JIM RICE

Jim Rice was so strong that his ordinary grounders would be into the outfield before the infielders could react to them. Yet Rice maintained he never lifted weights in his life. He hit what Tom Yawkey called the longest ball ever hit out of Fenway Park (to the right of the flagpole). His hitting stroke was short, compact and intense. There were several documented cases of him breaking a bat on a check swing--just the violent snapping back of the bat caused it to snap.

The first act of Rice's career was phenomenal. His 1978 season ranks with the best any slugger has had since World War II. Henry Aaron said Rice might be the man to break his home run record. Rice was a .300 hitter, and though he as never fast. he even led the league in triples. He hit everything hard.

In the middle of his career Rice was a mighty home run hitter who fell into disfavor with the home fans---who grew tired of his mediocre fielding and record breaking 6-4-3 double plays--and with the press, who considered him surly.

In 1986 he changed - helped the team win a pennant by foregoing his power wing, and for once hitting to the opposite field.

Rice's career ended a little too soon; his skills deteriorated faster than you would expect, perhaps because of bad eyesight, or maybe because he'd never earned "scientific" hitting (ironic, because he is now a hitting coach). He retired a few numbers short of guaranteed Hall of Fame standards. It'll be interesting to see how the Hall finally judges Rice and his long-time outfield mate Dwight Evans; they finished with 382 and 385 homers, respectively.