“The best music… is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with.” Bruce Springsteen

Posted on August 16, 2012 by fenwaypark100

The Red Sox now languish in the nonsensical ramblings of this seasons remains and in their midst owner John Henry denies that he has a “mutiny” on his hands. The whines and boos have reached decibels which are so damn high I can hear them from 1500 miles away.

The Red Sox have stumbled and bumbled their way to 10 losses in their last 14 games and all indications are they are mailing in the remaining 42 games. But hey, Podsednik is back, Crawford’s hitting, and how do you not love Pedro Ciriaco?

Pedro Ciriaco has been a bright spot in a season of darkness.

It seems strangely appropriate that Johnny Pesky should leave us in a season of gloom, for Johnny has seen many of them in the wide range of roles he played on his way to becoming Mr. Red Sox! He participated, he witnessed, he commented and he endured. He endured and he tasted two vintages of the finest of wine, the robust release of 2004 and more mellow 2007 version. He shuffled off this mortal coil a happy man unlike so many Red Sox devotee’s before him.

It is also appropriate that the first event which Fenway witnessed following his passing was not a baseball game but a concert. It was music which rained down upon this entity of the Fenway Faithful, and it came from a most legendary source, “The Boss” himself, Bruce Springteen!

The kid from Jersey and the kid from Oregon, a generation and a continent removed from each other converged on Fenway Park and produced the best of music providing the Fenway patrons with “something to face the world with.”

You see the kid from New Jersey and the kid from Oregon had a lot in common. Both the son of ‘Common Folk”, both driven by an innate passion and love for their chosen crafts and both reaching heights of achievement and success beyond their wildest dreams.

 The kid from Jersey.

 The kid from Oregon.

The kid from Jersey is the son of a bus driver and a secretary, the kid from Oregon, is the son of Croation immigrants.

The kid from Jersey was inspired to pursue music when, at the age of seven, he saw this man on TV.

The kid from Oregon changed his name from Paveskovich to Pesky so it could fit better in a box score.

 The kid from Oregon, kneeling far right.

These two energy forces came together Tuesday night at Fenway Park under a Boston summer sky and the results were electric, poignant and memorable.

 The Fenway flag hung at half staff in honor of the kid from Oregon because Fenway was that kid’s ball yard. However the kid from Jersey had also made history there when back in 2003 he kicked off the Fenway Park summer concert series which has become an important staple in Boston’s annual summer music diet.

The kid from Oregon means a whole lot to the folks who patronize Fenway Park and that was not lost on the kid from Jersey. The kid from Jersey gets it and he paid homage to the native Oregonian which made many of the Fenway Faithful grateful and happy.

Long time devotees of Fenway Park, the Red Sox and The Boss, left to right, Paul, Eric, Allison and Marc. (Actually Paul and Allison, not so much on the Red Sox)

The kid from Jersey honored the venerable ball park when he intoned his haunting tune My City of Ruins, saying it was about “living with ghosts….the blood, the heart, the soul it’s all out there in the dirt and it never goes away.”

The kid from Oregon would have liked that for he certainly left his heart, his blood and his soul out there for nearly as long as the kid from Jersey has been alive, and his energy will never ever leave that dirt.

The night took on a mystical tone when a video montage of the kid from Oregon appeared on the screen and the kid from Jersey had the lights dimmed and a spotlight shown upon the kid from Oregon’s Fenway cenotaph.

 The kid from Jersey and his band ended the evening with two tunes which date back to the days when the kid from Oregon was managing the Red Sox at Fenway Park. While Dirty Water and Twist and Shout played, fireworks shot skyward from the Green Monster; putting the cap on an evening which now becomes a patch on the quilt of Fenway folklore.

James Sullivan wrote in his review in Rolling Stone that the highlight of the night “may well have come” an hour before the end of the concert when in what

“was another somber moment, with Springsteen singing a sweet, largely unaccompanied version of “Drive All Night.” A slow burner from 1980’s The River, it’s a humble love song that might as well be about his devotion to his audience. It was gorgeous in its rawness, which is what the man, at his best, does.”

It seems most appropriate that a love song, this love song, would be the nights high-water mark; for the kid from Oregon loved, with all his being, the confines of this historic edifice and the kid from Jersey loves, with all his being, his music.

And “baby, baby, baby I swear I’d drive all night just to buy you some shoes
And to taste your tender charms…. And I just wanna sleep tonight again in your arms, oh yea, oh yea.”

Is there a better something to face the world with?

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, August 16, 2012.

 

 

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Johnny Pesky…

Posted on August 14, 2012 by fenwaypark100

Johnny Pesky passed away yesterday. The man who had embodied the Red Sox for more than six decades has gone home. Home to Ted, to Dominic and to his beloved Ruthie.

Johnny broke in with the Red Sox in 1942, lost three years to the war and played from 1946 (above) until his trade to the Tigers in 1952.

He managed the Red Sox in 1963,64 and for the last five games in 1980.

He coached first base with the Red Sox from 1975-1984.

He spent six seasons in the broadcast booth from 1969 through 1974.

