“Attention please ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, now batting for Boston, number 29, Jim Pagliaroni, Pagliaroni”…..Sherm Feller

Posted on May 17, 2012 by fenwaypark100

One of the things I enjoy the most about writing this is how one story leads to another. Yesterday’s piece brought me to Bill Monbouquette’s 17 strikeout night in 1961 and that brought me to his catcher that evening, Jim Pagliaroni.

Jim Pagliaroni appeared in only 239 games for the Red Sox in 1955, ’60’, ’61’, and ’62’. 

Jim Pagliaroni was one of my first Fenway favorites. Of course at eight years of age many of those 1961 Red Sox were among my first favorites but with “Pag” it was a bit different. First off there is that vowel at the end of his name which had a way of endearing Red Sox players to the head of the Sinibaldi household and that came with, what I will call, the trickle down effect. However, in that summer of 1961, when I began, in earnest, to follow this team, “Pag” earned his Fenway stripes.

1961 Topps Baseball Card.

Signed as a “bonus baby” out of Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach California in June of 1955, he made his major league debut at Fenway Park two months later. It was the top of the eighth inning of a game in which the Washington Senators were pounding the home team 14-6. Manager “Pinky” Higgins told the kid to get the gear on and catch the rest of the game to give his regular back stop, Sammy White a breather. Jim Pagliaroni was 17 years old. In his only at bat, he hit a sacrifice fly to center field in the ninth scoring Jackie Jensen. He would not see action in another major league game until the summer of 1960.

Pagliaroni in 1960.

It was a pretty historic season, 1960, the last season of the eight team American League, and the last season of Ted Williams. He got his first hit, hit his first homer and on September 28th, the last game of the season at Fenway Park, he found himself hitting cleanup, behind none other than “The Splendid Splinter” himself.

The sky was a gloomy gray that Wednesday afternoon and only 10,454 of the Fenway Faithful were present to bid adieu to “The Kid”. It was the bottom of the eighth inning, the Red Sox were trailing the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 and Eddie Fisher was on the mound. Take a peak. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN0uD8F3-QQ It was a legendary finish to a legendary career and Jim Pagliaroni stood witness to history!

“Pag” welcomes Ted home and says goodbye after he hit his 521st and last home run in his last major league at bat.

What most don’t remember is the Red Sox came back and won that game in the bottom of the ninth on a walk off error, 5-4, oh and Pagliaroni singled following Ted’s home run.

Pagliaroni’s propensity for historic moments was only beginning. On May 12, 1961 he found himself behind the plate in Washington’s Griffith Stadium catching Bill Monbouquette’s 17 strikeout game. (see yesterday’s post). However, it would be a little over a month later when he would eternally endear himself to the heart of eight year old Raymond Sinibaldi.

It was June 18th, a Sunday, and a great time of the year. The last week of school was upon us and the Sox were playing two at Fenway! Oh how we loved those Sunday doubleheaders. Sunday meant a TV game, what a treat! Well it didn’t seem so as Washington took a 7-5 lead into the top of the ninth. When they added five runs and were now trouncing my boys, I grabbed my glove and rubber ball and headed out to the driveway for a game of wall ball. The Red Sox always won in wall ball!  

Dave Sisler

Washinton starter Carl Mathias was on the mound for the Senators and he got Sox first baseman Vic Wertz to ground to first leading off the inning. After a Don Buddin single, Mathias punched out Billy Harrell and the Sox were doomed!  Not so fast! Two singles and a walk later, Mathias was replaced by former Red Sox pitcher Dave Sisler. And that’s when the fun began! Jackie Jensen walked, scoring a run, Frank Malzone walked, scoring a run and up stepped Jim Pagliaroni. It was then that Dad poked his head out the kitchen door and said “you might want to get in here”. I came a runnin just in time to see “Pag” launch a bomb into the left field screen, a grand salami baby and the game was tied! The Sox won that game and it still is on the books as their “most spectacular rally to win”.

However, “Pag” was not through for the day, no siree, he caught the second game as well and wait, it gets better! In the bottom of the 13th inning, that’s right the 13th, he hit a walk off home run into the left field screen giving the Sox a sweep and crowning him my new all time favorite Red Sox player!

