Mike Greenwell

By Brendon Rosenau
Love of Sports Correspondent

There was a time when nicknames weren’t abbreviations of a players name.

Dice K, A-Rod, K-Rod … come on now! Can we get a little more original, please?

Back in the day they did, and Old School Love is about to recognize one of the best nicknames of the late ‘80s.

The Gator.

Mike Greenwell was a fan favorite of Red Sox fans from 1987-1996. The Gator got his radically, awesome nickname because he reportedly liked to grapple with alligators in the offseason. Who wouldn’t want a guy like that as your starting left fielder?

Greenwell’s time in Beantown, much like many Sox players of the past decades, was filled with ups and downs. He made such a good impression on the team in ‘86 during a call up from the minors that he was added to the team’s postseason roster. He got an at-bat in the infamous Game 6 of the World Series and pinch hit for Roger Clemens in the top of the seventh. He struck out with one out and a runner on second, in what can now be seen as the first of many heart wrenching moves made by manager John McNamara.

His first full season was one of his best, as he hit a career best .328 with 31 doubles, six triples, 19 homers and 89 RBI and finished fourth in the ROY voting. The following year, The Gator had an MVP-type season. He hit .325 with a career-high 22 bombs, drove in 119 runs, laced 39 doubles and eight triples and stole 16 bases.

Unfortunately for him, Jose Canseco did some 40-40 thing and won the award unanimously. The Gator publicly stated he believes that Canseco’s award is tainted and that he should have been the MVP instead, but it didn’t happen. Interestingly enough, Canseco’s even stated that if Major League Baseball wanted to take away the MVP and give it to Greenwell, he’d be fine with it. Still, no luck.

The Gator made his second, and final, All-Star appearance a year later, hitting .305 and driving in 95 runs. After that, it was up and down for him, as he never again was able to duplicate his first three seasons or live up to the ridiculously high standards the media and fans had for their new left fielder. This, they thought, was the man to continue the tradition of Williams, Yaz and Rice.

Statistically, Greenwell never lived up to those expectations. But he did leave a lasting impression on the Fenway Faithful.

For example, he hit an inside the park grand slam and once drove in a record nine runs, accounting for all the teams runs, in a 9-8 10-inning win. He set a record for game-winning RBI in ’88, establishing himself as one of the best clutch hitters in the sport. All things to love.

Then, like any relationship, there were the problems. The excruciatingly annoying habit of swinging at the first pitch. The no-show in the playoffs, like his 0-14 performance against Oakland in 1990, and the lingering injuries.

Greenwell was granted free agency after the 1996 season and still felt he had some hits left in his bat. Shockingly, he felt disrespected by management, another in an endless line of underappreciated players under the thumb of the Sox front office. But instead of signing on with another major league team, The Gator took his game oversees.

In 1997, Greenwell signed on with the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese Central League. He was given the richest contract in Japanese baseball at the time ($3 million a year) and his signing was headline news across the Pacific. However, he supposedly hurt his back in spring training, then broke his foot, limiting him to six games. He left the country in midseason and never returned. Suffice to say there aren’t a lot of Gator fans in Japan.

Greenwell’s currently living in Florida and is running a fun, family joint which combines baseball, race car driving and animals. http://www.greenwellsfamilyfunpark.com/

He’s also a stock car racer and will be inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame this year. We give out some Old School Love today for “The Gator,” a Boston original.