He was the special assistant to the Red Sox General manager from 1985 through 1992, the special assistant for Red Sox player development from 1993 through 1999 and he served as the Red Sox special assignment instructor from 2000 until his passing yesterday in his 61st season with the Red Sox organization! Pretty impressive resume heh, and it doesn’t even begin to tell the story.

When I first land of Johnny Pesky it was in a lamentable story of how he was held “holding the ball” while Enos “Country” Slaughter scored what proved to be the winning run. It was the seventh game of the 1946 World Series in Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. The Red Sox had tied the score 3-3 in the top of the eighth on a two out, two run double by Dom DiMaggio.

Slaughter led off the bottom of the inning with a single and was still on first two outs later when Harry “the Cat” Breechen stepped in and lined a double to the left centerfield gap. The story goes that Slaughter caught Pesky by surprise as he never stopped running on the play and scored the decisive run. I, like so many Red Sox fans born in the 1950s, grew up thinking Pesky was the “goat” of the 1946 World Series. Then I actually saw the play. Yikes, talk about a misnomer, Pesky never had a chance, watch for yourself.

                                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7IgTE593oA

I was well into my thirties when I saw this for the first time and remembered thinking what an injustice it was for Pesky to wear those goat horns for so many years. The fact s that Slaughter’s mad dash was simply a great play and Pesky had no chance of throwing him out.

 Enos Slaughters defining moment of his career.

Johnny Pesky passed away yesterday and he did so as the most beloved Red Sox of all time. Contemplate that. The most beloved man to ever don the Red Sox uniform. More beloved than Ted, Yaz, Fisk, Rice, Cronin, Doerr, Luis, Pedro or Papi! More beloved than the Idiots of ’04’, more beloved than them all.

It has been said that a picture is worth 1000 words and on this morning, I will let them speak.

Johnny was the MVP of the American Association in 1941 while playing for the Red Sox AA associate in Louisville. Here he is with the trophy and a lovely lady at Fenway Park in 1942. He made the jump from double A to the majors.

With Ted in 1942, he and Johnny were in naval flight school together.

He married Ruthie in 1945.

Red Sox pitcher “Boo” Ferris, Johnny and Manager Joe Cronin in the winter of 1946.

The Teammates, Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky.

At home with the family circa 1950.

Johnny had a tendency to make people smile wherever he went.

With Gary Geiger.

With Yogi Berra.

Switching lids with Cardinal Cushing.

And who loved him the most?

Fans

Fans

And more fans

As Johnny’s years with the Red Sox tip toed bye and they suffered the anguishes of coming so close, so often he became more and more beloved. And then came 2004 and the elusive ring was his.

Johnny Pesky holds the railing on the right field facade as he prepares to unveil Jim Rice’s number 14, July 2009.

Johnny Pesky represented what it meant to the Red Sox players, organization and fans when they finally reached the mountain top that October. And the outpouring of love Johnny received from that team, those players and coaches spilled into Red Sox Nation and when the flag was finally raised on Opening Day 2005, it was Johnny’s hand that was on the rope and it was he who received the largest ovation. Not, Pedro, not Schilling, not Papi, not Manny, not Tito, but 84-year-old Johnny Pesky. And not one of them would have wanted it any other way!

World Champs at last.

Johnny and Tito.

Many, many years ago I had a very dear friend die of cancer. She was one of the most courageous people I have ever known and in her 18 month battle with the disease, she was supported by many. Weeks before her death, her son had a gathering at her home to thank the family and friends for all that they had done. He took his mom out for a ride on a beautiful spring Sunday while we folks gathered at home to surprise her. I will never forget the smile on her face when she walked in and saw what awaited her and through the smile she said, “oh a wake without the body, I like it”.

I thought of her as I watched Johnny Pesky at Fenway Park for its 100th Birthday celebration on April 20th of this year. As hundreds of former players gathered on that glorious field of dreams, it was Johnny and lifelong friend Bobby Doerr who were announced last. Pushed on to the field by the most recent retirees Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield, they were accompanied by David Ortiz.

Bobby and Johnny

The “bookends” of Fenway Park’s 100 years.

And as they all gathered in the center of the field,

it was Johnny whom they all wanted to see and the outpouring of love was palpable!

Jason Varitek

Nomah

El Tiante

So, on this summer morn in the 100th year of Fenway Park, Johnny Pesky belongs to the ages. Forevermore embronzed outside the park.

 Forevermore remembered on Fenway facade,

 Johnny ready to unveil Rice’s number 14.

 Fisk unveils Pesky’s number 6.

Johnny Pesky belongs to the ages but he will never be gone from us, for those we carry in our hearts, never leave us.

God speed Johnny and thank you!

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, August 14, 2012,

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“If they win today, we’re going in”…..Remo Sinibaldi to his 14 year old son.

Posted on August 10, 2012 by fenwaypark100

On Friday last this Red Sox Memorable Moment was enshrined in immortality in the Red Sox Hall of Fame. You know they really could have enshrined the entire weekend and as you read on you’ll understand why.

Now I have been fortunate enough to have witnessed many a magical Fenway Park moment. Among them, Tony C’s dramatic comeback on opening day 1969, Fisk waving the ball fair and Yaz saying goodbye during the emotional last weekend of his career. However the magic of that final day of the 1967 season still touches me.

