Jan. 7, 2025

So Much Blood At Fenway: Jim Rice

So Much Blood At Fenway: Jim Rice
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What’s the secret to balancing humor, baseball, and a dash of heroism? Well, it starts with a botched cheeseburger order and our mutual disdain for onions, setting the stage for a delightful conversation over a crisp pseudo sue pale ale. We share our love for a local bar and dive into the fascinating journey of Jim Rice, the legendary baseball star whose story from South Carolina to the Hall of Fame is as inspiring as it is impressive. From his rookie year struggles to his remarkable achievements on the field, we explore how Jim Rice became not only a Red Sox icon but also a hero to one young fan in a moment of quick-thinking bravery.

As the conversation swings into the business side of baseball, we shine a light on the often convoluted path to the major leagues. Using the Milwaukee Brewers and their rising star Jackson Churio as an example, we discuss player contracts and the financial hurdles faced by small-market teams. It's a rollercoaster of challenges and triumphs that paints a vivid picture of the disparities in the sport, where massive contracts like those of Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto highlight the league's economic divide. Grab a seat and reminisce with us about those unforgettable early-career performances that echo the essence of player development and dedication.

In a heartwarming conclusion, we reflect on the lasting impact of Jim Rice's heroics at Fenway Park, which forever linked him to Jonathan Keene's inspiring recovery story. Jonathan's journey didn't stop at surviving a life-threatening injury; it catapulted him into a successful entrepreneurial venture as the CEO of Customer HD. By fostering empowerment and community service, Jonathan, alongside his friend Joe Schmidt, has turned a personal challenge into a beacon of hope and resilience. We wrap up with a humorous tale of a multitasking baseball fan, tying together stories of heroism, business acumen, and the unexpected moments that connect us all in this wonderful game of life.


Society for American Baseball Research August 7, 1982

https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/august-7-1982-jim-rices-heroic-effort-saves-childs-life/

Society for American Baseball Research- Jim Rice

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/jim-rice/

SC Segregation

https://scdah.sc.gov/news/2019-05/brown-65-preserving-south-carolinas-role-desegregation-americas-schools#:~:text=Elliot%20and%20later%20Brown%20v,a%20desegregation%20plan%20until%201965.

Segregation Six Years After

https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/may/13#:~:text=On%20May%2013%2C%201960%2C%20six,Constitution%20and%20keep%20schools%20segregated.

Brown Vs. Board of Education

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Chapters

00:08 - The History Buffoons Discuss Desegregation

14:42 - Baseball Player Development and Contracts

21:48 - The Rise of Jim Rice

34:05 - Fenway Park Incident and Jim Rice

44:02 - Jim Rice's Life After Baseball

Transcript
WEBVTT

00:00:08.054 --> 00:00:11.749
Oh, hey there, oh hey there, I'm Kate.

00:00:13.663 --> 00:00:14.807
And I'm Bradley.

00:00:16.422 --> 00:00:17.684
We are the History Buffoons.

00:00:17.684 --> 00:00:19.410
Hello, how was your day?

00:00:20.050 --> 00:00:22.803
It was good it worked.

00:00:22.803 --> 00:00:24.568
It worked.

00:00:24.568 --> 00:00:32.911
Yeah, got up early to go to work, had a new account that I got today, which was fine.

00:00:32.911 --> 00:00:38.267
I actually had been there seven months ago, but it was all right.

00:00:38.267 --> 00:00:41.530
And then I got to come up here to do podcasting.

00:00:41.530 --> 00:00:43.325
How was your day?

00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:45.887
It was uneventful.

00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:48.146
Sometimes those are the best days.

00:00:48.146 --> 00:00:49.009
Yeah, it wasn't bad.

00:00:49.029 --> 00:00:55.049
Right Got Nathan a cheeseburger to go.

00:00:55.270 --> 00:00:55.591
Yeah.

00:00:56.481 --> 00:00:57.405
With nothing on it.

00:00:58.201 --> 00:00:59.064
And they messed it up.

00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:00.323
They put everything on it.

00:01:01.006 --> 00:01:01.448
Oh dear.

00:01:01.448 --> 00:01:14.441
And I had onion smell trying to take off all the onions to give to nathan worst like I can handle almost anything else that they would accidentally put on, even when you order with nothing.

00:01:14.441 --> 00:01:15.304
I hate onion.

00:01:15.304 --> 00:01:18.575
I cannot stand the smell, the texture, everything about them.

00:01:18.575 --> 00:01:20.281
Yeah, is fucking terrible.

00:01:20.281 --> 00:01:22.543
Yeah, I get you get some flavor from it.

00:01:22.543 --> 00:01:26.867
That's why they make onion powder fucking.

00:01:28.230 --> 00:01:43.924
Yeah, I've never really understood the, the, the concept of like french onion soup yeah, it sounds just like a bowl of barf I mean seriously, I thought you were gonna say broth nope, I went the barf route.

00:01:45.066 --> 00:01:57.206
My dad loved onions and it's funny because my mom hates onions, so like when they would make stuff she would have to, like he would just want raw onions on his burger or whatever it might have been.

00:01:57.206 --> 00:01:59.311
It's like that's fucking gross.

00:01:59.311 --> 00:02:03.088
And then they make your breath smell for like days afterwards, no matter how much you brush your teeth.

00:02:03.088 --> 00:02:04.052
I think onions should be banned from the world.

00:02:04.052 --> 00:02:06.560
And then they make your breath smell for like days afterwards, no matter how much you brush your teeth.

00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.587
I think onions should be banned from the world.

00:02:13.939 --> 00:02:18.366
I don't mind red onion every once in a very blue moon, like it has to be a part of something like a salad or I feel like that's too soon.

00:02:18.366 --> 00:02:21.288
You should space that out further than a blue moon.

00:02:24.646 --> 00:02:25.831
Maybe once a decade.

00:02:25.831 --> 00:02:29.662
Once a decade a decade, because I get that.

00:02:29.681 --> 00:02:32.707
I know they're obviously a lot different than a, a yellow or a white onion.

00:02:32.707 --> 00:02:45.973
Yeah, um but, just thinking about it makes me want to make some, uh, french onion soup well, thankfully he didn't mind um the slight hint of onion on.

00:02:45.973 --> 00:02:47.115
He said it was a good burger.

00:02:47.134 --> 00:02:50.728
So that's good, but they epically fucked up.

00:02:50.788 --> 00:02:53.621
Apparently they did that's all right, we'll go back because we like it.

00:02:54.302 --> 00:03:04.789
Um, so we chose the same beer this time yeah, we're gonna both have the same beer instead of switching it up on both so it's called called Pseudo-Sue.

00:03:04.789 --> 00:03:05.312
Yes.

00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:14.487
And I just put it together that it's probably named after the T-Rex Sue, because there's literally a T-Rex on the can.

00:03:16.961 --> 00:03:20.170
The fact that there's a logo for the Field Museum didn't give it away.

00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:21.264
I didn't even see it.

00:03:21.264 --> 00:03:24.068
Hey look, the Field Museum is on here.

00:03:24.068 --> 00:03:34.122
That's in chicago, folks yeah and totally worth the trip if you go yeah yeah, okay, brewing up history with the field museum, that's awesome.

00:03:34.122 --> 00:03:39.280
I did not see that it is from toppling goliath brewing company from decorah iowa.

00:03:40.001 --> 00:03:41.683
That's right, I know I've been there.

00:03:41.943 --> 00:03:42.243
Have you.

00:03:42.564 --> 00:03:42.764
Yeah.

00:03:44.167 --> 00:03:44.608
How was it?

00:03:46.030 --> 00:03:49.974
I think I'm going to not tell my story about Top of the Goliath from that trip.

00:03:49.974 --> 00:03:54.949
Oh, they irritated me, oh yeah.

00:03:57.198 --> 00:03:57.919
Okay, cool.

00:03:57.919 --> 00:04:13.776
So this beer says it's a single hop pale ale with a well-balanced beer that is delicate in body with a mild bitterness in the finish, with citrus and mango Nice.

00:04:14.537 --> 00:04:14.796
Nice.

00:04:15.221 --> 00:04:16.225
I'm going to open it now.

00:04:16.225 --> 00:04:17.565
I am thirsty.

00:04:17.565 --> 00:04:23.586
I've had a couple of beers already, yep, and I'm not upset about that.

00:04:23.586 --> 00:04:24.088
Cheers.

00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:32.461
Sudo-su.

00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:34.223
Oh, and there's a king sue, right, yeah, which is even better.

00:04:34.244 --> 00:04:35.545
It's more of a, not more of it's a hazy ipa.

00:04:35.545 --> 00:04:41.081
It's really good, higher abv, but, um, I I like that one, but it's not cheap.

