Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Player Profile: Josh Bard

I have eight cards of Josh Bard. This one is from 2006 Topps Updates/Highlights.

Playing career: Catcher Josh Bard played for the Indians, Red Sox, Padres, Nationals and Mariners from 2002 to 2011, hitting .254 with 39 HR and 220 RBI.

Where he is now: In 2012 he played for the Dodgers AAA team in Albuquerque, hitting .331 with 6 HR and 32 RBI in 45 games. He retired after the season and chose to remain with the Dodgers as a Special Assistant.

My memories: I remember him most as the catcher who had so much trouble catching Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball with the Red Sox that they had to lure Doug Mirabelli out of retirement. Turns out only seven of his 586 major league games were with Boston. Funny how the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry really skews your perception of a player.

Interesting stories: Shortly after the 2010 season he was a passenger in a one-car accident that killed his best friend. Bard and the driver were buckled up in the front. His friend who was killed was sitting unbuckled in the back seat of the pickup truck. Always remember to buckle up, and never sit in the back of a pickup truck.

Google Autocomplete results: He is fifth when you type Josh Bar, between Josh Barro Bio, referring to a political journalist, and Josh Barbanel, a real estate journalist. There do not appear to be any other prominent Josh Bards.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Brian Barden.

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