RED SOX MUSINGS by Rick Swanson

Put Pesky Back

APR. 2, 2007 -- Baseball has done some pretty stupid things, but now they have gone too far, kicking Johnny Pesky out of the dugout. I thought they were ignorant last year, when they inducted 17 former “Negro League” players, and left off 94 year old Buck O’Neil last February, and he died in October. Now the Commissioner’s office has sent a stern memo to the Red Sox, threatening them with stiff fines, if they don’t comply with this edict. How does it help the Red Sox, and hurt other teams if Pesky is in the dugout?

What if Boston had a petition, and asked every other team in the league, if they had any objections to Johnny being in the dugout? How about if MLB just institutes a 50 year rule. If you are in baseball for 50 years, you can sit in uniform in the dugout, anytime you feel like it. Don Zimmer and Red Schoendienst would also qualify under this rule.

It is time baseball uses common sense when they make a decision. Johnny Pesky is 87 years old, and still likes to put it on his baseball pants “one leg at a time.”

Why doesn’t baseball get it, when it comes to the important things in life? Anyone who did not vote for Buck O’Neil should be banned from voting again.

The person that signed this memo on Pesky should be tossed out of office. I challenge all fans of baseball to unite! Write to Bud at [email protected] Let Johnny Pesky sit in the dugout in 2007! -- Rick Swanson, Around the Horn