00:04:41.081 --> 00:04:52.050
Oh, really, typically around here, I think very roughly depending on where you go a four pack of 16 ounce cans is gonna be like 18 bucks whoa yeah, so it's.

00:04:52.271 --> 00:04:52.872
It's not a.

00:04:52.872 --> 00:04:59.071
It's not a cheap beer obviously cheaper than going to a bar to have it, but it's really good.

00:04:59.071 --> 00:04:59.952
I really.

00:04:59.952 --> 00:05:04.004
I like king sue better than pseudo sue, but I really like pseudo, yeah.

00:05:04.004 --> 00:05:17.732
So Kate and I, when we podcast up at her place, sometimes go to our favorite Elkhart Lake bar and they have this on tap, yes, so we like to partake in a few.

00:05:17.732 --> 00:05:21.288
They used to have King Sue, which is what I would get and you would get this.

00:05:21.911 --> 00:05:22.512
Yeah, the Sudo.

00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:27.675
But they have since obviously taken that off tap, which happens from time to time.

00:05:27.696 --> 00:05:30.004
So that's all right, switch some things around.

00:05:30.245 --> 00:05:30.406
Yep.

00:05:31.341 --> 00:05:32.505
Oh man, I missed that bar.

00:05:33.500 --> 00:05:35.526
I know we got to get there again one of these days.

00:05:35.526 --> 00:05:36.951
It's been a minute.

00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:42.372
Okay, so I actually don't have a question for you today on purpose.

00:05:42.920 --> 00:05:44.444
Oh, why is it on purpose?

00:05:44.766 --> 00:05:50.889
because I think you're going to participate a lot in this, in this topic, okay, um.

00:05:50.889 --> 00:06:01.769
So first of all, I'm going to see if you know who this person is, because we're going to talk about a person well, I hope I can interact with with Jim Rice.

00:06:02.651 --> 00:06:03.791
Jim Rice?

00:06:03.791 --> 00:06:06.915
I'm not sure.

00:06:07.500 --> 00:06:12.689
Okay, well, he was born James Edward Rice.

00:06:13.331 --> 00:06:14.593
James Edward Rice.

00:06:16.500 --> 00:06:20.464
March 8th 1953.

00:06:20.464 --> 00:06:23.108
Okay, okay, he was born in Anderson, South Carolina.

00:06:23.108 --> 00:06:24.911
Okay, and he was known as Ed.

00:06:25.872 --> 00:06:27.334
Ed, yeah what?

00:06:27.334 --> 00:06:29.980
Why is he?

00:06:30.019 --> 00:06:30.401
known as Ed.

00:06:30.401 --> 00:06:33.081
People sometimes go by their middle name.

00:06:33.843 --> 00:06:34.562
Oh, okay, and.

00:06:34.762 --> 00:06:37.204
I know I literally called him Jim Rice and he goes by Ed.

00:06:37.485 --> 00:06:40.807
Yeah, I know, that's why I'm like okay.

00:06:41.326 --> 00:06:47.891
So he was a lanky, tall teenager but he had a lot of athletic talent.

00:06:47.891 --> 00:06:49.112
Oh, really, yes.

00:06:49.112 --> 00:06:58.298
So the era that he was in middle school, high school, there was still a lot of segregation in the South.

00:06:58.458 --> 00:06:58.677
Sure.

00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:30.331
So, despite his promise and the athletic abilities, he was assigned to Westside High School, which is an all-black school, so that high school opened up in 1951 in Anderson, south Carolina, and then in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v Board of Education that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional.

00:07:30.331 --> 00:07:30.831
Well, it is a dumb idea.

00:07:30.831 --> 00:07:31.052
So and so.

00:07:31.052 --> 00:07:41.423
That signaled the end of legalized racial segregation in the schools, and it overruled the separate but equal principle set forth by the 1896 plessy versus ferguson case.

00:07:41.764 --> 00:07:44.711
Oh, that's a classic case, so I have no idea what that is.

00:07:44.711 --> 00:07:47.278
The plessy versus ferguson case oh, that's a classic case, so I have no idea what that is.

00:07:47.298 --> 00:07:52.891
The plus c versus ferguson was uh, the court ruled that states could enforce racial segregation laws.

00:07:52.891 --> 00:07:59.074
Okay, as long as the facilities provided for african americans in an equal manner.

00:07:59.074 --> 00:08:05.812
For against the whites, not against the whites, but like it's the same as whites, they have to have separate but equal.

00:08:06.500 --> 00:08:07.826
That's what their whole premise is.

00:08:07.826 --> 00:08:11.230
It has to be the same, but they have to be in different buildings, basically kind of thing.

00:08:11.470 --> 00:08:16.485
Yes, or they have to be at the back of the bus and the whites get to be at the front, but they have to have their own section.

00:08:16.485 --> 00:08:25.735
So arguments were to be heard during the next term to determine just how the ruling would be imposed.

00:08:25.735 --> 00:08:43.947
Sure, and just over one year later, on May 31st 1955, the court unanimously decided what is now referred to as Brown 2, instructed the states to begin desegregation plans, with quote, with all deliberate speed.

00:08:45.342 --> 00:08:58.529
So get on that shit up yeah, like get this done yesterday yeah, so that was in the 50s, right, right, um, so, despite the speed that the government wanted to desegregate, it was very, it was a very slow process.

00:08:58.529 --> 00:09:09.033
Okay, southern states resisted by closing schools and lord, enacting laws and even gerrymandering the district to maintain segregation.

00:09:10.383 --> 00:09:10.966
Go South.

00:09:12.562 --> 00:09:18.519
It wasn't until 1970 that Westside High School was fully integrated.

00:09:18.519 --> 00:09:32.767
Okay, but because district lines were redrawn, rice ended up in a completely different high school called TL Hanna, and that used to be an all-white school, of course, since 1878.

00:09:32.767 --> 00:09:34.110
Oh, a long time, yeah.

00:09:34.110 --> 00:09:41.722
But he was engaging and he was charming and he won over his peers Well, that's good, his peers.

00:09:41.722 --> 00:09:51.349
He was actually elected co-class president, um, and he played a significant role in easing, like, racial tensions, because he was, you know, a good.

00:09:51.909 --> 00:09:53.921
He was a good dude, yeah he was a good dude, yeah.

00:09:53.941 --> 00:10:10.086
So in 1970, it was his senior year, and rice played football, basketball and baseball, sure, and in football he was an all-state kick returner oh, a defensive back, wow, and a wide receiver so is that a thing?

00:10:10.586 --> 00:10:13.011
yeah, especially in in like high school.

00:10:13.011 --> 00:10:18.509
Even in some like even today, there's some college people that play offense and defense.

00:10:18.509 --> 00:10:29.725
You don't see it as much as you used to, okay, but especially back then, especially in the high school age range yeah you only have so many people fair.

00:10:29.725 --> 00:10:31.870
You only have so many good ones fair.

00:10:31.870 --> 00:10:38.791
So it's like you're gonna take up a roster spot, but we're gonna put him in there, there, there, yeah, because he's good.

00:10:38.791 --> 00:10:39.373
Okay.

00:10:39.373 --> 00:10:41.743
So, yeah, I mean, yeah, they played multiple positions.

00:10:43.024 --> 00:10:52.200
So, despite his football success, he was actually deciding between a scholarship from Clemson, north Carolina, and the University of Nebraska.

00:10:52.200 --> 00:11:01.111
But Rice chose a $45,000 offer from Mace Brown and Sam Mealy of the Red Sox.

00:11:01.111 --> 00:11:04.316
Oh, oh, okay.

00:11:04.316 --> 00:11:09.011
So Mace Brown was a scout and Sam Mealy was an instructor.

00:11:09.011 --> 00:11:10.745
So that's who those people are.

00:11:10.745 --> 00:11:23.278
Okay, so 1971, rice played 60 games for Williamsport Pennsylvania in the Class A New York Penn League at 18 years old.

00:11:23.278 --> 00:11:31.586
Okay, I had to fucking look up all that I'm not surprised it's considered a short season, class a.

00:11:31.888 --> 00:11:41.741
Okay, so they have a shorter season and class a is like bottom of the barrel, right well, you got pretty much double a, triple a, yeah, and then major leagues, right, right, right.

00:11:41.741 --> 00:11:59.865
So he was class a, so he hit a uh 256 with five home runs, and for people who second numbers, like me and I had to look this up the 256 is the batting average oh my god, yes see, I told you you would know this.

00:12:00.385 --> 00:12:03.369
so you would divide the number of hits by the number of at-bats.

00:12:03.369 --> 00:12:07.394
Oh jeez, it's called fractions.

00:12:07.394 --> 00:12:09.355
It's called I don't do math.

