On this day in my personal history, I sat in my living room and watched the TV and cried.
The Boston Red Sox retired Carl Yastrzemski's Number 8. Only 20 years old when he took over for the great Ted Williams in left field in 1961, he went on to become a legend in his own right. Yastrzemski mastered the tricky bounces from line drives hitting the Green Monster to win seven Gold Glove Awards. He was also a standout batter, revolutionizing power hitting with his unique corkscrew swing. In 1967 he won baseball's "Triple Crown," leading the league in batting average, RBI's, and home runs, something no player has done since. 
On October 1, 1987, he ended his 23-year career with the Red Sox in an emotional farewell before a sell-out crowd at Fenway Park.
On October 1, 1987, he ended his 23-year career with the Red Sox in an emotional farewell before a sell-out crowd at Fenway Park.
6 comments:
Nice, but you want to check your dates. Yaz started in 1961, but he didn't end in 1987. 23 years = less than 1987. Perhaps 1983?
suldog,
The second paragraph was lifted word-for-word from the "Mass Moments" e-mail sent by Mass. Foundation for the Humanities. It is a daily e-mail that includes all kinds of "This day in Massachusetts history" stuff. Don't fault Bostonmaggie for the wrong info; her source was wrong.
I read the 1987 date in the e-mail I received, and thought it was wrong. It was pretty clear in my mind that Yaz retired when I was in third grade, which was 1983. I'm glad to know I wasn't remembering things wrong.
Suldog - What Tim said.
Tim - Thanks for sticking up for me.
It was a nice piece, nevertheless.
By the way, I actually heard the "Mass Moments" part on the radio the other night. They run them as ads. They broadcast it to many thousands with the wrong date, so imagine their embarrassment!
My mom has Yaz's rookie card; I don't remember her getting weepy at his retirement although I do recall tears when Fisk left. And people wonder why I'm so nuts for my Sawx.
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