Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Number 8

Boston Red Sox - Out of spotlight, Yastrzemski stays in game his way - The Boston Globe:


I had this one. (Among others.)


He is the lion in winter, wheeling into the shabby minor league complex at the dead end of Edison Road every morning before 8. Fifty years after his rookie season, the greatest living Red Sox player doesn’t want to be around the millionaire big leaguers and he doesn’t want to be around baby boomer fans he thrilled all those years ago. He just wants to work with anonymous young hitters, walk around the warning track by himself for an hour, then retreat to an afternoon of fishing or golf.
I was born of after the Impossible Dream season, so I suppose Yaz properly belongs to my dad's generation. Yet, when I started to really get into baseball at 5 or 6-years-old, he was still a perennial All-Star, good for .275/20/100, and I loved him just as much Lynn, Rice, Evans, & Fisk. I hadn't heard anything about him since the health scare a couple years back when it sounded for a few days like we might lose him. It's good to know he's still living well and working with young hitters. It'd be pretty cool to see that grandson of his make the majors some day. I don't know if he'd wear number 8 or not if he did, but that would be something to see.
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