00:12:10.398 --> 00:12:11.139
It's funny that.

00:12:11.139 --> 00:12:17.552
I'm glad that you, I guess, stated what the 256 is Just in case people don't know.

00:12:18.581 --> 00:12:21.991
I know what a batting average is, but I needed to put it into words.

00:12:23.283 --> 00:12:25.408
And you understand it's like 0.256, right.

00:12:25.490 --> 00:12:28.308
Yes, it is 0.256, but nobody says point Nope.

00:12:29.241 --> 00:12:30.331
Which is why I didn't.

00:12:30.331 --> 00:12:31.279
I know I get that.

00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:36.445
I'm learning something, I just think it's funny that you had to explain that, but I guess it makes sense.

00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:37.942
I'm going to explain a couple of things.

00:12:37.942 --> 00:12:46.534
So, 250 is considered average and 300 is considered excellent.

00:12:46.534 --> 00:12:49.461
Do you know what the Mendoza line is?

00:12:49.461 --> 00:12:50.562
Yes, it's under 200.

00:12:50.744 --> 00:12:51.083
Correct.

00:12:51.244 --> 00:12:52.285
Because I read that.

00:12:52.605 --> 00:12:56.892
All right, yeah, do you know the funny thing about the Mendoza line in today's baseball?

00:12:56.892 --> 00:12:57.152
What?

00:12:57.152 --> 00:12:58.333
It's fucking irrelevant.

00:12:58.875 --> 00:12:59.635
It's irrelevant.

00:13:05.399 --> 00:13:07.265
Yeah, there's a lot of people that bat right around it.

00:13:07.265 --> 00:13:07.988
It was meant to be be.

00:13:07.988 --> 00:13:09.754
You're pretty shitty if you're below the mendoza line.

00:13:09.754 --> 00:13:14.985
Yeah, and now, like I know because we're brewers fans, there's a guy batting like 191, it's like wow, that's and I.

00:13:14.985 --> 00:13:19.494
I grew up watching baseball in the era of holy shit.

00:13:19.514 --> 00:13:39.988
This dude's batting 375, 375 is fucking amazing yeah batting average is, I don't want to say, irrelevant in baseball these days, but it it's not a a major indicator of how the the player is batting anymore like it used to be what weighs more uh on base percentage um.

00:13:40.028 --> 00:13:40.548
So the?

00:13:40.548 --> 00:13:41.029
What is that?

00:13:41.029 --> 00:13:41.529
Rbi?

00:13:42.091 --> 00:13:43.432
No, that's a run batted in.

00:13:43.432 --> 00:13:44.094
Oh.

00:13:44.094 --> 00:13:52.051
So Look at me, go On base percentage, not RBI.

00:13:52.051 --> 00:13:56.022
Oh, okay, she's sticking her tongue out at me.

00:13:56.022 --> 00:13:59.248
So if you get a walk, you get on base.

00:13:59.248 --> 00:14:02.573
You're not getting a hit, though, but you're still getting on base.

00:14:02.573 --> 00:14:07.255
So your percentage, obviously it takes your at bats and into account and so on and whatever.

00:14:07.255 --> 00:14:14.038
So as long as you can keep getting on base, even if your batting average is a 205, got it, your your on base percentage could be way better.

00:14:14.038 --> 00:14:19.865
Then they have, um, oh, what's the newer one they use a lot now it's uh rbi.

00:14:20.265 --> 00:14:30.537
No, that's still, that's still Ron batted in, but no, it's on base plus slugging.

00:14:31.621 --> 00:14:32.586
I talk about slugging.

00:14:33.027 --> 00:14:36.063
Okay, let's get to it.

00:14:36.083 --> 00:14:41.811
Okay, let's keep going Okay, so Rice hated working at Williamsport.

00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:48.543
People called him Jim and not Ed for for one thing, that's his fucking name, though his name's james.

00:14:48.543 --> 00:14:52.490
Don't call me by my name, call me by my middle name.

00:14:53.251 --> 00:14:56.485
He wasn't used to curve balls well, who is?

00:14:56.485 --> 00:15:10.847
And he was so far from home well, yeah, I mean, I can understand that, but I'm sorry, curveballs are a part of baseball, so in 1972 he was sent to winter haven in the florida state league where he continued to improve his skills.

00:15:10.847 --> 00:15:21.943
Fun fact winter haven is where nathan's um grandparents would always winter well, I mean it is called winter haven, but you know it's so run down down there, is it really?

00:15:21.943 --> 00:15:23.966
Yeah, it's really weird.

00:15:24.067 --> 00:15:25.428
Where in florida is that?

00:15:26.551 --> 00:15:43.001
oh, oh I think it's within 30 to an hour, 30 minutes to an hour of um orlando sure I like that answer I think it's sent like you can east central.

00:15:43.182 --> 00:15:44.383
you can stop thinking about it.

00:15:44.383 --> 00:15:47.905
Okay, I've only been there once, that's fine.

00:15:47.905 --> 00:15:48.966
Okay.

00:15:48.966 --> 00:16:01.636
So because I'm a new baseball fan and I don't know anything, I had to look up why the Red Sox have all these other teams I've never heard of.

00:16:01.636 --> 00:16:05.350
Because they're minor league teams.

00:16:05.350 --> 00:16:07.563
So I literally have in my notes wait for Bradley to answer.

00:16:07.563 --> 00:16:10.613
Well, because they're minor league teams, so I literally have on my notes wait for badly to answer well because they're minor league teams.

00:16:10.633 --> 00:16:10.974
But why did?

00:16:10.974 --> 00:16:14.750
Why do the red socks or any major league have all these little different offshoots?

00:16:15.192 --> 00:16:17.760
every major league team has minor league teams.

00:16:17.760 --> 00:16:18.322
Yes, why?

00:16:18.322 --> 00:16:22.320
Because that's how they develop their players and they send them through the ranks.

00:16:22.380 --> 00:16:29.373
Basically, right so they, they, basically they draft a player either out of college or even high school, for that matter.

00:16:29.373 --> 00:16:33.488
Some still decide to go to college to better their skills and whatnot.

00:16:33.488 --> 00:16:35.440
Some are so good they don't need to fucking do that.

00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:37.585
They get right out of high school.

00:16:37.585 --> 00:16:44.990
Basically, there's people recruiting 16 year olds for the major leagues, but that doesn't mean they're going to go play on the brewers right away.

00:16:44.990 --> 00:16:50.591
I just use the brewers, cause that's our home team, but they're going to go to single a baseball.

00:16:51.400 --> 00:16:52.764
And then, if they're really, good.

00:16:53.265 --> 00:16:54.831
Sometimes they jump over to triple a.

00:16:54.831 --> 00:17:04.493
Sometimes they would go to double a, then triple a, then majors Like we just signed before Jackson Cheerio even stepped onto the field for us.

00:17:04.493 --> 00:17:12.621
We signed him to like a oh shit, I don't remember how many years 8 or 10 year deal and he didn't even play one game in the majors yet.

00:17:12.621 --> 00:17:14.742
We signed him to a huge fucking deal.

00:17:14.742 --> 00:17:16.781
But he's fucking awesome, he's good.

00:17:16.781 --> 00:17:17.443
I like him.

00:17:17.443 --> 00:17:23.506
He's gonna be, I think, really good in the coming years, barring any major mishaps or whatever.

00:17:23.506 --> 00:17:27.029
But you basically work your way up through the ranks.

00:17:27.029 --> 00:17:30.007
There are some people who are perennial fucking.

00:17:30.007 --> 00:17:33.106
They're always in the minors, they're never going to make it to the majors.

00:17:33.106 --> 00:17:39.189
They're good but they're not good enough, Whereas there's some like Jackson Chirio is like that kid is fucking.

00:17:39.189 --> 00:17:40.952
We won the.

00:17:41.180 --> 00:17:41.721
What was he like?

00:17:41.761 --> 00:17:42.484
22?

00:17:42.484 --> 00:17:42.484
.

00:17:42.484 --> 00:17:43.429
He was 20.

00:17:43.429 --> 00:17:44.201
20, jeez.

00:17:44.201 --> 00:17:52.752
Because I was going to say we won our division because the Cubs suck, and well, I'm not wrong.

00:17:52.752 --> 00:17:59.534
But uh, they bought, they brought in like a wheelbarrow or something of NA beer for him to.

00:17:59.653 --> 00:18:02.159
Oh my gosh that's hilarious.

00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:06.094
I'm sure he ended up having some real beers, but, um, that's fantastic.

00:18:06.094 --> 00:18:06.836
Yeah, it's pretty great.

