The Best Players in Boston Red Sox History

Despite residing in New York City, Laidlaw & Company executive James (Jimmy) Ahern enjoys following Boston sports. A fan of the Red Sox, James Ahern cheers on a team whose storied history includes several outstanding athletes. According to experts, the very best players ever to call Fenway Park home are: 

Pedro Martinez

Pedro Martinez spent seven seasons in Boston, during which time he won his second and third Cy Young Awards and compiled a 117-37 record. His 1999 season, in which he finished second in MVP voting, ranks among the most impressive in MLB history. 

David Ortiz

Boston fans could never have predicted that a little-known free agent acquired in January of 2003 would become one of the best players in franchise history. In 14 seasons at Fenway Park, Big Papi made 10 All-Star teams and helped lead the Red Sox to three World Series titles.

Ted Williams

Ted Williams holds distinction the last MLB player to finish a qualifying season with a .400 average. Still considered by some to be the greatest hitter in baseball history, he boasts the best individual statistics of any Red Sox player ever, this despite missing significant time while serving in both World War II and Korea.

Basketball Coach John Carroll Sets Wins Record at NMH

Drawing upon more than 15 years of experience as a financial executive, James Ahern serves as managing partner and head of capital markets at Laidlaw & Company, where he primarily raises funds for private and public health care companies. Beyond his work with Laidlaw, James "Jim" Ahern is president of the Northfield Mount Hermon School's (NMH) Basketball Alumni Council for Excellence.

The NMH boys' varsity basketball team scored a victory over St. Thomas More on February 6 and, in the process, the team's head coach, John Carroll, established a new school record for most wins by a coach. He now has 301 career victories as head coach of the basketball team. The previous record of 300 was held by NMH Hall of Famer and Class of 1959 member Bill Batty. Including his time as a player and assistant coach, Carroll, a member of the Class of 1989, has now been part of 428 NMH basketball wins. 

Since taking over as basketball coach in 2001, Carroll has guided the team to its eight most successful seasons in regard to regular season wins, and has led the team to New England Championships in 2012, 2016, and 2018. He was also the coach for the school's only National Championship, which it won in 2013. Moreover, Carroll is a three-time Coach of the Year who earned induction into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

As a player, Carroll was MVP of the team during the 1988-89 season. He went on to become a four-year player at Assumption College, where he holds the school record for most three-point shots made in a career with 342.