His dance with history was nowhere near complete. On August 1, 1962 he found himself behind the plate at Commiskey Park in Chicago and once again Bill Monbouquette was on the mound. Well, that night he caught a no-hitter as “Monbo” allowed only a second inning walk to Al Smith, avoiding perfection. “Pag” did a bit more than catch that game, he also scored the only run in the eighth inning following a two out single.

Earl Wilson (who pitched a no-hitter six weeks earlier) greets “Monbo” after his no-hitter August 1, 1962. Smiling between them is catcher Jim Pagliaroni.

“Pag” was traded to the Pirates at the end of the 1962 season. He was part of the deal that brought Dick Stuart to Boston. Yet there was still more history to be made. After five seasons with teammates Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell he found himself in Oakland for the 1968 campaign. A back up catcher, he was behind the plate on May 8th when 6,298 folks jammed Oakland Alameda County Stadium to watch the A’s take on the Minnesota Twins. They saw history as Jim “Catfish” Hunter became only the seventh pitcher in modern baseball history to throw a perfect game. His catcher, you guessed it, Jim Pagliaroni!

Catfish and Pag

“Pag” had one more stop on his magical history tour and it would come in 1969 as a member of the Seattle Pilots. Who? The one year wonders who after playing but one season in Seattle left for Milwaukee to become the Brewers!

Not a bad ride “Pag”, not a bad ride at all.  

And so it was at this time in Fenway Park history, “Pag’s” time.

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“Until I heard the Voice I never did a crazy thing in my life”…..Ray Kinsella

Posted on May 16, 2012 by fenwaypark100

The passing of Carl Beane last week set my mind to thinking, thinking about voices and the role they play in our lives. Think about it, who doesn’t like music? Who doesn’t sing in the shower? Who doesn’t at least once, envision themselves, mike in hand, making lovely ladies swoon and men green with envy?

Ray Kinsella in the most famous cornfield in the world.

The magic of Fenway was conveyed to me in voices. The first voices I recall belonged to these three men.

Curt Gowdy, Ned Martin and Art Gleeson teamed up on the old WHDH radio and television stations for what back in the day were known as crossover broadcasts. They would rotate from the radio to TV broadcast with two of them on the radio and one in the TV booth. What was the need of having two guys in the TV booth, the “listeners” could see the game, so why the need to talk about it so much? Something todays voices would do well to remember.

They teamed up in 1961 and remained together through the 1964 season. The partnership ended with the passing of Gleeson following the 1964 season.

Bill “Monbo” Monbouquette struck out 17 Washington Senators on May 12, 1961 at Griffith Stadium.

My first “radio” Red Sox memory came when Red Sox pitcher Bill Monbouquette set a team record when he struck out 17 batters in May of 1961. When “Monbo” took the mound that night, three Red Sox pitchers shared the record having struck out 15 opponents.  Joe Harris did it first in 1906, “Smokey” Joe Wood duplicated the effort in 1911 and Mickey McDermott joined them in 1951.

I used to fall asleep listening to the Sox games on the radio, but on this particular night, this particular eight year old had no interest in sleep. The Sox were ahead 1-0 and “Monbo” was mowin em down! The lead was stretched to 2 zip when Monbouquette walked with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh and then in the bottom of the frame he punched out Senator catcher Gene Green for his 14th “K” of the night. 

Senator center fielder Willie Tasby became “Monbo’s” 15th strikeout when he went down with one out in the Washington eighth.

The Red Sox and Monbouquette carried a 2-0 lead into ninth having parlayed only two hits into two runs and “Monbo” was a strikeout away from Red Sox history. He wasted no time as he got first baseman Dale Long on strikes leading off the ninth but he still had work to do.

Dale Long

He added strike out number 17 following an error by third baseman Frank Malzone, but then he walked a batter, gave up an RBI single and it took a great catch by right fielder Jackie Jensen to preserve the 2-1 win. The Sox had their win, “Monbo” had his record and I could finally go to sleep.

Jackie Jensen

Red Sox great Mel Parnell joined the broadcast team following Gleeson’s death but the following year Curt Gowdy left headed for NBC and broadcast immortality. Ned Martin emerged as the Red Sox voice of legendary proportions but that’s another story for another day.

The voices of Fenway spilled from my eight transistor radio, to the 19″ black and white Zenith TV and then, of course to the field itself.

