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Anderson’s blond locks set him apart even before he cut them short, and for three seasons now I’ve been pointing out how he’s made the Sox better just by playing center field like the fair-haired son of Jesus. So it’s been gratifying this year to hear everyone else ask, in the daily newspapers and on sports-talk radio, how come Anderson doesn’t play more.
This year the Sox are a more reasonable 18-17 with Anderson starting in center, but he’s provided key late-inning defense and has gone 91 games without an error, extending back to April. So why doesn’t Ozzie play him more, especially after insisting Josh Fields doesn’t play third because Ozzie is such a defense-oriented manager? Is it because of Anderson’s professed weakness for the “honeys?” Doesn’t matter. If Ozzie truly wants to play “Ozzie ball,” he should play Anderson and stress defense and pitching — not a bad strategy for the postseason, when the cold weather figures to chill the Sox’ home-run power. So I make the call again: “Blooooooondie!”
