Carl Yastrzemski
Born in 1939, the son of a potato farmer in Southhampton Long Island, Yaz grew up playing baseball on the family run team. His father had been recruited by several teams, but turned them down to take care of his family.(the money in baseball in the 30's was nothing like today) He was sought after by many teams, especially the Yankee's, who were the New Yorker's favorite, but the deal fell through when the Yankee scout tossed a pencil in the air in frustration when neggotiating with Yaz's father who then kicked him out of the house and refused to speak to anyone from the Yankee's. He eventaully signed with the Red Sox with a $108,000 signing bonus.In 1961, a highly touted rookie from Long Island, NY stepped into the hallowed shadow of Fenway's left field wall to guard an area just vacated by a legend.
Carl Michael Yastrzemski was the bright future of the Olde Towne Team and an admirable replacement for the Splendid Splinter. For 22 years, he answered projections with dazzling statistics and personified the image of a hard working champion. By the time "Yaz" Day rolled around some two decades later, the passionate ballplayer had given baseball another Hall of Fame candidate and New England another hero.
Yastrzemski covers the record books kept by his team and the all-time stats of his beloved sport. He tops the Red Sox charts for runs batted in, hits, games, at-bats, runs scored, extra base hits and total bases. In many statistical categories, he stands just above the great Ted Williams, whose legend he was asked to follow. He holds a top-ten rank in eight of baseball's offensive categories and became the first American Leaguer to reach the 3,000-hit and 400-home run milestone. Perhaps his most crowning achievement, though, is a 1967 performance that stands as one of the greatest individual season-long efforts by a player of the game.
Yastrzemski led "The Impossible Dream". He took a Red Sox team that led the majors in losses the previous season and guided it on one of sport's most engaging turnarounds. His efforts were incredible. A .326 average, 44 home runs and 121 RBI gave "Yaz" the American League Triple Crown that year. Whenever the team needed a big play, the left fielder was there to respond.
Carl Yastrzemski was the backbone for years of spirited Red Sox clubs. He wowed the fans with his play and represented the good of baseball with his stature. On October 1, 1983, New England paid homage to its star as he took the field just days before retirement. The crowd roared, cheered and cried when he circled the park to give one last good-bye to a setting that he had worked in for so many seasons. He was a player for the Red Sox and a man of the game.