Q'd up

It gets monotonous when baseball players are asked to name their favorite players. They always pick the same handful of stars - Cal Ripken, Nolan Ryan, Ken Griffey Jr., etc. Sometimes you'll see somebody who was ingrained to a certain region - a Don Mattingly or Ryne Sandberg. Or, you'll see homages to players with significant historic importance beyond the game - a Jackie Robinson or Roberto Clemente.

For a game played by more than 16,000 major leaguers, it seems only a few dozen are mentioned frequently as being someone's favorite player.

That's why New Englander Rich Hill's answer for his favorite players was so refreshing. Hill, a former top pitching prospect for the Cubs who has become a journeyman minor leaguer, was called up by the Red Sox, his hometown team.

Instead of naming Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens or Mo Vaughn as his favorite players, he named venerable Dwight Evans, who would fit into the geographical category, and little-known Carlos Quintana:

Here's how much of a Red Sox fan Hill is: when asked to name his favorite players growing up, he first said Dwight Evans and then mentioned Carlos Quintana, a first baseman and occasional outfielder from 1988-93.

If you know who the Q is, you're a real fan.

I guess I'm a real fan. I remember when Q burst onto the scene. He seemed to claim the first base job out of nowhere. (I was a kid living several states away before the Internet.) He was an anchor of the 1990 team - one of my favorite seasons - and a player who always seemed better than he actually was because he wasn't overhyped.

His career was cut short because of an injury in a car crash, but thanks to Rich Hill, he'll be remembered today.

Today's games: It's up to Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge to hold onto the Phillies 2-1 lead over the Marlins. I wonder if this is going to be another time when Cole Hamels misses out on a win because of no run support. ... The Red Sox are just getting under way in Seattle.