Hunter proud of friend, Fisk
PAWTUCKET – Harold “Buddy” Hunter really wanted to be present at McCoy Stadium on Sunday to see good friend and former teammate Carlton Fisk take his place among PawSox Hall of Fame immortals.
“I would have been there in a heartbeat,” said the 70-yearold Hunter when reached on Saturday from his Nebraska homestead.
An infielder who is the answer to a great trivia question when asking to name players who suited for the PawSox both as a Double-A and a Triple-A participant, Hunter played with Fisk for parts of five seasons spanning the minors and the majors (1969-71, 1973, 1975). The company they kept includes the 1970 season when the PawSox were a Double-A operation and Fisk batted .229 in 93 games.
Hunter mixed in some humorous anecdotes about his good pal Fisk and referenced some reasons from his vantage point why “Pudge” played in the majors for 24 seasons. As an aside, Hunter is close friends with Tolman High athletic director Frank Laliberte and his family. (Laliberte’s wife Donna babysat Hunter’s kids when Hunter was with the PawSox from 1975-79.)
Hunter and Fisk hit it off as baseball pals for reasons that would get under the skin of their minor-league teammates.
“Great person and a great guy before the game,” Hunter said.
Once the game ended, Fisk “was always the last one out of the clubhouse. He would take his sweet time,” Hunter recounted.
Everyone’s patience on the team bus was tested while Fisk remained in the ballpark.
“Guys would moan about Pudge not being on the bus.Where was he at?” Hunter said. “Sometimes he would go back onto the field and take extra hitting. He was that much of a gamer. If he had a bad game, and we were on the road, he would get the trainer or one of the coaches to throw him batting practice. If someone was looking to get his swing straightened out, you’re not going to say no. As a coach, that’s what you’re paid for.”
“It wasn’t that Pudge did it on purpose. He was just fanatical,” Hunter added. “He always tried his best.”
Thanks to his 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame, Hunter was so small that he climbed onto the luggage rack of the team bus and enjoyed a luxury that often alluded his bigger teammates such as Fisk.
“I was able to go to sleep,” Hunter said. “They were just as mad as me as they were at Pudge. I could see that.”
Hunter noted that Fisk made remarkable gains in his catching ability. When Fisk started out, he would use a round glove with no break in it. Getting the ball back to the pitcher was always an adven- ture because it was rare to see Fisk in proper position after the pitch was delivered.
In 1971, Hunter remembers Fisk receiving a tip from Triple-A manager Darrell Johnson, who would go on to manage both players in the majors with the Red Sox.
“Darrell told Pudge to throw that glove away and get one with a break in it. He immediately became a much better catcher,” Hunter said. “Darrell also got Pudge to throw the ball to the pitcher much faster. He told Pudge that instead of walking halfway to the mound and flipping the ball, stand at the plate and get the ball back fast. There’s no need for the infield- ers to wait around because they won’t be on their toes.”
Hunter played parts of three seasons in Boston, totaling 22 games. His last game as a pro came as a 31-year-old member of the PawSox in 1979. For comparison’s sake, Fisk had yet to embark on the second phase of his career with the Chicago White Sox.
“Pudge played until he was 45. I remember watching him the last year he played (1993) and saying, ‘Oh my God, I can’t even vacuum the car without pulling something,’” Hunter said. “When we would warm up before games, he’d put his body in positions that I had never seen. He was so loose and limber and especial- ly since he was a catcher, that allowed him to have a long career.”
A few years back, Hunter had an extra ticket to a Chicago Bears home game and wanted to see if Fisk, who these days lives in the Chicago area, would be interested in attending. Hunter went through the Red Sox and in no time, a pair of former teammates were on the phone ironing out the details.
Two years ago, Fisk was in Hunter’s native Nebraska in conjunction with a promotional campaign that was tied in with the College Baseball World Series. Fisk was the featured speaker at a CWS luncheon.
“I got a call that he would love to have breakfast with me before leaving town around 11:30 that morning,” Hunter said.
Hunter knew exactly where to take Fisk, a place called Louie M’s in Omaha. On this particular day, the restaurant featured a good number of fans of the New York Yankees.
“I embarrassed him by calling him, ‘Carlton Fisk, Red Sox Hall of Famer,’” Hunter said. “All of them came over, shook his hand, and took many pitches.”
It just to go to show that while teammates grow old, they never grow apart.