RKMeibalane
10-15-2004, 06:13 PM
http://www.whitecaps-baseball.com/PRESSBOX/FEATURE2001/PHOTOS/Boggs.jpg
In the spirit of the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, I thought it would be worthwhile to discuss several of the players, coaches, and managers who have played an important part in this rivalry over the years.
For tonight, I have chosen Wade Boggs to be the subject of discussion. As many of you are aware, Boggs was a left-handed hitting third baseman, who played eighteen seasons in the Major Leagues, from 1982-1999. His spent the first eleven seasons of his career with the Red Sox, before signing with the Yankees as a free-agent prior to the 1993 season. He then spent the next five seasons in the Bronx, helping the Yankees win the World Series in 1996, before closing out his storied career with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Remembered most for his years with Boston, Boggs finished his career with a batting average of .328, racking up more than three thousand hits. Of Boggs, former Sox hitting instructor Walt Hriniak once said, "He was the best hitter for simply getting a base hit that I've ever seen." Hriniak, of course, has also gone on record as saying that he believes Frank Thomas is the greatest all-around hitter he's ever seen.
Wade Boggs was known to be extremely superstitious. He always ate chicken before games, and he also maintained a strict routine when preparing for each contest. If a game began at 7:30 on a particular evening, Boggs always took batting practice starting at 5:17, while running wind-sprints at 7:17. Because he always took the same route from his team's dugout to third base, his footprints would often remain visible as the season wore on, indicative of his desire to adhere to the routine that fueled his success on the baseball field.
In the spirit of the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, I thought it would be worthwhile to discuss several of the players, coaches, and managers who have played an important part in this rivalry over the years.
For tonight, I have chosen Wade Boggs to be the subject of discussion. As many of you are aware, Boggs was a left-handed hitting third baseman, who played eighteen seasons in the Major Leagues, from 1982-1999. His spent the first eleven seasons of his career with the Red Sox, before signing with the Yankees as a free-agent prior to the 1993 season. He then spent the next five seasons in the Bronx, helping the Yankees win the World Series in 1996, before closing out his storied career with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Remembered most for his years with Boston, Boggs finished his career with a batting average of .328, racking up more than three thousand hits. Of Boggs, former Sox hitting instructor Walt Hriniak once said, "He was the best hitter for simply getting a base hit that I've ever seen." Hriniak, of course, has also gone on record as saying that he believes Frank Thomas is the greatest all-around hitter he's ever seen.
Wade Boggs was known to be extremely superstitious. He always ate chicken before games, and he also maintained a strict routine when preparing for each contest. If a game began at 7:30 on a particular evening, Boggs always took batting practice starting at 5:17, while running wind-sprints at 7:17. Because he always took the same route from his team's dugout to third base, his footprints would often remain visible as the season wore on, indicative of his desire to adhere to the routine that fueled his success on the baseball field.