In 1966 the Red Sox finished in ninth place with a record of 72-90. They were 26 games out of first place and the only positive note of the entire season was that below them, in last place, were the New York Yankees.

Well not really the only positive note. For the months of July, August and September the team was actually above .500. They won 45 and lost 43. Now they may not seem like much but when you consider that this team from 1959 through 1965 never won more than 76 games and had actually dumped 90 games in 1964 and 100 in 1965, it was quite an accomplishment and it was a source of hope.

That winter the Red Sox made a move that would change the face of the franchise forever. They hired this man as the skipper of the ship.

Dick Williams made a bold prediction in the winter preceding the 1967 season.

Williams stood before the Boston media and promised, “we won’t quit, they didn’t quit on me in Toronto and I don’t intend to have anybody quit on me here.” He then boldly stated “I honestly believe we’ll win more than we lose.”! Wow! Brazen and brash words that fell, for the most part, on deaf ears and brought more snickers than cheers. The Vegas oddsmakers made them 100-1 shots to win the American League pennant. 

The Red Sox opened the 1967 season at Fenway Park on April 12 before an underflow crowd of 8,324. They beat the White Sox 5-4, propelled by a three run homer by Rico Petrocelli and a solid outing on the mound from Jim Lonborg.

Jim Lonborg went 22-9 in 1967 becoming the first Red Sox pitcher to with the Cy Young Award.

By the end of June they were 37-34 and only 5 1/2 games back, not bad for a team that had been so bad for so long. They opened July in Kansas City and completed a three game sweep of the A’s before traveling to California and then Detroit. They won the first game against the Angels, their fourth in a row, and were now just 3 1/2 games back but then…..UGH! They dropped two in California and then headed to Tiger Stadium where they dropped three more in a row. Their five game losing streak was the longest of the year and when Jim Lonborg took to the hill in the second game of a Tiger Stadium double-header, the Red Sox were 40-39 in fifth place six games out! The Fenway Faithful were for the most part convinced, that their beloved Sox were on their way to where they had come to expect them to be, the bottom of the deck.

Lonborg and relief ace John Wyatt combined for a four hit shutout while Yaz and Reggie Smith hit home runs to account for the 3-0 score. This, not only ended the slide but it ignited the Red Sox to a 21 game run in which they went 16-5 including a stretch of 10 straight wins. On the official arrival of the dog days of August, they were 56-44 in second place just two games off the lead. It was the closest to the top they had been in this juncture of the season since they occupied second place on August 1, 1958. And then they were 49-49 and 16 1/2 games out.

Jim Lonborg accepts the Memorable Moment plaque from NESN’s voice of the Red Sox, Don Orsillo.

This set the stage for perhaps the most dramatic pennant chase in history. It was the next to last year that there was simply two 10 team leagues and baseball was still two years away from the “playoffs”.

With only three games remaining in the season, there were four teams in the hunt for the American League pennant; the Twins, Red Sox, Tigers and White Sox. The White Sox were eliminated in game 160 of the year when they were shutout by the Washington Senators 1-0. Going into the last weekend of the season, the Twins were coming to Fenway for two games and the Angels were in Tiger Stadium to close the season with back to back doubleheaders. The Twins were in first while the Sox and Tigers were both a game back.

Here were the scenarios, the Red Sox had to beat the Twins twice and hope for the Tigers and Angels to split both doubleheaders, the Twins needed to win one game and hope for the same split. The Tigers had to win all four to clinch first outright or win three of the four and hope for the Red Sox to win both games, in which case they would be tied with Boston.

Jose Santiago went 12-4 with the Red Sox in 1967.

On Saturday the Red Sox sent Jose Santiago to the mound and had their ace Jim Lonborg set to go on Sunday. The Twins countered with lefty Jim Kaat. Kaat pitched well against the Red Sox at Fenway in 1967. Although he had no decisions his ERA was 1.93, exceptional for a lefty at Fenway Park.

The weekend was a buzz with a baseball excitement which had never before been seen in the Sinibaldi house, and it could not have come at a better time. My older brother had gone off to Vietnam in mid-September leaving a void in the house and all the fears that accompany a family whose loved one is in combat.

As Saturday morning September 30th dawned, my dad said to me, “If they win today, we’re going in tomorrow”. I was all in, what 14-year-old kid wouldn’t be?

We watched the Saturday game together on our new color television, you remember the kind that you always had to adjust to keep that green tint out of the peoples faces.

There was drama within the drama as Red Sox left-fielder Carl Yastrzemski was battling for the Triple Crown. It appeared that Yaz would win the batting and RBI titles but he entered the weekend tied with the Twins first baseman Harmon Killebrew with 43 home runs each.

Yaz and Killebrew share a word at Fenway Park on September 30, 1967 following a Yaz single.

The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the first inning however it was somewhat of a moral victory for Santiago and the Red Sox. For after Tony Oliva singled in a run, the Twins had the bases loaded and only one out, but they scored no more.

Yaz stands in against Jim Kaat in the first inning on September 30, 1967. He singled, his first of seven hits, that’s right seven hits, for the weekend.