When I first heard the golden pipes of this man,

Sherm Feller

I incorporated his routine into my games of wall ball played solo against the side of my house. “Now batting for the Red Sox number eight Carl Yastrzemski left field, Yastrzemski.”

And when Fenway lost Sherm, it took a while but they found another treasure in Carl Beane who, recognizing history and understanding tradition, honored his predecessor with his legendary Fenway greeting, “ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls welcome to Fenway Park.”

Carl Beane

Art and Sherm and Curt and Ned and Carl are gone from us now, but that’s the funny thing about voices, the voices, they’re never gone!

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

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The Steamer, The Dodger of History’s Bullets…..

Posted on May 15, 2012 by fenwaypark100

Last week I wrote about the longest games played at Fenway Park and that brought me back in touch with an old Fenway friend, Bob “Steamer” Stanley, who is a very rare breed. He pitched 13 seasons in the big leagues and all of them with the Boston Red Sox. He pitched in 637 games, started 85 of them, won 115 and threw 21 complete games. He finished a game 376 times, saved 132 of them and fired seven career shutouts. He was a starter, a closer and a long man who on two occasions threw more than nine innings in relief.

Stanley twice finished in the top 10 in Cy Young Award voting and in 1983 he finished 15th in voting for the American League MVP.

He was as versatile a pitcher who ever wore a Red Sox uniform, making the squad as a 22-year-old in 1977, he appeared in 41 games, starting 13, finishing 13, hurling three complete games (including a shutout) and he notched three saves. He finished the year 8-7 with a 3.99 ERA and was a key component to a Red Sox pitching staff that won 97 games.

The 1978 season saw Stanley’s versatility stretched in the bullpen as the Red Sox had five different pitchers record saves, Stanley led the pack with 10 of them. He also started three games. He finished the season 15-2 for a winning percentage of .882, still a Red Sox record, all the while leading the team in saves and with a 2.60 ERA. On a staff that included Dennis Eckersley and Luis Tiant the argument could be made that Stanley was the Red Sox most valuable pitcher. More on ’78’ later.

“The Steamer” in 1978.

The following two seasons saw Stanley bouncing back and forth between the starting rotation and the bull pen. In 1979 he became the third man in the Red Sox starting rotation. He won 16 games, led the team in shutouts, pitched 216+ innings and made his first all-star team. But in 1980 he was primarily back in the pen. Manager Don Zimmer did start him 17 times and he even threw a shutout, however 35 of his 52 appearances came from out of the bullpen where he recorded 14 saves.

In 1981 Ralph Houk replaced Don Zimmer as the Red Sox manager and Stanley’s new boss had ‘The Steamer” working strictly out of the bullpen.

Houk, “the Major”, piloted the Sox from 1981 through 1984.

Under Houk, Stanley made the transition to exclusively coming out of the bullpen. He was the closer in 1982, ’83’ and ’84’, recording 33 saves in 1983. He won eight games had a 2.85 ERA and made his second all start team.

Stanley had 132 saves in 13 years with the Red Sox, five as their closer.

He remained the closer through the memorable 1986 season and in ’87’ went back to the starting rotation. it did not prove successful as he went 4-15. Returning to the bullpen he finished his career with respectable seasons in both 1988 and 89.

Bob Stanley’s last year as the Red Sox closer was 1986.

In 2000 Bob “The Steamer” Stanley took his rightful place in the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. He was not the best pitcher to ever wear a Red Sox uniform however you would be hard pressed to find a pitcher who was more versatile.

Stanley was not only versatile, he also appears to be covered with teflon. What? His nickname was the “Steamer” but it could easily have been “Teflon Man”. Bear with me.

In order to understand, we must revisit two not so pleasant moments in Red Sox history. The first took place at Fenway Park on October 2, 1978. All I’ll say about that game is Bucky Dent and you’ll get the rest. However here are some things you may not know.

 

It is widely held that Dent’s homer beat the Red Sox in that 1978 playoff game and although I would not minimize its impact I will contend that there were more significant events which contributed to that loss. However, that’s for another day. For the purposes of today you simply need to know that Red Sox pitcher Mike Torrez, for lack of a better phrase, “wore the collar” for that loss for a long time. The goat horns were planted on his head by the media and there they stayed.

