Lakers (1947-60). Ted Williams hit .388 at the age of 38 in 1957, but there was little else for Boston fans to root for. Founded: 1946 in National Basketball League, joined NBA in 1948. Unlike other teams, they refused to sign black players, even passing up a chance at future Hall-of-Famer Jackie Robinson. The 1950s were a bleak time for the Red Sox. Despite this, they lost the pennant by one game in each of 1948 and 1949, and Williams never played in another World Series. The Red Sox featured several other very good players during the 1940s, including SS Johnny Pesky (for whom the right field foul pole in Fenway - "Pesky's Pole" - is named), 2B Bobby Doerr, and CF Dom DiMaggio (brother of Joe). However, this was also likely influenced by an elbow injury he had received a few days before when he was hit by a pitch in an exhibition game. He did not hit well in the Series, gathering only five singles in 25 at-bats, for a .200 average. Some have claimed that Williams was too proud to hit to the other side of the field, not wanting to let the Cardinals take away his game. Louis Cardinals, in part because of the use of the "Williams Shift", in which the shortstop would move to the right side of the infield to make it harder for the left-handed-hitting Williams to hit to that side of the field. With Williams, the Red Sox went to the World Series in 1946, but lost to the St. He is also the last player to hit over .400 for a full season, in 1941. Science of Hitting, his book on the subject, is considered by some as a bible of hitting theory and science. Stories of his being able to hold a bat in his hand and correctly estimate its weight down to the ounce have floated around baseball circles for decades. Williams was perhaps the most obsessive hitter in baseball history, and is generally considered the greatest hitter of all time, being able to hit for both power and average. In 1939, the Red Sox purchased the contract of outfielder Ted Williams, then playing in the Pacific Coast League, ushering in an era of the team sometimes called the "Ted Sox". In 1933, a wealthy, shy young man named Tom Yawkey bought the Red Sox and began pumping money into the team. These players (some of them Hall of Fame members) formed the nucleus of the first championship Yankee teams of the 1920s. Other Frazee era players went to New York as part of Frazee's financial strategy after he decided to leave baseball, having been driven out by Ban Johnson, including Sad Sam Jones and Waite Hoyt. Carl Mays quit the team in mid-game and refused to return; his trade was essentially a salvage operation. Frazee also unloaded a number of other Hall of Fame quality players to the Yankees for other reasons. The contract was a straight sale; the Red Sox got no players in return. Rather, Frazee sold Ruth mostly because he was a serious disciplinary problem (and continued to be one in New York) and because although Ruth was a star, it was not necessarily apparent that he would become the superstar player he quickly became in New York. Legend has it that he did so in order to finance a Broadway play No, No Nanette starring 'a friend', but in actual fact the play did not open on Broadway until 1925. In 1919, the team's new owner, Harry Frazee, sold Ruth to the New York Yankees. The Red Sox were owned by Joseph Lannin from 1913 to 1916 and he signed Babe Ruth, commonly seen as the best player in baseball history. The 1912 and 1915 clubs featured an outfield considered to be among the finest in the game: Tris Speaker, Harry Hooper and Duffy Lewis. In the following decade, the club won four World Series championships in a six-year span despite changing ownership several times. The Boston Red Sox won the first World Series in 1903 against the favored National League team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. The New York Yankees are their top rival. They are the defending World Series champions. They are in the
American League East Division. The Boston Red Sox are a Major League Baseball
team located in Boston, Massachusetts. Gulf Coast Red
Sox. Wilmington Blue Rocks Portland Sea Dogs. Pawtucket Red Sox. American League Jerry Remy (since 1988). Don Orsillo (since 1993). Joe Castiglione (since 1983). Jason Varitek (since 2005). Jim Rice (1985-89). Carl Yastrzemski (1969-83). 42 Jackie Robinson (retired by all Major League ballclubs). 27 Carlton Fisk. 9 Ted Williams. 8 Carl Yastrzemski. 4 Joe Cronin. 1 Bobby Doerr. List of Boston Red Sox awards. For other leaderboards and awards winners see:
Opponent Strikeouts: Pedro Martínez, 313, 1999. Wins: Smokey Joe Wood, 34, 1912. Walks: Ted Williams, 162, 1947 & 1949. Strikeouts: Mark Bellhorn, 177, 2004. Hitting Streak: Dom DiMaggio, 34 games, 1949. Stolen bases: Tommy Harper, 54, 1973. Triples: Tris Speaker, 22, 1913. Doubles: Earl Webb, 67, 1931 (MLB Record). Hits: Wade Boggs, 240, 1985. Runs: Ted Williams, 150, 1949. RBI: Jimmie Foxx, 175, 1938. Home runs: Jimmie Foxx, 50, 1938. Batting: Ted Williams, .406, 1941. Saves: Bob Stanley, 132. ERA: Smokey Joe Wood, 1.99. Opponent Strikeouts: Roger Clemens, 2590. Wins: Cy Young and Roger Clemens, 192. Stolen bases: Harry Hooper, 300. RBI: Carl Yastrzemski, 1844. Home runs: Ted Williams, 521. Batting: Ted Williams, .344. 37 Bill Haselman (bullpen pitching). 2 Brad Mills (bench). 41 Dale Sveum (third base). 35 Lynn Jones (first base). 17 Dave Wallace (pitching). 22 Ron Jackson (hitting). 47 Terry Francona. The original Tessie, a Broadway tune, was adopted by the Boston fans during the 1903 World Series and sung regularly until 1916. played after Dirty Water and for rallies: The Dropkick Murphys' rewrite of Tessie. played after each victory at Fenway Park: "Dirty Water" by The Standells. played in the middle of the eighth inning at Fenway Park: Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline", performed with raucous audience participation. |