The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth when RBI singles by Jerry Adair and Yastrzemski gave the Sox a 2-1 lead. The Twins came right back and tied the score in the top of the sixth and the Red Sox countered with a home run by George Scott in the bottom of the sixth and went ahead 3-2.

George “Boomer” Scott was in his second year in 1967 and he hit .303 with 19 home runs and 82 RBI while winning the Gold Glove at first base.

Santiago set the Twins down 1,2,3 in the seventh and in the bottom half of the frame after Santiago grounded out to lead it off, Mike Andrews singled and Jerry Adair reached on an error bringing up Yaz. Yaz was 2-3 with an RBI when he stepped in to face Twins southpaw Jim Merritt and when he crossed home a moment later he was 3-4 with four RBI and the Sox led the game 6-2. His three run homer over the Red Sox bullpen was his 44th of the year and gave him a one home run edge over Harmon Killebrew.

There was no scoring in the eighth and when the first two Twins went out in the ninth I was dancing in the living room. We were going in to the winner take all game on Sunday! “Not so fast” my dad counciled, you see he had seen a few “sure things” escape his Red Sox team. And when Caesar Tovar doubled off the left field wall Harmon Killebrew strolled to the plate.

“Hammerin” Harmon Killebrew stands in at Fenway.

Smugly sitting in my chair I said “he won’t do anything, this games over”, “don’t say that” my dad intoned, “never say that”! So in my 14-year-old wisdom I repeated it. Dad looked at me “If he hits this one out I’m going to ring your neck” he said. And on the next pitch, Killebrew launched a shot over the screen in left and the game was now 6-4.

Killebrew crosses home following his 44th home run of the year on September 30, 1967.

“See” my dad bellowed and I exited the front door. Dad didn’t let me come in to watch the last out which was a line drive to Jerry Adair at third but I heard it through the window.

Jerry Adair (14) and Rico Petrocelli leave the field after Adair snagged Tony Oliva’s line drive ending the game and giving the Red Sox a 6-4 win, setting up the winner take all match the next day!

“We were going in”!

to be continued…..

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, August 10, 2012.

 

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Seven Join the Red Sox Hall of Fame…..

Posted on August 8, 2012 by fenwaypark100

Last Friday, August 3rd, my brother and I took in the Red Sox Hall of Fame Induction luncheon at Fenway Park’s EMC Club.

 There were seven members (five of them players) added to the Red Sox Hall of Fame and they spanned the 100 years of the existence of Fenway Park.  Two “non uniformed personnel” joined the elite and then there was the “Memorable Moment.” The selection committee is made up of 16 members of “Red Sox broadcasters and executives, past and present media personnel, and representatives from the Sports Museum of New England and the BoSox Booster Club.

First a bit on how this all gets done. To be eligible for the Red Sox Hall of Fame, a player must have played three years with the Red Sox and be retired from baseball for at least three years. The players must receive a 75% of the 16 votes (12) to be inducted. As for the non uniformed personnel and the Memorable Moment, they must be unanimous selections.

And now……………………………………………..The line up. In order of oldest to most recent!

Leading off is none other than a gentleman named, John I Taylor. Mr. Taylor, you see, is the man who owned the Red Sox in their nascent years. It is Mr. Taylor who actually named the Red Sox, the Red Sox (in 1907) and it is Mr. Taylor who looked at the patch of swamp land in the Fens section in Boston’s Back Bay and saw a new ball park. It was the vision of this man which gave us Fenway Park.

 Many descendents of Mr. Taylor were on hand to accept this honor and were delighted to do so. In fact it was John I Taylor’s dad who was the founding publisher of the Boston Globe; another Boston institution.

 The Taylor Family

The next inductee was a contemporary of Mr. Taylor’s and he wore a uniform. His name is Hubert Benjamin Leonard, known simply as “Dutch”. He was a southpaw hurler for the Sox from 1913-1918 and he was a dandy. Going 90-64 in his years in a Red Sox uniform, his best season was 1914 when he was 19-5 with an ERA of 0.96. Catch that? I’ll say it again, 0.96. That is a modern major league baseball record! He did that while pitching 224 and 2/3 innings. He won game three of the 1915 World Series and game four of the ’16’ Fall Classic and his 25 career shutouts is the most of any lefthanded pitcher in Red Sox history.

His grandnephew and great grand-nephew were on hand to accept the award and it was grand nephew Steve who spoke on behalf of the family. 

The Leonard Nephews

The next in line was a pitcher who helped the Sox in their American League pennant winning season of 1946.

Joe Dobson pitched seven season for Boston winning 106 and losing 72 games along the way. He was the complete game winner in game five of the 1946 World Series at Fenway Park against the Cardinals. That win gave the Sox a three games to two lead in the Series which the Cardinals erased in St. Louis in defeating the Red Sox in seven games.

The second of the “non-uniformed” inductees was long time head groundskeeper of Fenway Park, Joe Mooney.

Red Sox play by-play man Don Orsillo presents Mooney with his Hall of Fame plaque.

Joe is quite a character and I think a description of a crusty old Irishman fits him to a tee. A legendary defender of the Fenway playing service, I had a first hand experience with his passion for “protecting” the Fenway lawn.

