The Boomer

This week, one of the first baseball players I followed intently, passed away.  George Scott, aka "The Boomer" died on Sunday in his home of Greenville, MI.  According to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, he weighed right around 400 lbs. at the time of his death.  Can't say that I'm surprised.

My first knowledge of Scott, actually came before I even knew he was (back) with the Red Sox.  When I began collecting baseball cards around 1976/77, I remember getting his 1977 Topps card in a pack.  Don't know what it's like today, but back then, unless a player got traded or signed as a free agent with another club before around 11/15 in the offseason, that player automatically showed up in the following year's set as a member of the team he played with the previous season.  Scott, although starting his career with the Red Sox, played for five seasons with the Brewers, then was sent back to Boston after the 1976 season in the deal that sent him and Bernie Carbo in exchange for Cecil Cooper.  I did not even know he was with the Red Sox until I went to my first game in May of '77 and saw that he was in the lineup for the us (he doubled and scored a run as a part of a 4-run 9th inning rally, come from behind win for the Sox that day).