Zimmer was a coach in '75. What's Rice talking about?

In '74 Yaz was more the regular 1B than he was the regular LF.

Actually, in the five seasons from 1970-1974 Yaz was only the full-time LF in one season (1971), with never more than 82 starts there in the other seasons. Just 15 starts there in '73.

Yaz started almost 1000 games at positions other than LF (not including DH, which was another 400+).

What's with Yaz randomly playing 3B in 1973 at age 33?

He knew how to play those really long bounces off the green monster.

Rico must have gotten hurt...he only played 100 games that year, after playing FT for several years previously.

That team had a pretty solid starting rotation...Tiant, Lee, Curtis, Pattin, the Ghost of Ray Culp, and Moret coming out of nowhere to go 13-2.

I'm more fascinated by Yaz playing 2 games in center in 1982 at age 42. The Sox had Rick Miller, Reid Nichols and Garry Hancock hanging around that year I can't imagine too many circumstances where Yaz going to center would make sense.

OK, looked it up, both games were starts with one of them featuring Evans in RF and Rice in left, I suppose if everyone else was hurt it would make sense to keep Dewey in RF where he was so good and Yaz, even at 42, probably made more sense than Jim Ed in center. But the other game he started featured Rice in LF and Miller in RF. I can't imagine why Houk would say "my outfield is Yaz, Rice and Miller, yeah, Yaz should be in center."

Stupid Mike Greenwell. He broke the streak.

Rico must have gotten hurt...he only played 100 games that year, after playing FT for several years previously.

That's what I figured - looks like that team didn't have much IF depth. It's hard to imagine a superstar at that point in his career trying a brand new position like that today, though.

Yes, with Rico out, the team tried Yaz at third. It was no better an idea than Johnny Bench at third. It's not easy to just pick up and make work! (don't even get me started with Dave (.906 Fpct) Kingman at third!)

Stupid Mike Greenwell. He broke the streak.

don't forget about troy o'leary

(don't even get me started with Dave (.906 Fpct) Kingman at third!)

So you would say that "What's your opinion of Kingman's performance?" would be a tough question to ask you right now?

It's just an odd story.

Even in 75, while it's true that Yaz "yielded" LF, Rice was only out there for 90 games (Carbo, Beniquez and others). In 76, Yaz was back out in LF for 50 games and in 77 Yaz was back to FT LF while Rice was full-time DH. Rice wasn't close to being a "full-time" LF until 1981 (most starts prior to that was 124 in 1979 ... remember 81 was a strike year and those 108 games are the full season) ... which is a little odd because Rice could run at least a little bit early in his career.

And, yeah, if Yaz hadn't yielded LF, the Sox would have had to play Cooper at 1B and Rice at DH -- which is what they did about 1/3 of the time anyway! The horrors.

Anyway, Yaz's image doesn't need any further burnishing by making up crap about how he selflessly ceded LF to Rice and Rice's image as a "fielder" doesn't need any further burnishing now that he's in the HoF.

But the Zim bit is classic. Somebody will be rushing to explain that Zim was in charge of the OFs or some such.