In 1996, David, Kerry and I had received permission from the Red Sox to have our photographs taken inside the park. They were for the inside of the dust jacket for our book The Babe in Red Stockings. It was in November and when we got inside the park it was clear the field was being worked on. There were two dump trucks and a tractor in the outfield. We decided we would like to be on the field, in the first base area, remember this is November. We opened the gate and stepped onto the warning track area by the Red Sox on deck circle. Within seconds, Joe Mooney materialized and he was shouting in no uncertain terms, that we had to, how did he put it, “get the hell off the field”. We took the photos in the stands.

There were three players from more recent days who joined the Fenway Park elite. They were, Marty Barrett

Ellis Burks,

And Curt Schilling

Barrett replaced current Red Sox color man Jerry Remy at second base in 1982 and he held the job for nine seasons. In 1986 he had a post season like few in baseball history have experienced as he knocked out 24 hits, at the time a record, and was the MVP of the 1986 ALCS. One of the “headiest” ball players to ever play the game, he was very adept at the hidden ball trick which was ultimately taken away by a most unlikely source, the umpires. Marty regaled the crowd with how they stopped it and they did so by simply calling time as soon as they could, once the ball returned to the infield and landed in Marty’s glove. They had been embarrassed one time too many by Marty’s talent at fooling opposing baserunners. There have been 18 hidden ball plays in Red Sox history and Marty Barrett and Johnny Pesky have each turned it three times, the only multiple turners of the stunt.

Ellis Burks played six seasons with the Red Sox at the start of his career. In his rookie year of 1987 he became the first Red Sox rookie to hit 20 homers (20) and steal 20 bases (27). His 27 steals that year were the most by a Red Sox rookie since Tris Speaker’s 35 swipes in 1909. Burk’s career came full circle in 2004 when he rejoined the Red Sox in his final season. Although hampered throughout the campaign with injuries, he was a major clubhouse force. So much so that it was Ellis who carried the World Series trophy off the plane when the Champs arrived home from St. Louis.

Jim Rice and Ellis Burks share a moment before the festivities begin.

Ellis told a great story of how Jim Rice was his idol as he a kid and the transition that was made between him and Rice; from idol, to teammate to a big brother type and finally to the best of friends.

Jim Rice with members of the Ellis Burks family.

The last player to be introduced was Curt Schilling. And as you can imagine the focus of his story was 2004 and the now famous “Bloody Sock”. It is a story that has been and forevermore will be oft told and it is one that I will never tire of hearing. In case you’ve forgotten, there was the suturing of his detached right ankle tendon which enabled Schilling to pitch, and win, game six of the ALCS against the Yankee and tie the series at three games setting the stage for the miracle’s completion the next night.

I for one was struck by two things about Schilling. First was his credit and praise for the role Ellis Burks played in the story of 2004 and second how intently he listened to the stories about his fellow inductees. I had read about his passion for baseball history and it was nice to witness that passion first hand.

Schilling played but four seasons with the Red Sox yet you may be hard pressed to find a pitcher, no matter how great, who has had a greater impact upon this franchise. He was 6-1 in eight post season starts with the Red Sox including 2-0 with a 0.79 ERA in two World Series starts. He is truly one of the great clutch pitchers of all time, and come December he will make his first appearance on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. It will be interesting to see how the BBWAA measures his career.

Regardless of their measurement Schilling’s place in Red Sox history and the folklore of Fenway is secure and it was rewarded last Friday.

There was a moment recognized as well. It is a moment that is near and dear to me and will live in my heart for as long as it beats. It is a moment born of a love and a passion which encompasses family, Fenway and me like no other and thus it deserves its own story, which will be next!

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, August 8, 2012.

 

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The inmates are running the asylum, and the owners are letting them…..

Posted on August 6, 2012 by fenwaypark100

While the Red Sox were tanking three of four games to the Twins this weekend, David, Kerry and I were having some fun on the road.

We started the day Saturday at Tatnuck Booksellers in Westborough Mass and found ourselves in an interesting position, as we were sharing space with a current NY Times best seller.

As we were getting ready to go, Dave investigated what the stir was all about.

Hmmmm, maybe we’re in the wrong genre.

Things were a little slow in the morning which lent itself to some interesting baseball fodder; As we discussed among other things, the Red Sox woes, why Luis Tiant is not in the Hall of Fame (because he should be!), and who the baby is in the Red Sox clubhouse running upstairs to ownership about “what Bobby Valentine said to Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks.” Now for those of you who may have missed it, this is truly rich.

Kerry (Moe) and David (Larry). I’m Curly!

In a recent game the rookie third baseman made two errors in an inning. At some point after the fact, Valentine quipped to the kid, something to the effect of, “nice inning kid, or good inning”, something said in a sarcastic manner and in all probability to poke a little fun at the kid, relax him a little. He also at some time after the incident sat with Will and told him about the game early in his (Bobby V’s) career, in which he made three errors.

Well apparently one of the other players heard the “nice inning kid” remark and went running upstairs to haunchodom (is that a word?) and said something like, “Daddy, Daddy, you won’t believe what Bobby said to Will after he made those errors, golly gee Daddy he was trying his best you know and I just don’t think that he should talk to him like that do you? I mean don’t you think he might injure his self-esteem or something ?”