00:18:06.836 --> 00:18:21.496
But so it's like there's some guys who don't actually break out into the majors until they're like late twenties, even early thirties sometimes, depending on the situation, because they just because their skills aren't developed enough, whatever it might be, so on and so forth.

00:18:21.549 --> 00:18:29.219
They just didn't find the right team to be on either, because that helps and if they're in the majors they can still go back to like a AAA right.

00:18:29.460 --> 00:18:31.817
Sometimes there's options to send them down.

00:18:31.817 --> 00:18:35.992
Sometimes, depending on the caliber of the player, they have it written.

00:18:35.992 --> 00:18:39.921
Where that can't happen, oh okay, um, but there are some where they have.

00:18:39.921 --> 00:18:49.432
They have, um, I, I don't know all the terminology specifically, but they can get optioned down to triple a and so on, whatever it is, and they sometimes some players.

00:18:49.432 --> 00:19:01.654
You can only do it three times within a season, or whatever the the limitation yeah but, um, there's some like you wouldn't send christian christian yelich to the minors.

00:19:02.596 --> 00:19:16.199
He's on the brewers, no matter what, and that's where he is, because that's what his contract states, and so on, and the caliber player that he is, whereas you get some young guy weimer, weimer, what was his name?

00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:22.011
uh, joey weimer yeah, from the brewers well, he went to the cincinnati reds.

00:19:22.011 --> 00:19:28.172
Oh, remember, I told you we traded him no, I don't remember, because he came up from triple a right.

00:19:28.292 --> 00:19:31.098
Yeah yeah, I mean most, and that's one thing.

00:19:31.098 --> 00:19:34.352
Again, I keep referencing the brewers, because that's my team.

00:19:34.352 --> 00:20:03.632
Yeah, um, but Brewers have always been relatively good at developing their own players through the minor league system and unlike the Dodgers, the Red Sox, the Yankees, even San Francisco Giants, all the Cubs, all those huge market teams, because in baseball there's no salary cap so you can pay, like Shohei Otani.

00:20:03.632 --> 00:20:07.102
I love Shohei Otani because he's a fucking amazing baseball player.

00:20:07.102 --> 00:20:10.332
He's probably the best baseball player alive right now he makes.

00:20:10.332 --> 00:20:15.329
His contract was like $700 million or close to a billion, whatever the fuck it was.

00:20:15.550 --> 00:20:17.009
Yeah, it's literally insane.

00:20:17.009 --> 00:20:21.597
There's a guy for the Mets who just got signed the other day, juan Soto.

00:20:21.597 --> 00:20:30.541
For 15 years he's going to make, I think, $725 million or $750, something like that.

00:20:30.541 --> 00:20:37.621
I mean, that's just fucking insane and that's why the Brewers have a hard time competing, because we can't afford that.

00:20:37.621 --> 00:20:47.300
And the funny thing is I saw a meme the other day that after he got signed, the guy who runs the Mets right now, he used to be our general manager.

00:20:47.300 --> 00:20:53.738
Oh fuck, I'm drawing a blank on the position that he was David Stearns.

00:20:53.738 --> 00:20:55.798
He used to run the Brewers, basically the owner.

00:20:55.798 --> 00:20:56.763
No, oh, he used to run the Brewers, basically.

00:20:56.784 --> 00:20:57.205
The owner.

00:20:57.527 --> 00:20:59.253
No, oh, I said he ran the Brewers.

00:20:59.253 --> 00:21:04.116
He didn't own the Brewers, that's Mark Antonazio, but anyways, he ran the Brewers.

00:21:04.116 --> 00:21:07.138
Fuck, I can't remember the goddamn position he has.

00:21:07.138 --> 00:21:16.585
Anyways, his whole time with the Brewers, all free agents and everything he signed, totaled up to like $210 million.

00:21:16.585 --> 00:21:21.450
He just signed one guy for $700, like it's either $25, $50, $62.

00:21:21.450 --> 00:21:24.877
I don't remember the number, but it's over $700, some million.

00:21:24.877 --> 00:21:26.823
Jeez, it's crazy.

00:21:26.823 --> 00:21:29.037
That's what's wild about baseball.

00:21:29.037 --> 00:21:48.019
But like, shohei Otani makes a buttload of money but he's fucking worth it Because he's amazing and he didn't even pitch last year so we're back in winter haven sorry, I went on a tangent there um, that's okay, that's, I knew you were gonna have a lot of a lot to say, which which I like.

00:21:48.118 --> 00:21:54.311
So, um so, back in winter haven he hit 17 home runs in 130 games.

00:21:54.412 --> 00:21:55.992
that's not bad for a starting out guy.

00:21:56.012 --> 00:22:05.320
Yeah, in 1973, he was promoted to Bristol in the AA Eastern League with a batting average of 317.

00:22:05.541 --> 00:22:06.122
That's pretty good.

00:22:06.442 --> 00:22:07.222
I think so.

00:22:07.403 --> 00:22:08.203
Yeah, that's.

00:22:08.203 --> 00:22:13.633
I mean you're almost at one every third at bat hit, so Damn.

00:22:13.633 --> 00:22:16.240
Are you saying that about that or your burp yeah?

00:22:21.569 --> 00:22:22.030
Okay, well, I did burp.

00:22:22.030 --> 00:22:23.133
I know he had he hit 27 home runs.

00:22:23.133 --> 00:22:23.815
Oh, that's, that's solid.

00:22:23.815 --> 00:22:34.920
Yeah, so that same year, uh 73 he joined the triple a paw tucket red socks yep, I know them yeah, yeah, they're in the international league yeah and they went to the playoffs that year.

00:22:34.920 --> 00:22:39.894
Oh and, in the 10 games he hit a 378.

00:22:39.894 --> 00:22:41.897
That's impressive with four home runs.

00:22:41.897 --> 00:22:45.666
Okay, I'm, I'm, I'm, I know what these numbers mean.

00:22:45.666 --> 00:22:47.976
That makes me happy, because I'm not a numbers person.

00:22:47.996 --> 00:22:51.366
No, you really aren't so the next year 1974.

00:22:53.291 --> 00:22:57.181
Rice played with the pawtucket red sox for pretty much the whole year.

00:22:57.181 --> 00:23:06.932
Yeah, and he won the international league's triple crown okay, rookie of the year, mvp, in the honor of the sporting news minor league player of the year.

00:23:06.932 --> 00:23:18.557
He had a three 337 average batting average, 25 home home runs and 93 RBIs Nice, so tell me what an RBI is.

00:23:19.230 --> 00:23:20.214
It's a run batted in.

00:23:20.214 --> 00:23:26.123
So let's say you and me were playing baseball.

00:23:26.123 --> 00:23:28.298
I went up and I hit a single right?

00:23:28.298 --> 00:23:32.599
Well, let's say a double, it doesn't matter, I got on base.

00:23:32.599 --> 00:23:44.099
You come up to bat next and you get a hit, whether it's a home run, a single, double, triple, whatever and I cross home plate, you get an RBI.

00:23:44.099 --> 00:23:46.698
Okay, Because you got a run batted in.

00:23:47.151 --> 00:23:50.780
I helped a runner get to base get to home base yes.

00:23:51.670 --> 00:23:56.700
So RBI, is you okay there?

00:23:57.060 --> 00:23:57.501
Burping.

00:23:57.501 --> 00:23:59.932
Oh dear, it's the pseudo Sue.

00:24:00.173 --> 00:24:00.733
I guess so.

00:24:01.234 --> 00:24:02.096
It's not so pseudo.

00:24:02.096 --> 00:24:03.019
I'm definitely burping.

00:24:03.159 --> 00:24:24.531
Yeah, sue me, um, but yeah, our RBI is, uh is a a very good indicator of how a player is doing, because usually if they're getting a lot of R, usually if they're getting a lot of rbi, they're getting a lot of hits typically even with the batters who will do like a sacrifice fly ball you get an rbi.

00:24:24.531 --> 00:24:26.076
You would still get an rbi.

00:24:26.076 --> 00:24:28.319
A sack fly and an rbi is what they say.

00:24:28.641 --> 00:24:36.425
So yes, you get an rbi for that correct, okay, so in late 1974 he finally got his major league debut.

00:24:36.586 --> 00:24:37.788
For the Boston Red Sox.

00:24:37.788 --> 00:24:39.012
Yeah, Did he pock the cod?

00:24:39.053 --> 00:24:44.298
have it yod, Probably yeah, sweet, yeah, it's the second time I've said that on this podcast.

00:24:44.298 --> 00:24:48.836
He had 24 games with the Red Sox.

00:24:48.958 --> 00:24:52.798
Yeah, boston, yeah, yeah, yeah, Not the Pawtucket Boston, it's Boston.

00:24:52.950 --> 00:24:55.214
So he hit the first home run on October 1st.

