George 'Boomer' Scott

Three-time All-Star George Scott, "The Boomer", was a stand-out first baseman in the American League from 1967-78 for the Boston Red Sox, the Milwaukee Brewers (to whom he was traded in 1971), and again with the Red Sox (who re-acquired The Boomer in 1977). In addition to his eight Gold Gloves for being the outstanding fielding first-sacker in the junior circuit, he also won the A.L. home-run and runs batted-in titles in 1975 (sharing the former title with Reggie Jackson, who also hit 36 "taters" as Scott called circuit-clouts). The "Boomer" was discovered playing baseball in his hometown of Greenville, Mississippi by former Negro Leaguer Ed Scott, who had been hired by the Red Sox (the last team to integrate) to find African prospects. Ed Scott was impressed by his fielding skills, which he retained throughout his career. He was, arguably, the top fielding first baseman of the 1970s, setting the record for most Gold Gloves at his position when he won his eighth in 1976. (The record was later broken by Keith Hernandez.) Unfortunately, after 1978, The Boomer's career was cut short by a case of "Dunlop disease", as he called it: "My belly done lopped over my belt." The spare tire The Boomer carried around after rejoining the Red Sox began to limit his mobility, and after his batting declined during the 1979 season, he was dealt to the Kansas City Royals. He finished his career that year with the New York Yankees, the Red Sox's hated intradivision rivals. George Scott finished his 14-season career eight hits shy of 2,000, with 251 home-runs and 1,051 runs batted in. The Boomer will always be remembered in the Red Sox Nation for being a key part of the 1967 American League championship winning team, the fondly remembered "Impossible Dream" pennant. (The term used first during the team's improbable pennant run by Boston Globe night editor Peter Stilla, Sr. after a trip with his wife to the Boston roadshow production of "Man of La Mancha (1972)." which featured the eponymous song.) The Boomer also was part of the 1978 team that set many slugging records and let a 14-game, mid-summer lead over the Yankees slip away, before tying them the last day of the season. The Red Sox went down to the Bronx Bombers in a one-game playoff, when Bucky Dent and Reggie Jackson hit home-runs offsetting that of Carl Yastrzemski, who along with The Boomer, was the last member of the '67 team on BoSox. The Boomer was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006. He was bitter that the Red Sox never hired him as a coach. He died in his hometown of Greenville on July 28, 2013, at the age of 69.