RED SOX ALL-TIME GREATS TEAM

The newly formed MLB Network was recently showing Red Sox: All-Time Greats, a show about the three best players at each position to ever play for the Sox. Here is my team roster for the ultimate Red Sox team, complete with a starting nine, a bench, a five man rotation, and a bullpen.

The Starting Lineup
1. Bobby Doerr- 2B
2. Wade Boggs- 3B
3. Jimmie Foxx- 1B
4. Ted Williams- LF
5. Fred Lynn- CF
6. Carlton Fisk- C
7. Dwight Evans- RF
8. Johnny Pesky- SS
9. Pitcher's spot

The Bench
Nomar Garciaparra- SS/IF, Tris Speaker-CF, Carl Yastrzemski-LF, Jason Varitek-C, Joe Cronin-IF

The Starting Rotation
1. Cy Young
2. Pedro Martinez
3. "Smokey" Joe Wood
4. Roger Clemens
5. Bruce Hurst

The Bullpen
Bill "Spaceman" Lee (Long Relief), Luis Tiant (Long Relief), Dennis Eckersley (Middle Relief), Ellis Kinder (Middle Relief), Bob Stanley (Set Up), Dick Radatz (Set Up), Jonathan Papelbon (Closer)

There it is. The Red Sox ultimate 25-man roster, complete with starting nine, rotation, bench, and bullpen. Any disagreements? Let us know.

BOSTON'S MOUNT RUSHMORE

One of ESPN's new features is a state-by-state "Mount Rushmore of Sports" debate in which fans can decide on who would make their state's monument. The Boston sports scene is one of the hardest to do because so many superstar athletes have passed through this town, and each brought something different to the table. But if I had to pick the four faces for Boston's Mount Rushmore of Sports, they would be:

Ted Williams
You can't have a Mount Rushmore for Boston sports without "the greatest hitter who ever lived." The Splendid Splinter hit 521 homers for the Red Sox in 19 seasons, and averaged 130 RBI per year. A two-time American League MVP, Williams is the last player to hit over .400, hitting .406 in 1941.

Red Auerbach
With respect to Bill Russell and Larry Bird, who each could have made this list in their own right, I'm going with the man who signed both of them, Red Auerbach. Red coached the Celtics from 1950 through 1965 (and stayed on as GM for many more years), and won NBA Championships in eight straight years (1958-65). Quite simply, the Celtics have won more NBA Titles than any other franchise, and you don't have that unbelievable history without Red Auerbach.

Tom Brady
The Patriots sixth round pick in 2000, Brady took over for an injured Drew Bledsoe in just his second season in the league and turned the New England franchise around. A career record of 86-24 in the regular season and 14-3 in the playoffs makes Brady the most important player in team history. He is a three time Super Bowl Champion, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, and has the NFL record for touchdown passes in a single season with 50. Brady has a career passer rating of 92.9 and won nine playoff games in his first five seasons, the most of any starting quarterback in his first five seasons in NFL history.

Bobby Orr
Considered by many to be the greatest player to ever lace up skates, Orr forever changed the way the game was played. Despite only playing 10 seasons in Boston (12 in his career), Orr won eight Norris Trophies as the league's top defenseman, was a two-time Hart winner (League MVP), and a two-time Conn Smythe winner as the playoff MVP. He won two Stanley Cups with the Bruins, was a nine-time All-Star, and his 120 points in 1970-71 was unheard of for a defenseman. He is perhaps best remembered for his game winning goal in overtime of the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals against the St. Louis Blues.