00:24:55.414 --> 00:25:08.679
So we have a very good family friend who is from Wisconsin, but after college they moved out to Boston and I believe that's where his kids were born.

00:25:08.679 --> 00:25:15.460
I'm almost 100% positive on that, but he is a huge Red Sox fan.

00:25:15.460 --> 00:25:21.487
Um but uh, he is a huge Red Sox fan and our buddy, uh, who is married to his daughter, also is a Red Sox fan.

00:25:21.487 --> 00:25:23.877
Obviously she's a Red Sox fan.

00:25:23.877 --> 00:25:37.602
So I have a weird love hate thing for the Red Sox, cause I I cheer for them because of them, but I don't cheer for them other than that kind of thing.

00:25:37.602 --> 00:25:48.603
So big market teams make me mad because our little tiny market can't compete okay so it sucks, but that's not my friend's fault, but but I.

00:25:48.962 --> 00:25:56.296
I will root for the boston red socks for that family basically is what I'm saying yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:25:56.476 --> 00:26:02.203
So with the Red Sox in 1974, he batted at 269.

00:26:02.203 --> 00:26:06.355
That's pretty good, uh-huh In 67 at-bats.

00:26:06.576 --> 00:26:07.419
Yeah, that's not bad.

00:26:07.559 --> 00:26:14.563
Yeah, so Rice's integration into the 75 team was a pretty rocky start.

00:26:14.563 --> 00:26:20.363
Okay, there was another rookie, fred Lynn, and he solidified his position as center fielder.

00:26:20.731 --> 00:26:21.750
That name sounds familiar.

00:26:22.111 --> 00:26:32.936
And then Tony Congigliero, yeah, congigliero, yeah, he was the designated hitter Sure, and Rice found himself on the sidelines.

00:26:33.450 --> 00:26:33.911
Do you know?

00:26:33.911 --> 00:26:37.060
So it's different now, like today.

00:26:37.060 --> 00:26:41.064
Do you know what the designated hitter is between American League and National League?

00:26:41.064 --> 00:26:41.928
Like what the difference was?

00:26:42.288 --> 00:26:42.348
No.

00:26:43.270 --> 00:26:53.179
So I think I've tried to explain this to you once before In the National League up until the whole COVID thing happened, and then it's been designated hitter for both leagues now.

00:26:53.579 --> 00:26:57.400
Oh, okay, so they're the same rules now, correct, okay.

00:26:57.440 --> 00:27:01.441
In both sides, but prior to that the pitcher used to have to bat.

00:27:01.441 --> 00:27:03.329
Do you remember this conversation?

00:27:03.349 --> 00:27:04.536
Yeah, you have told me that, yeah.

00:27:05.874 --> 00:27:08.441
So I still don't know how I feel about it.

00:27:08.441 --> 00:27:16.643
I like that it's now the same, at least, but I like the kind of strategic things the manager had to do when the pitcher would come in too bad.

00:27:17.130 --> 00:27:19.920
Because am I going to replace him with a pinch hitter?

00:27:19.920 --> 00:27:21.916
Because then you have to change your pitcher as well.

00:27:21.916 --> 00:27:25.289
Some pitchers actually could hit, like.

00:27:25.289 --> 00:27:25.991
We used to have a.

00:27:25.991 --> 00:27:27.355
What was his name?

00:27:27.355 --> 00:27:31.604
Giovanni Gallardo was a pretty decent hitting pitcher.

00:27:31.604 --> 00:27:35.017
I mean CeCe Sabathia, who was on our team and then went to the Yankees.

00:27:35.017 --> 00:27:43.042
He was pretty decent actually, but even was it in 2018 when we were playing the Dodgers in the playoffs.

00:27:43.042 --> 00:27:47.260
We were in like one game from the fucking World Series and I was there.

00:27:47.260 --> 00:27:53.643
But I remember the game that Brandon Woodruff hit off of what was his name, clayton Kershaw.

00:27:53.643 --> 00:28:00.698
I believe he was an awesome pitcher I think that's who it was um, fucking, just hit a home run off of him.

00:28:00.698 --> 00:28:04.253
It's like pitchers don't do that shit, but it was fucking amazing.

00:28:04.253 --> 00:28:10.538
That's awesome, but now you don't get to see pitchers hitting anymore, so it's kind of sad yeah I kind of miss it, but I get it.

00:28:10.699 --> 00:28:12.022
So uh.

00:28:12.182 --> 00:28:18.060
So beyond the logistical challenges of rice, like being on the team, he thinks that there was also a racial bias.

00:28:18.349 --> 00:28:20.057
Well, yeah, unfortunately yeah.

00:28:20.650 --> 00:28:24.201
Um, and he actually didn't like speak about that until many years later.

00:28:24.201 --> 00:28:26.277
Okay, he just kind of kept that to himself, sure.

00:28:26.277 --> 00:28:37.605
So in an interview he would eventually give to Sport Magazine in 1978, rice, um, he said uh, quote race has to be a factor.

00:28:37.605 --> 00:28:45.023
When Fred Lynn can hit a 240 in the minors and I can hit a 340, and he gets a starting job before I do.

00:28:45.410 --> 00:28:54.023
Yeah, see, that's horseshit, because when you're in a sport that is based off of fucking numbers, who has the best numbers is the person who should be out there.

00:28:54.023 --> 00:28:58.661
It doesn't matter what color you are, what nationality, race, anything.

00:28:58.661 --> 00:28:59.702
It doesn't matter religion.

00:28:59.702 --> 00:29:01.474
The numbers speak for itself.

00:29:01.474 --> 00:29:03.855
Right, fucking, give the guy with the best numbers the job.

00:29:03.855 --> 00:29:05.039
Right, that's bullshit.

00:29:05.710 --> 00:29:14.536
So, coincidentally within a few weeks, canigliero I've actually heard that name before.

00:29:14.777 --> 00:29:15.138
As have I.

00:29:15.569 --> 00:29:17.298
Yeah, canigliero, I've actually heard that name before, as have I.

00:29:17.298 --> 00:29:19.684
Yeah, canigliero, he was batting at best 200.

00:29:19.684 --> 00:29:21.296
Oh, the Mendoza line.

00:29:21.296 --> 00:29:25.376
Yeah, so he was actually pushed back to the Pawtucket Red Sox.

00:29:25.376 --> 00:29:27.560
Aaa, yep, enter Rice.

00:29:27.560 --> 00:29:29.104
Ooh Ba-dum-bum.

00:29:29.104 --> 00:29:36.968
So by July, rice has taken over the left field position and he held it for the remainder of the season.

00:29:36.968 --> 00:29:48.856
Okay, so he finished the year with a 309 batting average, 22 home runs and 102 rbis that's not bad and he placed second to lynn in the rookie of the year voting.

00:29:49.117 --> 00:29:56.219
Oh wow, yes, and rice and lynn were actually known as the gold dust twins I've never heard that.

00:29:56.219 --> 00:30:00.440
Yeah, me either, and I didn't look into it because I was like meh, it's not relevant.

00:30:00.440 --> 00:30:07.982
His first season came to an abrupt end when a wild pitch broke his left hand.

00:30:09.074 --> 00:30:09.777
Oh, that's got to hurt.

00:30:09.950 --> 00:30:14.702
Yeah, and it forced him to watch the Red Sox lose a seven-game World Series to Cincinnati.

00:30:15.490 --> 00:30:18.180
Yeah, they lost a lot of World Series for quite some time.

00:30:18.180 --> 00:30:19.653
It was the curse of the Bambino.

00:30:21.698 --> 00:30:24.996
Babe Ruth Yep, look at me, I watch the Sandlot.

00:30:27.592 --> 00:30:28.615
Oh, wow.

00:30:29.391 --> 00:30:37.887
So once he recovered, his career did regress a bit In 76, his hitting average was a 282 with 25 home runs.

00:30:37.887 --> 00:30:38.851
That's still pretty solid.

00:30:38.851 --> 00:30:47.565
I thought so too, like 25 home runs is really good but again, and 282 is really pretty solid.

00:30:47.585 --> 00:30:49.517
I think so especially if you think about it today.

00:30:49.517 --> 00:30:53.191
But back then again it was looked at a little differently.

00:30:53.191 --> 00:30:57.240
So I get it for the time frame, but that's really not bad.

00:30:57.541 --> 00:31:01.137
Yeah, so in 1977, he had 39 home runs.

00:31:01.137 --> 00:31:12.325
Wow, in 78, he was voted the MVP award and he was leading the majors in slugging percentage of 600 games.

00:31:12.325 --> 00:31:14.555
And I had a look at slugging.