Ron Guidry, 1978 Cy Young Award winner.

The reality is, and you may think I’m crazy, Mike Torrez actually pitched at least as good a game as Guidry that day. Now you will never know that just by looking at the box score, but I was there and not only that I’ve watched that game at least a half a dozen times and I will stick to my guns. Back to the game.

Following Dent’s home run, Mickey Rivers walked and Zimmer came and got Torrez, replacing him with guess who? That’s right Bob Stanley. At the plate was Yankee catcher Thurman Munson and on Stanley’s first pitch, Rivers stole second. Munson followed with a double to left center giving the Yankees a 4-2 lead. Lou Pinella flied to Jim Rice in right field to end the inning. The Red Sox did not score in their half of the seventh and Stanley resumed his work in the eighth.

Reggie Jackson lead off and deposited a Stanley offering deep into the center field bleachers giving the Yankees a 5-2 lead. The Red Sox fought back with two runs but the rest as they say is history!

It is alleged that when the ball trickled through Bill Buckner’s legs at Shea Stadium in game six of the 1986 World Series that Mike Torrez was heard to say, “now I’m off the hook”.

Bob Stanley (46), Mookie Wilson (1) and Bill Buckner (6).

We all know the story, Sox up two, two outs, one strike away from a World Series Championship, yada, yad, yada. However, lost in all of it is that Bob Stanley uncorked a wild pitch which tied this game and put the winning run on second.

Now I know enough about baseball to know that it takes a collective effort to win and lose a baseball game, any baseball game. And Bob Stanley is in the Red Sox Hall of Fame as well he should be!  But I have always been dumbfounded as to how Stanley has always dodged two of the most lethal bullets in Red Sox history.

Psssst, the Red Sox won their fourth in a row last night, a complete game 6-1 win by Jon Lester.

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, May 15, 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Of Pink Bats, Pink Ribbons and Pink Bows…..

Posted on May 14, 2012 by fenwaypark100

Yesterday at Fenway Park, the Red Sox won their third straight game against the Cleveland Indians. The bats of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Daniel Nava and Will Middlebrooks, led the offense while Daniel Bard had one of his better outings of the season. The result was a 12-1 thumping of the Tribe.

Daniel Nava (L) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia bang pink arm bands following “Salty’s” sixth inning homer. Nava was 2-3 with three RBI while Saltalamacchia went 3-4 knocking in five.

Will Middlebrooks went 2-3 with two RBI of his own, including his fourth homer of the year, a solo shot in the third.

Yesterday’s game marked the 42nd time that Fenway Park and the Red Sox hosted the Mother’s Day game and it was their fifth Fenway Mother’s Day win in a row. Some interesting Mother’s Day tid bits.

  • The Red Sox are 24-18 on Mother’s Day at Fenway.
  • On the road they are 27-44 on Mother’s Day.
  • There have been 11 Mother’s Day doubleheaders, seven on the road and four at Fenway.
  • Only three of them were splits, all on the road. The Sox swept four on the road and were swept three times at Fenway.
  • The only Mother’s Day doubleheader sweep at Fenway Park came in 1967 when the Sox beat the Tigers twice 8-5 and 13-9.

Yaz homered in both games of the 1967 Mother’s Day doubleheader at Fenway Park, once of Denny McClain and once of Mickey Lolich.

  • Since Mother’s Day became official in 1914, there has only been 10 years when the Red Sox have not played on Mom’s special day, eight because there was no Sunday baseball allowed at Fenway and twice the game was rained out.
  • There have been five Fenway Mother’s Day shutouts, the Red Sox have won three of them.

Jack Wilson pitched seven seasons for the Red Sox and was only 67-67 with a 4.44 ERA. However on Mother’s Day 1938 he outdueled Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller beating him and his Cleveland teammates 5-0. He struck out a career high 12 Indians.

Bruce Hurst pitched the last Mother’s Day shutout at Fenway Park, a 7-0 win against the Angels.

Ed Morris pitched the first ever Fenway Park Mother’s Day game on May 11, 1930. A complete game 2-1 win over the St. Louis Browns. He allowed two hits, walked seven and struck out nine.

 In 2006 Major League Baseball officially added the color pink to their games played on Mother’s Day. Working with the Susan B Komen for the Cure Foundation, they have done so to raise breast cancer awareness.