Believe it or not, haunchodom agreed with Blathering Baby and Bobby got a tongue lashing! Seriously, it really happened. You know one of those “we don’t do it that way here” tongue lashings. Good God how pathetic is that?

Now I am on record as saying that I am not a big fan of Bobby V and I have not been from the start but holy moly this is truly ridiculous! Most of you know I am involved with a high school baseball team and any of you who have ever been in a dugout, know the banter that takes place and forth. It’s sort of like an ongoing version of the “no slack review”. Blathering Red Sox Baby would never survive in our high school dugout. But he’d probably want a trophy for showing up.

What Haunchdom should have done was dragged Blathering Baby by the ear into the clubhouse (preferably with the whole team in it) and right to Bobby V. He then should have spoken in a loud voice and informed Blathering Baby that Bobby V was his boss and he was in charge and to knock of the nonsense and play baseball! I believe it would have helped a lot if he spoke very, very, very loud and sprinkled in some well-chosen and most descriptive cuss words. And come to think of it, a boot in the ass to Blathering Baby on his way back upstairs would have been the perfect exclamation point to it all.

Well after we sorted that all out, we headed to the Barnes and Noble at the Derby Shoppes in Hingham. Now you know that if you’re heading to an establishment where shops is spelled shoppes, you’re heading into a pretty sexy place. And it was.

Larry and Moe, pointing the finger at Curly.

There were no shades of grey here, only shades of baseball and Fenway Park as a lot of nice folks came by and shared their memories and stories about Fenway Park and the Red Sox. Some were on their way in to the game and stopped by to pick up a book. I even had a visit from an old friend who I played softball with 30 years ago. It was great to see him and catch up on three decades.

We were visited by a lovely lady who shares a name with a certain current Red Sox catcher. A hint, it’s the longest surname in the history of major league baseball.

On Tuesday night August 7, Kerry (Moe) and I (Curly) will be at the Hanson Public Library, 132 Maquan Street in Hanson, at 6:30 to give a presentation about the book and talk to all about Fenway Park and the Red Sox. There will be some trivia contests and the book will be available. Stop by and say hello. 

And then on Wednesday, it’s on the road for me as eldest daughter and I head back south to the land of sun and sand.

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, August 6, 2012.

 

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On The Road Again…..

Posted on August 2, 2012 by fenwaypark100

On Saturday David, Kerry and I hit the road again with a two stop day. We will begin the day with a morning visit with the good folks of Westborough Mass whom we will meet at Tatnuck’s Booksellers, Gift Gallery and Cafe on Route 9 and Lyman Street. We will be there from 10 AM until noon.

We will then travel back to the south shore for a late afternoon visit (4-6 PM) with the folks in Hingham Mass at the Barnes and Noble Book Store in the world-famous Derby Street Shoppes on Derby Street.

So if you are out in the Westborough way on Saturday morning, or if you know folks who are out that way, stop by or send them a heads up to come out and enjoy morning coffee with us and talk about a couple of New England’s favorite topics, Fenway Park and the Red Sox.

And for those of you on the south shore who may have missed us last Saturday at Curtis Liquors in Weymouth, make sure you catch up with us in Hingham on Saturday afternoon.

PS. The internet bidding on the trophy closed at $150,000. Now it’s time for the live floor auction. That should get very interesting!

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, August 2, 2012.

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The Energy Which Emanates from Fenway Park…..

Posted on August 1, 2012 by fenwaypark100

On Saturday last I gathered for what can best be described as a “Fenway Fest” at a place very near and dear to me, Curtis Liquors in Weymouth Massachusetts. There are a number of reasons why this is so.

Curtis Liquors Grand Opening circa 1982, left to right, Rick Curtis, Marion Curtis, two town of Weymouth selectpersons, “Dick” Curtis and yours truly.

I have known Rick Curtis for 40 years and my association with him and his establishment has been the source of life altering and life defining events. But more than that is the relationships that have been forged through my time spent in this place. The impact they have made upon my life has been deep, profound and immeasurable. And on Saturday it was no different as many folks came by to join in the Fenway extravaganza which featured, a live broadcast of the Joe Ligotti Show.

The Guy from Boston chatting with my eldest daughter before the show goes on.

An appearance by none other than El Tiante himself, the Red Sox legendary hurler who in my mind is the best pitcher not in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but that will be covered in another post down the road!

Luis with daughter number two and her girls. (That yellow polka dot dress in the lower right corner is her third girl who you can tell loves to have her pictured taken)

And in the midst of it all were Kerry and I signing copies of Images of Fenway Park.

David was among the missing as he was in North Carolina with his family on a much deserved mini getaway.

For me and my family it had all the elements of a reunion, for they too are connected to the location of Curtis Liquors.

Family friend John, my Big Brother Willie, who has appeared on this blog a few times, his lovely wife Paula, son Marc, daughter Jill and grandson Gus.

The establishment Curtis Liquors is located where the very first Curtis Farms Supermarket was located back in the early 1960s. It is there where Big Brother found his first job in high school. Next door is the building which once housed the James Anthony Beauty Salon and it is there where Paula found her first employment in the beauty industry which launched her career. Today she owns and operates Headlines by Paula in Hanover MA. and has done so for nearly four decades. http://www.yelp.com/biz/headlines-by-paula-hanover

Old friends came by to say hello and share a moment, a memory and a smile.

