Rocco, We Hardly Knew Ye

photo by Kelly O'Connor, used with permission For a baseball-obsessed area of the planet, New England doesn't produce many professional ballplayers, even fewer Major-Leaguers, and a scant few greats of the game. Warmer climes are usually looked upon as the cradles of the sport: Florida, Georgia, Arizona, California, and, of course, Texas. The comparative rarity of a native New Englander reaching the Show means most Boston fans have always had a soft spot in their hearts for Rocco Baldelli, The Boy from Rhode Island Made Good, even if he spent all but one year of his career in a Tampa Bay Rays uniform (and will remain with that team's front office, now that his playing days are done). During his promising first two seasons in the league, in 2003 and 2004 with the Rays, I remember overhearing some scheming around here about how to get him into a Red Sox uniform where he belonged, being a New Englander and all. (Isn't there some kind of law about that somewhere? Could ...