The Red Sox were rained out of their Mother’s Day game in 2006 but the next year they were adorned in pink trappings.

Kevin Millar, wielding a pink bat, steps in against his old mates at Fenway Park on Mother’s Day 2007.

Since the Red Sox have worn pink on Mother’s Day they are 5-1 and 5-0 at Fenway Park. Hmmmm, maybe they should work pink in more often.

The Red Sox won their third straight at Fenway Park yesterday. Nothing like Mama’s cooking!

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, Mother’s day 2012.

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“If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands”? ~Milton Berle

Posted on May 13, 2012 by fenwaypark100

Happy Mother’s Day…..

Louisville Slugger preparing the special bats used throughout Major League Baseball honoring moms on Mothers Day. 

Celebrations honoring mothers date back to the times of ancient Greece and the Holy Roman Empire. However the American version of a Mother’s Day formally honoring moms was first introduced by none other than Julia Ward Howe.

Julia Ward Howe in 1861.

A pacifist and social activist, Howe was the first American to call for the celebration of Mother’s Day with her Mother’s Day Proclamation of 1870. In November of 1861 she visited the White House and met this man,

After which she wrote new words to the song John Brown’s Body which, after appearing in the February 1862 issue of Atlantic Monthly magazine, quickly became a rallying song of the Union during the Civil War. Today it is known as the Battle Hymn of the Republic. 

In 1908, this woman held a memorial for her recently deceased mother and then began a campaign to have Mother’s Day officially recognized in the United States as a holiday.

Anna Jarvis, “founded” Mother’s Day.

Interestingly, she was specific that Mother’s Day be spelled with an apostrophe as her intent was for each individual family to take the day to honor their mother, not a collective honoring of all mothers of the world!

Her efforts were successful when this fellow signed a bill into law making the second Sunday in May a national day to honor mom and officially creating Mother’s Day!

President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill into law on May 9, 1914 creating Mother’s Day. 

The following day, the Red Sox took the field at the Polo Grounds in New York and lost to the Yankees 3-2 on the their first Mother’s Day game. They didn’t use pink bats.

Today at Fenway Park Daniel Bard will try to pitch his team to their third straight win over former Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson and his Cleveland Indians.

The bases and the bats will reflect the day.

Mom’s been gone for 27 years but there is not a day that goes by that I am not reminded of how fortunate was I that God chose her to bring me here. Thanks Mom and 

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, Mother’s Day 2012.

 

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“That’s the magic of Fenway Park. That’s why people love it so. Come to think of it, at Fenway almost every year is a wonder year.” – Red Sox Announcer Ned Martin

Posted on May 12, 2012 by fenwaypark100

Happy Saturday! Just a reminder that Images of Fenway Park is available for those who are looking for a last-minute Mothers Day gift. Head out to your local Barnes and Noble, or for you in New England, the Paper Store and pick up this pictorial history of Fenway Park.

There are over 200 photos covering 100 years of Fenway activity. Over 40 photos have never been published before, many from fans who love Fenway Park!

The foreword was written by Red Sox legend and 1967 Cy Young Award winner Jim Lonborg and his very personal story about Fenway Park will delight you! He was kind enough to contribute a great photo as well.

This never before published photo appears in the book with the following caption:

“In 1967 Jim Lonborg emerged as one of the premier pitchers in the league going 22-9 and winning the Cy Young Award. A skiing injury sidetracked his career and he was traded in 1972, but he never left Boston. Establishing a dental practice on Boston’s south shore upon retirement, Dr. Lonborg still calls Fenway home. Here he enjoys the game with wife Rosemary, son Jordan and Jordan’s girlfriend Molly.”

Now for those of you who need to order the book on-line here’s an idea, download the photo of the cover photo, make Mom a nice home made card, put the photo in it and tell her it’s on the way!

http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/9780738576886/Fenway-Park

And the Sox won yesterday, are they on the way too? yes they are, we’re just not quite sure yet where they are heading!

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history, May 12, 2012.

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Teetering……

Posted on May 11, 2012 by fenwaypark100

Since 1967, the year that transformed the Red Sox from perennial door mats into a winning franchise, the habitants of Fenway Park have had only six years in which they were below .500.  

Dick Williams managed the Red Sox from ninth to first place in 1967.

