Book Description
The Red Sox's famous drive for the biggest names in the game in the offseason after the 2003 season was so big because of the history the Red Sox possess. For the first time ever a Boston icon ranks the five best players at each position to ever take the field. The Rocket or Pedro? Teddy Ballgame or Yaz? Find out who tops who and why.


From the Publisher
"Because of his long association with the team, who better to choose an all-time Red Sox team than Peksy? And because he has been associated with every Red Sox player over the past 60 years, I am honored and flattered that Johnny has seen fit to find a place for me on that team at not one, but three different positions." - From the Foreword by Carl Yastrezemski "The 'Pesky Pole' still stands in Fenway Park as a monument to the greatness of the team and its storied history. So does John Pesky." -From the Introduction by Ben Affleck


From the Inside Flap
Talk about a "dream team": imagine what it would be like to take a franchise with as rich a history as the Boston Red Sox have - with all of the wonderfully gifted athletes who have graced their uniform over the past century - and assemble a lineup using only the very best players from the elite group. Would you take Roger Clemens or Pedro Martinez as your number one starting pitcher? Or would it be Cy Young or Babe Ruth - just to toss out a couple of names? In left field, your choices might include great players like Jim Rice and Carl Yastrzemski. But if you could put just one name in the top spot, wouldn't it have to be Ted Williams? With all of the incredible talent the Red sox have had over the years, it becomes an enticing - and challenging - exercise. Former Sox great Johnny Pesky was up to that challange; in Few and Chosen, he has ranked the top five all-time Boston Red Sox players at each position, as well as the team's top five managers. Pesky watched many of the candidates play as he traveled from ballfield to ballfield developing the tools and knowledge that would mark his own life in baseball. He played with or against many others over the years - many of which he spent in Boston - as a major league shortsop during baseball's golden ages, the forites and fifties. And he has spent the better part of the past five decades evaluating talent and working with players as a manager, coach, scout, and broadcaster within the Red Sox organization. If anyone is qualified for an undertaking such as this, it's Pesky. Breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of dozens of ballplayers from different eras, Pesky reveals his conclusions and rankings in Few and Chosen: Defining Red Sox Greatness Across the Eras. The finished product is an entertaining and informative insider look at the best players to be a part of this great franchise. By bringing together the legends of Sox lore, as well as the team's contemporary superstars, Pesky has created the ultimate tribute to the Boston Red Sox while also fanning the flames of debate among the most passionate fans in sports.


About the Author
Johnny Pesky played ten seasons in the major leagues - his first eight with the Boston Red Sox - and owns a .307 career batting average. He managed the team during the 1962 and 1963 seasons and again briefly as the interim manager in 1980. He spent six years in Boston's broadcast booth, and currently works within the organization as a coach and scout. Phil Pepe has authored more than 35 sports books, including collaborations with Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford. He was the Yankees beat writer for the New York Daily News for 14 seasons and is a past president of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Talk about a "dream team": imagine what it would be like to take a franchise with as rich a history as the Boston Red Sox have -- with all of the wonderfully gifted athletes who have graced their uniform over the past century -- and assemble a lineup using only the very best players from that elite group. Would you take Roger Clemens or Pedro Martinez as your number one starting pitcher? Or would it be Cy Young or Babe Ruth -- just to toss out a couple of names? In left field, your choices might include great players like Jim Rice and Carl Yastrzemski. But if you could put just one name in the top spot, wouldn't it have to be Ted Williams? With all of the incredible talent the Red Sox have had over the years, it becomes an enticing -- and challenging -- exercise. Former Sox great Johnny Pesky was up to that challenge; in Few and Chosen, he has ranked the top five all-time Boston Red Sox players at each position, as well as the team's top five managers.