00:31:14.715 --> 00:31:36.219
Yeah, obviously Do you know what it is I always forget the exact definition, so just go ahead it's the total number of bases a player reaches per at bat, that's right yeah, yeah, so that year 78 he had this the 600 um percentage 130, 136 at bats nope, just kidding.

00:31:36.239 --> 00:31:46.969
136 games yep 677 at bats, 213 hits yep 406 bases.

00:31:46.969 --> 00:31:56.118
Yep 15 triples, yep 46 home runs all right, 46 wow and 139 rbis how many doubles did he have?

00:31:56.118 --> 00:32:02.353
It does a bit to say so maybe he hadn't, maybe he had zero.

00:32:02.492 --> 00:32:04.136
Do you know what hitting for the cycle means?

00:32:04.438 --> 00:32:17.992
no, I've also told you this too go go go memory, really working here it means, within one game, a single game, you get a single, a double a triple and a home run okay so that's hitting for the cycle.

00:32:18.233 --> 00:32:25.922
Cool, yeah, okay, it's a very hard thing to do because not only are you getting four hits within a game, you have to get up to four at bats.

00:32:25.922 --> 00:32:29.814
Obviously, typically that's usually the most people get.

00:32:29.814 --> 00:32:33.241
Obviously you can get more five, six, whatever but it's really hard to do.

00:32:33.241 --> 00:32:38.142
And which one is the hardest one to get out of those hits?

00:32:39.050 --> 00:32:48.663
Oh, um, I don't, I mean, I would naturally say home run.

00:32:48.663 --> 00:32:52.701
But because you asked the question, I would not say home run.

00:32:52.890 --> 00:32:54.153
No triple.

00:32:54.776 --> 00:32:56.039
I was going to say triple next.

00:32:56.630 --> 00:32:57.346
That's the hardest one to get.

00:32:57.346 --> 00:32:58.365
So, cause a home run.

00:32:58.365 --> 00:32:58.465
You can just hit it over.

00:32:58.465 --> 00:32:59.000
Home run, no, triple, I was going to say triple.

00:32:59.000 --> 00:32:59.262
Next, that's the hardest one to get.

00:32:59.262 --> 00:33:00.904
Yeah, because a home run, you can just hit it over the wall.

00:33:00.904 --> 00:33:01.951
Right, triple is.

00:33:01.951 --> 00:33:05.039
You're usually hitting it within the ballpark or the field.

00:33:05.039 --> 00:33:07.856
Right, just play and you have to get to third base.

00:33:07.856 --> 00:33:09.355
That's usually the hardest one.

00:33:09.497 --> 00:33:11.374
Right and without somebody catching it first.

00:33:11.734 --> 00:33:15.143
Well, yeah, well yeah, because that would not be a hit, ideally.

00:33:15.950 --> 00:33:20.659
So in 1979, he, along with two other Red Sox players, started the All-Star Game.

00:33:20.939 --> 00:33:21.460
That's a good year.

00:33:21.701 --> 00:33:24.005
Yeah, it is a good year you were born.

00:33:24.005 --> 00:33:26.414
Look at me remembering shit.

00:33:26.414 --> 00:33:32.500
Yeah, september 25th and Rice was actually recognized as the best hitter in that game, in the All-Star Game.

00:33:32.500 --> 00:33:54.722
Yeah, nice, rice had another hand injury in 1980, same hand, and, um, I actually don't know, I didn't say okay, um, but he suffered subpar seasons in 81 and 82, partially as a result sure I mean hands, a big fucking thing in baseball a little bit, so august 7th 1982.

00:33:55.083 --> 00:33:56.865
I remember that day well, I really don't.

00:33:56.865 --> 00:34:01.436
I wasn't even three yet it was at Fenway Park.

00:34:01.798 --> 00:34:03.494
Oh, and it was one for the history books.

00:34:03.695 --> 00:34:04.117
Do you know?

00:34:04.117 --> 00:34:04.352
And?

00:34:04.372 --> 00:34:05.549
that's what we're going to talk about today.

00:34:05.869 --> 00:34:10.273
Do you know what the two oldest baseball parks in the majors?

00:34:10.293 --> 00:34:11.434
is, I'm going to say Fenway Park.

00:34:11.614 --> 00:34:12.614
Okay, what's the other one?

00:34:12.614 --> 00:34:15.996
I think it's actually even older than Fenway, I believe.

00:34:16.157 --> 00:34:17.257
Is it the Yankee Stadium?

00:34:17.478 --> 00:34:21.740
No, they just rebuilt that like in the last oh shit, 10 years.

00:34:21.740 --> 00:34:23.041
I don't even remember how long it's been now.

00:34:23.161 --> 00:34:23.722
Is it Wrigley?

00:34:23.983 --> 00:34:27.204
Yeah, really, I think Wrigley is the oldest and then Fenway.

00:34:27.204 --> 00:34:29.045
I might be mixing those up though.

00:34:30.126 --> 00:34:30.927
We're going to pivot.

00:34:32.090 --> 00:34:32.391
Pivot.

00:34:33.393 --> 00:34:49.217
And we're gonna go to greenland, new hampshire, oh, I've been there have you no so tom keen and his two sons, jonathan four and matthew two, went to their first right so like that's their age, not like hey, jonathan 14.

00:34:50.480 --> 00:34:51.460
I was confused.

00:34:51.460 --> 00:34:53.510
I thought that was like part of their name.

00:34:53.570 --> 00:34:58.583
I'm like that's really weird jon, jonathan, who is four, and Matthew, who is two.

00:34:58.750 --> 00:35:00.317
Okay, thank you for the clarification.

00:35:00.429 --> 00:35:05.302
The kids ended up going to their very first Fenway Red Sox game.

00:35:05.322 --> 00:35:05.764
There it is.

00:35:07.190 --> 00:35:11.141
So they were all seated along the first baseline in the field boxes.

00:35:11.141 --> 00:35:12.856
They were in the second row.

00:35:14.130 --> 00:35:15.295
Sorry, my glasses are fucked up.

00:35:15.295 --> 00:35:16.117
It's hurting my ear.

00:35:16.117 --> 00:35:16.780
Sorry In the second row.

00:35:16.780 --> 00:35:18.164
Sorry, my glasses are fucked up.

00:35:18.164 --> 00:35:18.726
It's hurting my ear, sorry.

00:35:18.806 --> 00:35:28.101
In the first row, okay, so, yeah, so they were seated along the first baseline in the second row, okay, and they were on, like, the home plate side of the Red Sox dugout.

00:35:28.101 --> 00:35:38.130
Yeah, okay, so Tom Keene had gotten the tickets through a friend who knew the red socks executive vice president, hayward sullivan.

00:35:38.130 --> 00:35:43.123
Okay, okay, so the red socks were playing the chicago white socks.

00:35:43.123 --> 00:35:58.956
Yeah, and after several renovations, the of the, of the um, of the of the stadium that's the word the seats are actually like much closer to the action than previous, sure, renovations.

00:35:58.956 --> 00:36:09.322
So the red socks were in second place in the american league east division, behind the brewers yeah, when we actually used to be in the american league are we not anymore?

00:36:09.782 --> 00:36:12.994
no, we haven't been since like the mid 90s what are we in now?

00:36:13.195 --> 00:36:26.023
The National League, the only other league you can be in you say that as if I know Well, I mean, the White Sox were in the third place of the American League West, behind the Kansas City Royals, yeah, Okay.

00:36:26.023 --> 00:36:38.940
So the White Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead on just four hits, but the Red Sox tied the score in the bottom of the third inning on two doubles and a walk.

00:36:39.262 --> 00:36:39.543
Ooh.

00:36:39.762 --> 00:36:48.724
Yeah, After a 1-2-3 top of the fourth inning which I had a look up, 1-2-3, a pitcher got three batters out in a row.

00:36:48.829 --> 00:36:49.271
You didn't know.

00:36:49.271 --> 00:36:49.914
A 1-2-3?

00:36:49.914 --> 00:36:50.596
No, no, okay.

00:36:51.710 --> 00:36:54.074
So it's literally like a perfect inning for a pitcher.

00:36:54.074 --> 00:36:56.340
For those who don't know, do you know what a perfect game is, then?

00:36:56.340 --> 00:37:03.438
Complete strikeout of Doesn't have to be a strikeout so no one gets to base.

00:37:03.659 --> 00:37:04.041
Correct.

00:37:04.041 --> 00:37:07.699
Yeah, so you literally have 27 at-bats, 27 outs.

00:37:07.699 --> 00:37:08.460
Yes, correct.

00:37:09.090 --> 00:37:17.385
So after a 1-2-3 top of the fourth inning, bottom of the fourth would be the first two Red Sox hitters singled.

00:37:17.385 --> 00:37:21.199
And then Dave Stapleton came up.

