Interesting article and laughed out loud at several of the stories. I'm sure many of the ball players had female friends in various cities, they just didn't get caught. We've all made mistakes we're not proud of, thankfully we have a forgiving God. Baseball coach at Wichita State for years recruited short stops and turned them into other positions. He won a lot of ball games over 20+ years doing that. Have a great week!
Thanks, Ed. I definitely don't expect all ballplayers to be saints, and I try not to judge too harshly. God knows I've made my plenty of mistakes myself. I can see how Boggs might rub some people the wrong way, but I think his ridiculous stories are fun. Baseball, at its best, has lots of over-the-top, oddball characters, some of whom tightrope the line between "normal" and loony. At least, that's my opinion, for whatever it's worth.
Thanks. That was a great read. I also inexplicably liked Greg Nettles and had a Nettles model glove. Nobody told me I was supposed to hate the Yankees.
Glad you enjoyed it, Dan. Thanks for reading. Nettles was in San Diego by the time I started watching, but I probably would have felt the same way. If there was one thing that cut through fan loyalty and rivalries when you're a kid, it's gotta be rooting for the guy whose name is on your glove, regardless of whether you had any say in picking it out or not. What's weird, and this may just be me, is I didn't feel nearly as connected to the player name on my bat. Maybe it was because we usually used metal bats or swapped them out so much, but it never mattered to me the same way my glove did.
Boggs was one of the panelists last year at the Hot Springs Baseball Weekend here in Arkansas, and after listening to him talk about how long the Red Sox waited to call him up, I also suspect he would have had a problem getting a shot in today's game. Then again, maybe some team would have realized how good he was at getting on base and been willing to overlook the lack of power.
Had Tampa been around, they probably would have suckered the Red Sox in a trade and turned him into a star, instead of getting the old man version of Boggs at the end of his career.
Boggs was a great hitter, and a decent third baseman, but it ends there.
The guy was full of BS on or off of the field, as an example take a look at his stupid comment of the amount of beers he could consume.
And for this column to even make a comment about how Eddie Mathews fits into baseball history is totally stupid… nobody can make comparisons about one player vs another if they never had a chance to see someone as old as Mathews play on a regular basis.
And finally, the way Boggs embarrassed his wife and family —on national TV in prime time —claiming to be a sex addict and tell the country about his mistress… “Margo”… showed he has less class than any baseball ability.
Talk about a guy helping give athletes— particularly baseball players— terrible reputations...
I don't know, man. I don't expect most baseball players to be saints, and his stories are ridiculous and over-the-top, but I think it's kinda endearing and fun.
As for Mathews, I obviously never saw him play, but based on his stats and the testimonials of those who did, he's clearly an all-time great 3B. My only comment on him was, based on that, he probably doesn't get as much love as he deserves these days. It's not surprising though, given that he played several generations ago, although that doesn't necessarily stop people from regularly talking about some of his contemporaries, and even some players who predate him. For whatever reason, Mathews doesn't seem to get as much attention. I don't have an answer why.
Thanks Patrick,
Interesting article and laughed out loud at several of the stories. I'm sure many of the ball players had female friends in various cities, they just didn't get caught. We've all made mistakes we're not proud of, thankfully we have a forgiving God. Baseball coach at Wichita State for years recruited short stops and turned them into other positions. He won a lot of ball games over 20+ years doing that. Have a great week!
Thanks, Ed. I definitely don't expect all ballplayers to be saints, and I try not to judge too harshly. God knows I've made my plenty of mistakes myself. I can see how Boggs might rub some people the wrong way, but I think his ridiculous stories are fun. Baseball, at its best, has lots of over-the-top, oddball characters, some of whom tightrope the line between "normal" and loony. At least, that's my opinion, for whatever it's worth.
Thanks. That was a great read. I also inexplicably liked Greg Nettles and had a Nettles model glove. Nobody told me I was supposed to hate the Yankees.
Glad you enjoyed it, Dan. Thanks for reading. Nettles was in San Diego by the time I started watching, but I probably would have felt the same way. If there was one thing that cut through fan loyalty and rivalries when you're a kid, it's gotta be rooting for the guy whose name is on your glove, regardless of whether you had any say in picking it out or not. What's weird, and this may just be me, is I didn't feel nearly as connected to the player name on my bat. Maybe it was because we usually used metal bats or swapped them out so much, but it never mattered to me the same way my glove did.
Boggs was one of the panelists last year at the Hot Springs Baseball Weekend here in Arkansas, and after listening to him talk about how long the Red Sox waited to call him up, I also suspect he would have had a problem getting a shot in today's game. Then again, maybe some team would have realized how good he was at getting on base and been willing to overlook the lack of power.
Had Tampa been around, they probably would have suckered the Red Sox in a trade and turned him into a star, instead of getting the old man version of Boggs at the end of his career.
Boggs was a great hitter, and a decent third baseman, but it ends there.
The guy was full of BS on or off of the field, as an example take a look at his stupid comment of the amount of beers he could consume.
And for this column to even make a comment about how Eddie Mathews fits into baseball history is totally stupid… nobody can make comparisons about one player vs another if they never had a chance to see someone as old as Mathews play on a regular basis.
And finally, the way Boggs embarrassed his wife and family —on national TV in prime time —claiming to be a sex addict and tell the country about his mistress… “Margo”… showed he has less class than any baseball ability.
Talk about a guy helping give athletes— particularly baseball players— terrible reputations...
I don't know, man. I don't expect most baseball players to be saints, and his stories are ridiculous and over-the-top, but I think it's kinda endearing and fun.
As for Mathews, I obviously never saw him play, but based on his stats and the testimonials of those who did, he's clearly an all-time great 3B. My only comment on him was, based on that, he probably doesn't get as much love as he deserves these days. It's not surprising though, given that he played several generations ago, although that doesn't necessarily stop people from regularly talking about some of his contemporaries, and even some players who predate him. For whatever reason, Mathews doesn't seem to get as much attention. I don't have an answer why.