Those years came in 1983, ’87’, ’92’, ’93’, ’94’ and the last time in 1997. The worst of these was 1992 when they won only 73 games while dropping 89 finishing last in the American League East.

 

Frank Viola was 13-12 with a 3.44 ERA with the 1992 Red Sox.

Roger Clemens was the ace of the ’92’ staff with an 18-11 mark and a league leading 2.41 ERA. He also led the league with five shutouts and he was one of only two Red Sox pitchers to actually have a winning record. However, pitching was not the problem with this squad. They had the second best team ERA in the league and only one team allowed less runs.

The problem with the ’92’ Fenway Park entry was they were an abysmally weak hitting team. That was highly unusual as the tradition for the last half century on poor performing Red Sox squads was always good hit no pitch!

Outfielder Tom Brunansky led the ’92’ Sox in home runs (15) and RBI (74).

The immortal Bob Zupcic led the 1992 Red Sox with a .276 average.

This years inauspicious start has them headed for their worst year since 1992. And the most disturbing aspect of this Fenway anniversary team lay in the a pitching staff which is showing signs of the days of 1964 and ’65’ when the team lost 90 then 100 games! These teams ranked at the bottom of the heap in surrendering hits and runs and only one pitcher in two years had a winning record!

Dick Radatz was the only Red Sox pitcher during the ’64’ and ’65’ seasons to have a winning record, 16-9 in 1964.

Is it possible that this years team could melt into one of those pre ’67’ teams?

Perish the thought! However they are teetering perilously close to reaching lows that Fenway and the city have not seen in nearly a half century. And it all rests with the pitching or more accurately, the lack of it.

Thirty-one games into the season, this Red Sox pitching staff sits exactly where the staffs of 1964 and ’65’ sat, at the bottom of the heap! They have surrendered more runs, more hits than any team in the league and they hover near the bottom in team ERA and home runs allowed.

Clay Buchholz is sporting a 9.09 ERA in 32 1/3 innings.

Clay Buchholz is the ace (?) with a record of 3-1, however his ERA has invoked memories of John “Wayback” Wasdin. The rest of the crew (don’t read this if you have a queasy stomach) , Lester 1-3 4.29 ERA, Daniel Bard 2-4, 4.83 and then of course there is last nights starter Josh Beckett who after surrendering only seven runs and seven hits in 2 1/3 innings sits this morn with a 2-4 record and a robust 5.97 ERA!

Felix Doubront is 2-1 with a 5.29 ERA.

The black hole that has become the Red Sox starting rotation has 24-year-old lefty Felix Doubront emerging as the ace! His numbers are not “ace” like however he has been relatively consistent! What the hell does that mean? It means he “ain’t that bad”! And therein we find the problem. When “ain’t that bad” is the ace there are difficulties too numerous to count!

The closer’s ERA is 6.39 and a set up man (I think) is nipping at his heels at 6.08! A “key” off-season acquisition, set up man Mark Melancon, is “recovering” in Pawtucket after yielding 10 hits and 11 runs in two innings which translated to an 0-2 mark and a (I hope you are sitting) 49.50 ERA. He seems to have righted himself as in 10 innings with the PawSox he has not surrendered a run, struck out 18 and recorded three saves. Is he ready to return?

It is still early. However this team is teetering and the Fenway Faithful are getting antsy. Will this 2012 team bring us the summer of 2011, the summer of 1992 or (God forbid) will we see a return to the days Dick Stuart, Jack Lamabe and Arnold Earley?

It’s still early, but it’s getting later every day!

And so it is on this date in Fenway Park history, May 11, 2012.

 

 

 

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The Voice Falls Silent…..

Posted on May 10, 2012 by fenwaypark100

Tragedy struck the Red Sox yesterday when Fenway Park announcer Carl Beane died  after suffering a heart attack while driving his car in Southbridge Massachusetts. He was 59 years old.

Beane and Fenway Park were a perfect fit! A perfect fit because Carl understood the story of baseball in Boston, the story of baseball at Fenway Park; he understood that the story is, baseball.

Bob Sheppard and Carl.