Pat and I worked together at Curtis in its early days.

My friend Danny and I, who met at another Curtis establishment, share a laugh on Saturday.

New acquaintances dropped in to finally introduce themselves and share their memories and thoughts on Fenway and the Red Sox.

Joe Ligotti, Luis Tiant, Yours Truly and Gary Titus. Gary operates the website shermfeller.com, in tribute to the late Fenway Park announcer.

And so many folks came by, young and old, to grab a book and to share their personal stories of Fenway Park and the Red Sox.

In a day filled with so many great moments I must confess that among my favorites was a few minutes spent on the air with Joe and talking about the mound exploits of Luis Tiant.

It was in the 1970s when I spent the most time at Fenway Park, averaging about 20 trips to Fenway a year. And in that time frame I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Luis Tiant pitch many, many times. I said it then and I’ll go to my grave saying it; I have been visiting Fenway Park since 1959, I have seen some great pitchers and some great pitching performances, and if I had to pick any Red Sox pitcher to pitch the one game the Sox had to win, I am giving the ball to Luis Clemente “El Tiante” Tiant! There is no pitcher I have ever seen with more heart!

It was a joyful day, replete with great stories of Luis, the Red Sox and Fenway. Yet once again the star of the day was, yup you guessed it, relationships. Relationships born, in the same place that now echo through time; relationships rekindled, relationships formed and relationships missed. And all generated by the energy which emanates from a ‘lyric little band box” located in Boston’s Back Bay.

PS This morning at 6 AM the trophy was at $150,000 with 17 hours to go!

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, August 1, 2012, the first of the “dog days”. 

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Sox Woes Summed up in Two Words, Beckett and Lester…..

Posted on July 31, 2012 by fenwaypark100

In case you missed it last night, the Sox won their third straight game and in so doing, they went over the .500 mark for the first time in 10 days, moved out of the cellar in the AL East, pulled to within three games of the wild card spot and within 8 1/2 of the first place Yankees.

Clay Buchholz improved his record to 9-3 and in his last three outings he has given up only four earned runs and 15 hits in 23 innings .

Buchholz had an excellent outing and I say that not because he had his best stuff, but because he didn’t. Pretty much without a curve ball, he survived some tough stretches where he couldn’t find the plate, got knocked around a little bit yet he endured and prevailed. Those are the kind of nights that truly measure the worth of a pitcher because let’s face it when these guys have it all working they simply mow people down. When that occurs it’s easy. It’s when things are tough that the true measure of the athlete emerges. Thus was the case for Buchholz last night.

Now where does it all leave us. Well last week one of Boston’s leading negative nabobs of negativism, none other than, Dan Shaughnessy himself of the Boston Globe pronounced the season over and the team dead! He essentially called the playoff race a charade and urged the members of the Nation not to buy into the ruse that this team was good.

Sometimes I think Dan Shaughnessy is still looking for ways to resurrect the “Curse of the Bambino” so he can write a sequel.

Do they have their problems? No doubt, it is clear that they are searching for a new identity. Is Bobby V the guy to guide them to that new identity? Honestly I don’t think so. He is not the long-term solution and I can’t get past the idea that he is a place holder and that in and of itself poses a problem. I am not a huge fan frankly and I do not think he is the type of guy that I would want to work for, however with all this team has endured, he has not done a bad job.  

Bobby Valentine Manager Bobby Valentine #25 of the Boston Red Sox shares a laugh prior to the game against the Chicago White Sox on July 18, 2012 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.

Bobby Valentine

If I asked you to identify the Red Sox “problems”, you might start with this guy.

Carl Crawford

Let me say this, about that. This guy is a ridiculously talented athlete. Living in a suburb of Tampa FL, I have watched him up close for his entire career. He is a gamer and an overall good guy. I also must tell you that when he became a free agent, I thought he would be better served if he went to a place like Anaheim or Texas where the devotion and coverage of their baseball teams are not quite as, should we say, intense as places like Boston and Philly and New York. You see Carl is not the most loquacious fellow on the planet and I wondered how he might react to a fan base where people would be aware of how many times he flagellated in the course of a day night double-header. He has been injured and he has struggled but I personally think that the jury is still out and he is worth hanging with!

We are all aware of the plethora of injuries this team has endured. In fact they have yet to have on the field the starting line up projected for them for Fenway’s 100th anniversary season. Mr. Shaughnessy referred to them as “excuses” siting the injuries the Yankees have endured yet still they have succeeded. There is an element of truth to that, however upon further review, here is the bottom line!

Success in this game is, always has been and always will be predicated upon PITCHING! You got that? PITCHING, PITCHING and then more PITCHING!

Bearing that in mind, the Red Sox difficulties this year can be summed up in two words, Beckett and Lester!

Jon Lester and Josh Beckett have been woeful this year.

