In honor of Tim Wakefield.
Tim Wakefield
The Red Sox announced pitching hero Tim Wakefield died today.
Wakefield, who pitched for two World Series-winning Sox teams, won 186 games for the team, third behind Cy Young and Roger Clemens.
He is survived by his wife Stacy, son Trevor and daughter Brianna.
Josh Brogadir at WCVB said tonight the station learned a couple weeks ago about Tim Wakefield's battle with cancer but decided not to report it until Wakefield was ready to go public, out of common human decency. Curt Schilling, he continued, has no such decency.
This just adds to the list of despicable acts since he finished playing baseball.
People sums up the story, includes Jason Varitek's wife telling Schilling what he can do with himself.
Hardball Times provides an oral history of that famous night when air-traffic controllers from San Diego to Boston cleared a private jet ahead of other planes and then Sox fans on Storrow Drive pulled to the side so a state trooper could get Doug Mirabelli to Fenway in time to catch Tim Wakefield in a game against the Yankees.
Massachusetts State Police (via a statement): We wouldn’t do something like that again, certainly not with lights and siren. As a public safety agency, that was not an appropriate use of our assets.
NESN announced today that Wakefield will join Tom Caron and Jim Rice for pre-game analysis starting tomorrow night.
Denton wishes Tim Wakefield well, after what may have been his last start for the Red Sox:
... In his 15 seasons with the Sox, Wake has compiled 175 wins, 1,867 strikeouts and 22 saves. He has done whatever was asked of him: starting on short rest, coming out of the bullpen and even closing. Off the field, Wake has been even better. He has been a tireless contributor to the Jimmy Fund, stayed completely scandal-free and just been an all-around nice guy. ...
Watching him try to hobble to first at one point and then, even worse, trying to walk from one end of the dugout to the other to get to the clubhouse was just really painful. I can only imagine what it felt like for him!
After watching last night's 2-1 win, Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom wrote and sang an ode to Wake:
Dylan has written all about Catfish
I may never write like Bobby, WAKE like Pedro won't pitch
But true Red Sox fans will always know what they wish
To have nine players just like Timmy Wakefield
Nine players just like Timmy Wakefield
Give me nine players just like Timmy Wakefield
Via Surviving Grady.
You have definitely earned Baseball Boyfriend of the Day honors.
Red: Screw the JFK conspiracy:
... Tim Wakefield's the real riddle wrapped inside an enigma wrapped inside a damn fine French pastry. One day he's Cy Young, the next he's Matt Young. One minute I'm cursing his name to the heavens, the next I'm calling him up, asking if he'd like me to put a fresh coast of wax on his fancy sports cars. ...
Guess the correct date and win a copy of the Boston Pops' Red Sox album.
Kristen is forced to admit that Mirabelli is a stud, but she is worried this morning:
... In fact, I would rather be packed into a crowded T in 98 degree weather with eight thousand drunk Yankee fans on "Don't Shower For Luck Day" then deal with so much uncertainty in the Wakefield-occupied part of our pitching rotation. ...
Jennifer Garrett, however, is loving the thought of Big Papi stealing second.
Kristen tells the Sox it's time to step up to the plate and score some damn runs for the guy already:
... How many times have you heard the phrase, "He was such a nice, quiet guy. Kept to himself. Didn't cause any trouble," about the recently discovered serial killer with fifteen severed heads in his freezer? I'm just sayin', Postal Workers were nice too before they started getting all "disgruntled." ...
Sox1Fan writes:
... This morning, be thankful that the Boston Red Sox have Tim Wakefield on the team… a guy who took less money to be here ... a guy who wanted to be here so much that he signed a deal with a series of one-way (Red Sox) options to stay here. It seems apparent that Tim (and his wife Stacy) love the City of Boston, so it is no small wonder why the City loves them back.