00:37:21.199 --> 00:37:21.952
Who's Dave?

00:37:21.992 --> 00:37:22.996
Stapleton To hit.

00:37:23.769 --> 00:37:26.978
Well, Dave Stapleton was a utility player.

00:37:27.378 --> 00:37:27.639
Yeah.

00:37:28.021 --> 00:37:28.581
What does that mean?

00:37:29.592 --> 00:37:31.929
I think he just kind of he plays all positions.

00:37:32.552 --> 00:37:53.494
He fits in where they need him, yes, and in 1982, he was first baseman, okay, so he was up to bat, and dave stapleton happens to be four-year-old jonathan's favorite player well, shit yeah, so stapleton was a right-handed hitter and he was up against a right-handed pitcher yeah and his name was richard dotson.

00:37:53.494 --> 00:37:54.856
Richard dots.

00:37:54.856 --> 00:38:03.561
So Stapleton ended up swinging late at one of the pitches, yeah, and sent the ball soaring into the stands near the dugout.

00:38:03.581 --> 00:38:03.762
Oh dear.

00:38:04.570 --> 00:38:05.231
Mr Tom Keene.

00:38:05.231 --> 00:38:10.942
The father heard a loud crack, thinking the ball had hit the side of the dugout.

00:38:11.382 --> 00:38:12.023
Did it hit his kid?

00:38:13.090 --> 00:38:17.601
When he looked down at his son, jonathan the four-year-old, he saw blood streaming from his head.

00:38:17.601 --> 00:38:22.920
Oh God, the ball had hit him over his right eye, fracturing his skull.

00:38:22.920 --> 00:38:24.302
Oh yeah, no shit.

00:38:24.302 --> 00:38:26.318
Does that now sound awful?

00:38:26.349 --> 00:38:27.476
That sounds terrible.

00:38:28.510 --> 00:38:40.239
So, hearing the reaction from the crowd, center fielder Rick Miller, who was waiting at the edge of the dugout for his turn at bat, jumped out of the dugout to see what was happening.

00:38:40.239 --> 00:38:46.188
When he saw the injured boy, he immediately called for the Red Sox trainer, charlie Moss.

00:38:46.188 --> 00:38:50.559
Okay, now I looked up what a trainer does.

00:38:50.559 --> 00:39:00.978
So they're typically athletic trainers and they do first aid and injury prevention and rehabilitation, so naturally he's right there, so they would call him out first right, of course, yeah.

00:39:01.510 --> 00:39:15.699
So as the trainer started to head out of the dugout, jim Rice raced past him, jumped into the stands, picked up the boy in his arms and headed to the Red Sox clubhouse.

00:39:15.699 --> 00:39:24.282
Sure, and that is where team physician Arthur Papus had just arrived from his box seat.

00:39:24.282 --> 00:39:29.780
Like he knew he was needed, he raced from his box seat to the clubhouse and met Jim Rice in the clubhouse.

00:39:29.780 --> 00:39:30.101
Sure.

00:39:30.101 --> 00:39:35.119
So Papus said that he had never seen so much blood at Fenway.

00:39:35.481 --> 00:39:35.942
Oh God.

00:39:36.710 --> 00:39:41.621
He quickly evaluated the child's injuries and placed him into the ambulance that was on standby.

00:39:41.621 --> 00:39:43.835
Sure, there's an ambulance pretty much at every game?

00:39:43.835 --> 00:39:45.360
I think no, there is, yeah.

00:39:45.360 --> 00:39:57.764
So in a 1997 article describing the incident, pappas was quoted as saying quote this is very much a factor once you have that kind of head injury and the subsequent swelling of the brain.

00:39:57.764 --> 00:40:01.438
That's why it's so important to get him to care so it can be dealt with.

00:40:01.438 --> 00:40:06.221
Rice certainly helped him very considerably oh yeah, that's I mean.

00:40:06.342 --> 00:40:14.510
For him to jump up and do that is amazing so within a few minutes jonathan was on the operating table at children's hospital of boston.

00:40:14.510 --> 00:40:23.159
Okay so regular vehicle regular traffic in 2024 was about an eight-minute drive, so maybe half that for an ambulance I don't know, you'd hope.

00:40:23.340 --> 00:40:27.480
Yeah, jonathan had surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.

00:40:27.480 --> 00:40:31.177
Yeah, after less than a week he was released from the hospital.

00:40:31.177 --> 00:40:32.039
Oh, that's impressive.

00:40:32.039 --> 00:40:32.461
Yeah.

00:40:32.461 --> 00:40:47.163
So the next day, dave Stapleton, the foul ball hitter, stopped by the hospitals to see Jonathan, and right after him, tony La Russa, the White Sox manager at the time, came to visit I know him yeah.

00:40:48.451 --> 00:41:04.543
And since the game was on NBC's Game of the Week, people across the country saw Jonathan Hurt, Ant and Rice's reaction All across the country saw Jonathan Hurt, ant and Rice's reaction, and even Hank Heron, who had just been inducted into the Hall of Fame only six days earlier, called to see how Jonathan was doing.

00:41:04.543 --> 00:41:05.324
What was his name?

00:41:05.324 --> 00:41:06.425
Hank Heron.

00:41:06.806 --> 00:41:09.108
Oh, hank, sorry, I did not hear that.

00:41:11.715 --> 00:41:12.277
But yeah, do you?

00:41:12.277 --> 00:41:14.005
Know who he played for the Yankees.

00:41:14.427 --> 00:41:14.769
No, the Red Sox no.

00:41:15.510 --> 00:41:15.730
The.

00:41:15.809 --> 00:41:16.510
White Sox, no, the White Sox.

00:41:16.510 --> 00:41:25.043
He played for the Milwaukee Braves and then also the Atlanta Braves and then the Milwaukee Brewers.

00:41:25.324 --> 00:41:25.784
Did he really?

00:41:25.985 --> 00:41:26.224
Yes.

00:41:26.365 --> 00:41:26.525
Cool.

00:41:26.525 --> 00:41:32.543
So Jonathan recovered with the help of his mother, carol Johnson Haywood.

00:41:32.543 --> 00:41:36.760
She was actually a special education teacher in New Hampshire.

00:41:37.170 --> 00:41:37.331
Okay.

00:41:37.632 --> 00:41:44.934
So it did take him a while to recover, but mom was always there making sure he was healing, and two years later, during follow-up tests, everything was normal.

00:41:45.335 --> 00:41:45.655
Okay.

00:41:46.818 --> 00:41:59.344
So in 18, nope, in 1983, the next year, Jonathan was at the ballpark on opening day.

00:41:59.989 --> 00:42:01.677
Did he have a shield around him?

00:42:01.677 --> 00:42:07.018
God damn, that'd be nerve-wracking, because he would have been 5 then, right yeah.

00:42:07.811 --> 00:42:17.867
The Red Sox executive vice president, hayward Sullivan, who gave the family the tickets, called them up and asked Jonathan to throw the first pitch the ceremonial first pitch.

00:42:17.887 --> 00:42:21.300
Oh, that's super cool yeah so he did do that, okay.

00:42:21.300 --> 00:42:27.063
So Rice bounced back in 1983, leading the league in RBIs and homers.

00:42:27.063 --> 00:42:34.766
And, despite his strong season, some questioned his Hall of Fame chances due to a perceived lack of defensibility.

00:42:34.766 --> 00:42:43.880
Okay, rice continued performing well in the following years, earning All-Star honors, empowering the Red Sox to their first postseason appearance in over a decade.

00:42:43.880 --> 00:42:54.137
Oh, and while his 1986 postseason wasn't a standout, he did deliver some key home runs in the League Championship Series, okay, and he batted well in the World Series, Nice.

00:42:54.137 --> 00:43:00.552
So Rice's career took a downturn in 1987 due to elbow and knee injuries.

00:43:00.552 --> 00:43:08.675
Okay, and these issues, along with deteriorating eyesight, continued to hinder his performance over the next two seasons I would imagine so.

00:43:08.735 --> 00:43:33.382
His career ended in 1989 and his batting average dropped below 300, which still, I mean, if it's not that far below, that's pretty fucking good but he was still facing criticism regarding his hall of fame candidacy why I mean he had solid numbers, his whole fucking life, his whole career yeah he played 16 years with the red socks.

00:43:33.382 --> 00:43:34.291
That's impressive.

00:43:34.291 --> 00:43:42.478
Yeah, he later served as the team's hitting coach, mentoring young stars like Nomar Garciaparra.

00:43:43.018 --> 00:43:43.920
Can you try that again?

00:43:44.282 --> 00:43:45.523
Nope and Mo Vaughn.

00:43:45.809 --> 00:43:46.875
Nomar Garciaparra.