Taking his cue from greats Bob Sheppard (Yankee Stadium) and Fenway Park’s own Sherm Feller, Carl’s baritone voice enhanced the Fenway Park experience, it did not become it! He instinctively knew that and why not, for he grew up in Massachusetts, a fan of the Red Sox and spent his youth listening to Sherm Feller announcing games at Fenway.

His philosophy was simple, “just give them the information and get out of the way. They don’t come here to hear the P.A. announcer. They come here to watch the game and enjoy this jewel of a ballpark.” (USA Today)

A radio sports broadcaster since 1972, Beane became the voice of Fenway Park in 2003 and was at the mike during the redemptive campaign of 2004 and again in the World Championship season of 2007. His voice has been heard throughout the baseball world, from the hallowed halls of Cooperstown to the revered nooks and crannies of his beloved Fenway Park, and beyond.

I never met Carl Beane and only know him the way the millions of the Fenway Faithful have come to know him through his work as Fenway’s voice. However his energy touched the lives of so many beyond the confines of Fenway Park and his impact is best told in their words,

‘The only thing bigger than his booming voice at Fenway Park, is his even bigger heart and his desire to make a positive impact on those around him.” Elaine Martel – President, Marlboro Lions Club – May 2007

“Mr. Beane is a homegrown man. He has never forgotten his roots and where he came from. He returns to our local schools each year to talk to students about literacy, achieving their goals and also to share his sports knowledge and memorabilia. Mr. Beane is truly a wonderful tribute to our hometown!” Mrs. Murphy, Phelps School – Agawam, MA

The last time I heard Carl work was April 20, 2012 and he was in his finest form. He welcomed all to the 100th anniversary celebration of Fenway Park and then in true Beane fashion he “got out of the way” as the moments and the day spoke for themselves.

Carl Beane’s voice has been silenced however the impact of his life lives on in the hearts of those who loved him and in the lives of all those he touched from the school kids he regaled to the couples whose weddings he announced.

I never knew Carl Beane but I thank him, for the part he played in always welcoming the little boy in me home.

http://carlbeane.com/aboutme.htm

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

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Long Gone and Hard to Find…..

Posted on May 9, 2012 by fenwaypark100

Continue reading →

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Is It Time?????

Posted on May 8, 2012 by fenwaypark100

Is it time for the Sox to pull the trigger?

Will Middlebrooks had two home runs, a double and five RBI last night powering the Red Sox out of their losing streak with an 11-5 win over the Royals in Kansas City.

Hmmmmm, that’s three homers and nine RBI in his last two games!

Do you think Kevin Youkilis has visions of Wally Pipp in his head this morning? Or even closer and more relevant, Carney Lansford? Who? You remember him don’t you?

Carney Lansford was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the California Angels in December of 1980. The Sox traded fan favorites Rick Burleson and Butch Hobson to the Halos and received the 24-year-old third baseman along with outfielder Rick Miller and relief pitcher Mark Clear.

All Lansford did was hit .336 becoming the first right-handed hitter to win the American League batting title in a decade. And he led the team with 15 stolen bases. A pure contact hitter Lansford only struck out 28 times and quickly became a Fenway favorite in his own right.

The following season an ankle injury forced Lansford to the bench and the Red Sox called up the kid third baseman from Pawtucket. That kid’s name was Wade Boggs. All Boggs did was hit .349 embarking upon a career which would land him in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Boggs won five batting titles while playing third base for the Red Sox in the 1980s, four of them in a row.

Will Middlebrooks has played in four games. He is hitting .381 with three homers and nine RBI. Six of his eight hits are for extra bases and he has generated more excitement in four games than the team has exhibited all year. He is 23 years old.

Middlebrooks hit .333 with nine homers and 27 RBI this year in Pawtucket, in only 93 at bats.

Kevin Youkilis is on the disabled list hitting just .219. He has missed 102 games the past two seasons and he is 33 years old.

“Youk’s” best season was 2008 when he hit .312 with 29 homers and 155 RBI.

“Youk” has played an integral part of the Red Sox story for the past five seasons. He has fought hard and given his all.

Carney Lansford went on to great success with the Oakland A’s after leaving the Red Sox. “Youk” deserves nothing less, but it’s time, it’s time for the Sox to look to the future and the first step to doing so has presented itself. 

If you were to ask Middlebrooks, I think he might tell you, the future is now!

And so it is on this date in Fenway Park history, May 8, 2012.

 

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