The Yankees just had their old timer's day yesterday, and it made me remember once when I was a kid an exhibition some old Red Sox greats had against some old Tigers greats when I was a kid.

The Red Sox have just as much history as anyone, why don't they have an old timer's day with profits from ticket sales and the like going to the Jimmy Fund? Also, if they had a game, which 50 guys would get invited?

TEAM 1

C- Carlton Fisk ®
1B- Carl Yastrzemski (L)
2B- Jody Reed ®
3B- Wade Boggs (L)
SS- Tim Naehring ®
LF- Mike Greenwell (L)
CF- Fred Lynn (L)
RF- Dwight Evans ®
DH- Rico Petrocelli ®

B- George Scott ®
B- Mike Stanley ®
B- Bill Buckner (L)
B- Pokey Reese ®

SP- Oil Can Boyd ®
SP- Bill Lee (L)
SP- Aaron Sele ®
SP- Bret Saberhagen ®
SP- Jim Lonborg ®

MR- Greg Harris ®
MR- Jeff Reardon ®
MR- Rich Garces ®
MR- Rheal Cormier (L)
MR- Rob Murphy (L)
MR- Jim Corsi ®

CP- Dennis Eckersley ®

TEAM 2

C- Tony Pena ®
1B- Mo Vaughn (L)
2B- Marty Barrett ®
3B- Bill Mueller (S)
SS- John Valentin ®
LF- Jim Rice ®
CF- Ellis Burks ®
RF- Trot Nixon (L)
DH- Cecil Cooper (L)

B- Mark Bellhorn (S)
B- Dave Roberts (L)
B- Brian Daubach (L)
B- Rich Gedman (L)

SP- Bruce Hurst (L)
SP- Luis Tiant ®
SP- Mike Boddicker ®
SP- Al Nipper ®
SP- Curt Schilling ®

MR- Bob Stanley ®
MR- Dennis Lamp ®
MR- Sparky Lyle (L)
MR- Calvin Schiraldi ®
MR- Joe Hesketh (L)
MR- Tom Gordon ®

CP- Lee Smith ®

Who wouldn't turn out for that game eh? We could even move up the day of the Red Sox Hall of Fame inductions and have the game on the same day. Some time in the middle of the summer?

Im basically against copying anything the Yankees do.

EDIT: In all seriousness, Old Timers Day is associated with the Yankees and Yankee Stadium... Id be just as unhappy if we started to do a roll call or loads of unnecessary curtain calls.

The Sox used to have an old timers day as well. It's probably been 20 years since they had one though.

Fair enough. But I think it still has too much of an association with the Yanks. It would have to be done perfectly or I would hate it. I would want it done almost as an FU to the Yankees, showing we have as good a history.

Sweet Caroline didnt originate at Fenway either. Lots of places used to do it. I think it started at Buckeye football games. But now it is clearly 100% Red Sox.

I think it would be just part of the rivalry, trying to one up each other in old timer's games. ...

One year we'd have Aerosmith sing take me out to the ball game, then next year they'd have Billy Joel do the National Anthem... they pull a "knife we pull a gun" kind of thing.

Interesting that you should three ACTIVE players. Earflaps, Nixon, and Schilling aren't exactly 'old timers' yet.

I was thinking about starting the tradition next season, and I think those players careers are over.

(The Yanks had a few guys who were barely through with their playing days.)

Well, in keeping with your "one-up" theme, why would you want to use barely retired guys just like them? Why not go all out old timey. Heck, maybe Pesky could still play. I'll bet Dick Williams would love to get back into the dugout and manage against Joe Morgan. You could also call in someone to summon the spirit of Cy Young.

The NBA used to do an old timer's game as part of all star weekend, I think. I vaguely remember seeing Cousy play on TV when I was a kid. That would have been like 25 years after he retired, at least.

It amazes me that they have these games and nobody dies. 60 might be the new 40 or whatever...but tell that to your reflexes when a line drive comes screaming at you.

But no old timer should be able to hit a screaming liner...except someone like Jim Rice who could probably still hit them over the screen, if they still had a screen.

How old is old? I think a lot of the old-timers still have the strength - just not the reflexes. But with another old guy lobbing 65mph rainbows towards the plate, who needs reflexes?

The fielders. That's who.

It would've been interesting to see what Williams could've done at 65. I bet he still could've wrapped a few around the foul pole in right.

Reminds me of an interview I saw with Pete Rose many years ago. They were talking about all the changes in the game with specialized relievers etc., and the interview went like this

Paraphrased from memory:

Interviewer: How do you think a guy like Ted Williams would do today?

Rose: He'd probably bat around .285

Interviewer: .285? Really?

Rose: Well yeah, he's a great hitter but he is about 70 years old now.

This story has dozens of variations involving dozens of retired hitters, although this is the first I've seen where one player is talking of another player. Usually it's first person. I read an interview with Ty Cobb where the reporter asked him how he would hit against modern players (it was around 1950). Cobb said probably around .300. When the reporter express surprise, Cobb said "You have to remember son, I am almost 70 years old."

I recall the 1984 NBA Old Timer game had players diving all over the floor for loose balls and actually featured some good play. Other than that I remember Rick Barry tossing up the old Mickey Mouse free throws and that was about it. Of course it was pretty unfair to have Pistol Pete and Havlicek on the same team...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuEXo7gNk6k

All I remember about the Old Timer games at the MLB All Star break was Boog Powell's stupid jerseys with all the team names on it.