Page 41 - 1975 BoSox

34 ’75—THE RED SOX TEAM THAT SAVED BASEBALL
O’Connell made a block-buster trade with the California Angels on October 11, 1970, giving up Red Sox slugger and fan favorite Tony Conigliaro, catcher Jerry Moses, and pitcher Ray Jarvis for ace reliever Ken Tatum, out elder Jarvis Tatum, and in elder Gri n. e key acquisition for the Red Sox was Ken Tatum. e Red Sox already had a solid second baseman in Mike Andrews, one of the 1967 “Impossible Dream” team, and gave no indication that they were readytomovehim.InDecember1970,however,Boston made another surprising move, trading away Andrews and shortstop Luis Alvarado to the Chicago White Sox for shortstop Luis Aparicio. is opened up the second-base spot and set the stage for Gri n.
Gri n was known for his glove and great speed, both factors that prompted the Red Sox to acquire him. Ken Tatum characterized Gri n this way: “He’s not big, but he’s a great competitor. He dives for balls, he can hit and run, and he will sacri ce himself to move along a baserunner. He has very quick hands and he can make the double play.”4 In the event, Gri n had more than his fair share of injuries, which without doubt served to shorten his career.
Gri n was an unknown before he set foot on Boston soil, with just 18 games of big-league experience. e refrain around Boston from fans and writers alike was, “Doug Who? Where does he play?”5 Gri n was the sleeper in the trade.
Red Sox management focused on Gri n’s speed and his attributes as “a promising in elder,” and the young second-base prospect drew praise from manager Eddie Kasko who said, “Our scouting reports on Gri n indicate that he has exceptional speed. We can use all the speed we can get.”6
Gri n’s emergence onto the Boston scene was nearly as surprising as the departure of Conigliaro, having greater residual impact on the club than the arrival of Ken Tatum. Just before the trade for Gri n, utility in elder Dick Scho eld had been dealt, and just after came the trade of the popular Mike Andrews. With All-Star and future Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio on board, discussion quickly centered on the new double-
play combination of Aparicio and Gri n. During the winter manager Eddie Kasko said, “Our reports on the Gri n boy are excellent. He has excellent speed and they say he makes the double play very well. I plan to bat him second, behind Aparicio and in front of Yastrzemski.”7 Remarkably, this was Kasko’s plan even though Gri n was untested. One Boston sports- writer noted that the Red Sox double-play combina- tion of Aparicio and Gri n was the lightest-weight inOrganizedBaseball.Eachweighed155pounds.“ e two of them just edge out Frank Howard,” smirked one Red Sox fan.8
“Dude” and “Gri ” were nicknames given Gri n by his Red Sox teammates, though Luis Tiant called him “Skeleton” because he was so thin and lightweight. What he lacked in size, though, Gri n made up for in agility, quickness, and speed, and he had a sure glove. His bat remained a question mark, though, one that concerned the Red Sox brass. As spring training opened in Winter Haven, Florida, in 1971, once again Red Sox management emphasized “defense and speed,” in the words of manager Kasko.9 is approach was the brainchild of GM O’Connell, who sought to improve on the 1970 season, in which the Red Sox nished 21 games behind Baltimore. e die was cast: Doug Gri n was to be the starting second sacker on Opening Day.
An interesting twist to the Gri n rookie saga was announced by the Red Sox when spring training was barely under way; they named John Kennedy — the “Super Sub”— to spell Gri n when necessary. “John will get a lot of work this spring at second, just in case Gri n can’t do the job,” Kasko said.10 Kennedy, ac- quired by Boston in 1970, had played in 43 games lling in for George Scott at third base. Kasko held him in very high regard. Gri n was untried, which left Kasko a bit unsettled. He needed a backup plan and Kennedy was it.
Luis Aparicio took Gri n under his wing both before and during spring training, which seemed to re ect an understanding he had with Red Sox management when they acquired him.11 He accepted the role with great enthusiasm as did Gri n. It was a great match.