Alumni have some fun
Pregame Motrin and postgame Miller, plus generous support from early-bird arrivals at Fenway Park, made yesterday morning’s Red Sox Alumni Game proceed incident-free with an overall look and feel of a big success.
The gathering was the first in 25 years and, by most accounts, there shouldn’t be such a long wait for the next one.
“My first Old-Timers Game when I was with New York, I walk in and there’s Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle and you’re going (wide-eyed) like this,” said Hall of Famer Wade Boggs. “And naturally this, we had it in ’84 and it was Ted (Williams) and Bobby Doerr and Hall of Famers like that. I’m glad the Red Sox brought it back. It gives the older fan the perspective, and brings back some memories for them.”
The game itself was low key, with players trying not to move too fast and hurt themselves.
There were some unconventional moments, like Bill Lee, of course, wearing an MP helmet and ancient New Balances. Derek Lowe, wearing his old warmup jacket, caught a fly ball as the fourth outfielder. Lenny DiNardo hit Troy O’Leary with a pitch, but O’Leary stayed in the batter’s box to take his hacks anyway. Four outs were recorded in at least one half-inning.
The team managed by Luis Tiant “won,” 2-0, thanks to Julio Lugo’s two-run shot off Pedro Martinez.
“He still plays softball and stays active, and he has the swing. He ambushed me,” said Martinez. “I didn’t expect him to hit it out, but he did.”
Martinez, who last pitched here with the Mets in 2006, felt comfortable.
“I was excited to get back to my mound. It doesn’t feel all that strange, it feels very familiar,” he said. “To just take a moment to look at your fan base, look at the people who clapped for you and supported you for so many years, it’s really special.”