Ponder this; entering this season, Josh Beckett’s lifetime record was 125-81 for a winning percentage of .607. Jon Lester’s was 76-34 and his winning percentage was .691. Let that sink in! There is only one pitcher in the entire history of the Boston Red Sox who has a higher winning percentage and his name is Pedro Martinez! Think about that over your morning coffee and then stir this in, together Beckett and Lester entered the year with 316 starts and 201 wins. They won 65% of their games! SIXTY FIVE PER CENT!

Now let’s have some fun with numbers like your kids third grade math teacher likes to say. Beckett and Lester have combined this year for 38 starts. They have won 10 and lost 17. That is a winning percentage of .370! That is just about the inverse of .650. With the numbers one and two weighing in with that whopping number the Sox are still in the hunt. Let’s look at what they would be if…..If Beckett and Lester simply performed the way that everyone expected they would. They would be 17-10, not 10-17. That puts the Sox at 59-44 and that would put them a game and a half out of first behind the Yankees and 2 1/2 games ahead in the wild card race!

So we can wallow in the negative you can hear it all over the radio and you can read it in the sports pages. Or…..You can look at the good stuff! What is not to like about guys named Pedroia, Middlebrooks, Ciriaco, Saltalamacchia, Doubront, Morales, Nava, and Ross. Gonzalez is a professional even if his numbers are not what the Nation anticipated. Ortiz is having his best year since ’08’ and Ellsbury is simply electrifying. Aviles has been rock solid and Aceves has performed admirably.

So the choice is ours, as is always the case in life, we can whine and bitch and moan and cry or we can celebrate the accomplishments of so many!

I’m going with the good stuff! 

PS. The 1912 trophy is still holding at $120,000!

 And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, July 31, 2012.

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If you’ve got some extra dough…..

Posted on July 30, 2012 by fenwaypark100

If you have any spare change lying around that you’re not sure what to do with, I have an idea for you. The 1912 World Series Championship trophy is, as we speak, being auctioned off.

It is a pretty spiffy looking piece and I think it would look great in one of my Red Sox memorabilia cases and as you might suspect, it has a history.

It’s current owner Mr. Robert Fraser, bought it in 2007 from a family friend of the family of this man.

 Jake Stahl

Stahl was the manager of the 1912 World Champion Boston Red Sox and in that capacity he got to keep the trophy. Oh and Mr. Fraser paid $74,000.00 for the coveted silver cup.

Now apparently, Mr. Fraser wanted to auction the trophy off the following year, ya know, turn a quick buck. However, he and his wifes dearest of friends, Mr. and Mrs Nash, said wait a minute, we own part of that trophy. A bit perplexed by it all, the Frasers said but wait mon ami, did we not already pay you for the role you played in assisting us in acquiring this lovely piece? Uh uh, said the Nash duo and well, the battle of the roses, I mean the trophy was on.

 The 1912 World Champs pose with their hardware at Fenway Park.

I know this will shock all of you, but believe it or not, the Frasers and the Nashs ended up in court in what became an ugly custody dispute over who had care and custody of this wonderful artifact of Fenway Park history. This delayed the auction and the opportunity for Mr. Fraser to turn a quick buck.

Not only that, but I bet it cost Mr. Fraser a few sheckles to procure the services of some pretty high-powered lawyer type folks to fight on his behalf for his right to turn that quick buck on the trophy.

It took several years and finally a New Jersey judge agreed with Mr. Fraser and he said that Mr. Nash “intentionally, willfully, maliciously, unlawfully and recklessly” disregarded the Frasers’ rights and interfered with their ability to sell the trophy! Yikes that sounds pretty emphatic to me.

Well, as you might suspect, the Frasers and the Nashs are not best of friends anymore, however, the trophy is now up for auction. It is currently sitting at $120,000 and they are saying that it might sell for as much as $300,000! Not bad eh?

http://sports.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7057&lotNo=&lotIdNo=84001&ts=on

Now I know some of you might be thinking that you have seen this trophy on display at Fenway Park. Not so fast, that’s a replica. So I think that Mr. John Henry ought to dig into his billions and cough up the dough and purchase this thing don’t you? After all a few hundred K is nothing but chump change for him.

I know that Mr. Fraser would love to see Mr. Henry get involved but irregardless things seemed to have worked out pretty well for Mr. Fraser as that not so quick buck will turn into a bit of a bigger buck. But golly gee Wally, he lost his best buddy Mr. Nash in the process.

As I learned of this I was struck by a conversation I had with a buddy of mine a few weeks back. It was one of those heavy conversation type topics, you know about what’s really important in life. How fragile it all is, you know the ones I mean. He said to me, and I paraphrase, “when you’re on your death-bed what will you want around you? Will you want your program from the 1967 World Series, or your 1954 Ted Williams card? How about your Yaz rookie card or your JFK autograph”? Of course not, you’ll want your loved ones around you!”

Hmmmm, and I’m thinking once again, it’s all about relationships, it’s always about relationships!

Funny what that money thing can do ain’t it?

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, July 30, 2012.

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On the seventh day He rested…..

Posted on July 29, 2012 by fenwaypark100

And Derek Jeter played golf…..

 

And so did I…….Enjoy your day…..

Oh and the Sox WON a game that Lester started……Could this be the turning point?….Am I nuts?

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, July 29, 2012

 

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