The folks at NESN recently pointed out that Jermaine Dye, whom the Sox coveted back in 2007, would be a nice addition to the 2010 bench, especially considering his numbers against lefties last season: .292 AVG/.382 OBP/.508 SLG.
My interest in Dye, however, runs a bit deeper. Because landing Dye would push us just a little bit closer to my dream of having all of the names of the Jackson Five represented in the clubhouse.
Instantly, we’d have a Jermaine to add to our existing Tito (yes, a nickname, but still) and a couple of Michaels. We’ve also got a “Boof” who would represent, of course, the lesser-known Jackson brother Boof Jackson, who relocated to Germany on his twenty-first birthday and whose lone single, “Breakfast On Your Ass,” failed to chart. We’d still need a Marlon and a Jackie, but, technically, Papelbon or Lester could fill the latter while “DeMarlo” is close enough to Marlon for me. Hell, we could get cute and say that in Josh Beckett, we’ve got our “Marlin.” And I think he’d find the humor in that as he beat my ass senseless with a nine iron.
Look, any player who can provide an able bat off the bench and worthy platoonage is okay in my book. If the guy also shares a name with one of the Jackson Five? Well, then it’s a no-brainer.