00:43:47.650 --> 00:43:49.762
Nomar Garciaparra and Mo.

00:43:49.762 --> 00:43:53.916
Vaughn Garciaparra Like move on, but Mo Vaughn no his name's Mo Vaughn.

00:43:53.916 --> 00:43:58.572
That's what I said Mo Vaughn, not move on.

00:43:58.572 --> 00:43:59.536
How about we move on from this?

00:43:59.536 --> 00:44:01.782
Let's move on, yes, let's move on.

00:44:01.782 --> 00:44:12.724
So, after his coaching career, Rice settled in Massachusetts with his family and he eventually joined the NESN, the New England Sports Network, as a baseball analyst.

00:44:13.266 --> 00:44:13.505
Okay.

00:44:13.989 --> 00:44:17.697
So Rice continued to receive honors for his um.

00:44:17.697 --> 00:44:27.472
After his playing career, he was inducted into the red socks hall of fame it makes sense in 1995, sure, and the ted williams hitters hall of fame in 2001.

00:44:27.472 --> 00:44:40.503
Okay, and despite initial doubts, rice was eventually elected into the baseball hall of fame in 2009, thanks in part to the advocacy of Red Sox historian Dick Bresciani.

00:44:40.884 --> 00:44:44.777
Okay, I like your confidence in that last name.

00:44:44.838 --> 00:44:45.800
Bresciani.

00:44:45.800 --> 00:44:48.878
Yeah, so he was a fierce advocate of Rice.

00:44:48.878 --> 00:44:54.440
Sure, he kept Rice's statistics available and he basically kept that in the public eye.

00:44:54.440 --> 00:44:55.302
That's nice, yeah.

00:44:55.302 --> 00:45:00.346
So during his Hall of Fame speech in July, Rice reflected on his career.

00:45:00.346 --> 00:45:13.360
He thanked Dick Bresciani and he also thanked his mentors, like his scouts and his instructors and stuff, and he says, quote I am a husband called Rice.

00:45:13.360 --> 00:45:15.637
I am a father called Dad.

00:45:15.637 --> 00:45:17.838
I am a brother called Ed.

00:45:17.838 --> 00:45:18.742
I am a father called dad.

00:45:18.742 --> 00:45:19.547
I am a brother called ed.

00:45:19.547 --> 00:45:20.210
I am an uncle called uncle ed.

00:45:20.210 --> 00:45:22.954
I am a grandfather called papa.

00:45:22.954 --> 00:45:30.393
I'm a friend that doesn't call some of my friends know that and sometimes best not call at all.

00:45:30.393 --> 00:45:35.561
Finally and I do mean finally I am j Rice called a baseball Hall of Famer.

00:45:35.561 --> 00:45:36.443
End quote.

00:45:36.923 --> 00:45:37.445
That's awesome.

00:45:38.489 --> 00:45:44.202
Jonathan Keene, the four-year-old, has no memory of the family trip to Fenway Park.

00:45:44.382 --> 00:45:44.923
Why would he?

00:45:44.923 --> 00:45:46.998
He got hit with a baseball, jesus.

00:45:47.329 --> 00:45:54.851
He doesn't remember the five days he spent in the children's hospital, right, but he does remember throwing the ceremonial first pitch the year after.

00:45:54.851 --> 00:45:55.291
That's good, at least.

00:45:55.291 --> 00:45:57.132
Throwing the ceremonial first pitch the year after, well, that's good, at least.

00:45:57.132 --> 00:46:02.655
The only reminder he has of that day is a very small scar above his left eye.

00:46:02.655 --> 00:46:03.556
Okay, sure.

00:46:04.498 --> 00:46:11.061
Jonathan went on to attend the North Carolina State, graduating with a degree in business, marketing and finance.

00:46:11.061 --> 00:46:11.601
Oh, wow.

00:46:11.601 --> 00:46:23.467
And in 2017, keene, alongside a friend and entrepreneur, joe Schmidt, co-founded Customer HD, which is an outsourced customer staffing agency.

00:46:23.467 --> 00:46:37.880
Okay, and as CEO, he oversees call centers in Raleigh and Belize City, belize, delivering exceptional customer service to over 20 international clients Wow service to over 20 international clients Wow.

00:46:37.900 --> 00:46:46.507
Drawing on his experiences, keen and Customer HD are dedicated to empowering individuals, especially those with disabilities, through meaningful employment opportunities.

00:46:46.507 --> 00:46:47.226
That's nice.

00:46:47.226 --> 00:46:58.911
Most recently, the company has partnered with 321 Coffee for its local employees and done service projects with Habitat for Humanity, local food banks and local women's shelters.

00:46:58.911 --> 00:47:14.797
To instill that helping spirit into its workforce In Belize, customer HD has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Belizean Ministry of Human Development to improve the lives and employment opportunity for people with disabilities.

00:47:14.797 --> 00:47:35.150
Earlier this year, the company gave a city bus to belize city nope, yeah, belize city for local citizens with disabilities to use on an everyday basis and during the time of national emergency well, that's nice, at least he says, quote a lot of that comes from the time I spent with my mom teaching special education was her passion.

00:47:35.771 --> 00:47:42.204
she'd been with me to Belize and has pushed me on doing some of the things we do here, making sure we are focused on it.

00:47:42.204 --> 00:47:47.423
She is going to hold us accountable for creating a quality atmosphere for our employees here.

00:47:47.423 --> 00:47:48.989
I love that that's cool.

00:47:49.230 --> 00:48:04.259
And that was taken from the North Carolina State University News by Tim Peelereler okay two years ago, on the 40th anniversary of jonathan's traumatic experience, him and his father, uh tom, appeared with jim rice on the new england sports.

00:48:04.259 --> 00:48:24.025
New york nope network red socks pregame show that's a lot of words new england sports network red socks pregame show nesn yeah it was a brief conversation, but but Jim said that the annual media reminders of his actions that day are just as important to him as his career accomplishments.

00:48:24.150 --> 00:48:25.958
I'm sure he basically saved a boy's life.

00:48:26.871 --> 00:48:33.063
That is the story of the crazy meeting of baseball player Jim Rice and the young Red Sox fan, jonathan Keene.

00:48:33.429 --> 00:48:35.456
Is Jim Rice still alive as of today?

00:48:35.456 --> 00:48:36.298
As far as you know it?

00:48:36.298 --> 00:48:41.375
Yes, okay, because you said his career ended in 89?

00:48:41.375 --> 00:48:41.375
.

00:48:41.514 --> 00:48:41.735
Yes.

00:48:43.697 --> 00:48:52.364
Being a young child and huge fan of baseball, I don't remember him at all, but that doesn't take away from what he did.

00:48:52.364 --> 00:48:56.436
Trust me, I don't remember a lot of things from the 80ss.

00:48:56.436 --> 00:48:57.639
It was a wild time.

00:48:57.639 --> 00:49:02.556
No, not really, but I mean, I was only 10 by the time his career ended.

00:49:02.556 --> 00:49:06.123
So but some of the other, like move on, move on.

00:49:06.123 --> 00:49:10.043
I knew him and no, mark Garciaparra and a couple others you mentioned.

00:49:10.043 --> 00:49:11.487
I, I know of those.

00:49:11.487 --> 00:49:18.340
I remember those names, but maybe it's just because they're a little more memorable names, maybe I don't know yeah but I don't remember him at all.

00:49:18.420 --> 00:49:44.139
But I also wasn't a red sox fan in the 80s right I mean, I'm still not like I said, I cheer for them, for my friends, but that's about it, but that's interesting yeah I couldn't imagine getting hit in the head by a fall ball, and that's why they have they expanded, they they always had the net behind the home plate to a certain point, but now it goes all the way down to past third base, yeah, which is totally understandable after your story there.

00:49:45.050 --> 00:49:49.306
Well, I think there was another four-year-old that got hit within the last decade.

00:49:49.746 --> 00:49:52.920
Probably yeah, have you seen the video of the?

00:49:52.920 --> 00:49:54.737
I don't remember what game it's at.

00:49:54.737 --> 00:49:55.871
It's at a baseball game.

00:49:55.871 --> 00:49:57.012
I don't remember what game it's at.

00:49:57.012 --> 00:49:57.653
It's at a baseball game.

00:49:57.653 --> 00:50:02.460
But a guy is holding his baby, holding a beer, and a fall ball comes to him.

00:50:02.460 --> 00:50:10.114
He drops the baby, catches the ball and then catches the baby, doesn't spill his beer, what?

00:50:10.114 --> 00:50:12.061
I'll have to try and find that and show it to you.

00:50:12.061 --> 00:50:13.951
It's fucking amazing.

00:50:13.971 --> 00:50:19.302
I feel like his priorities are a little different than some.

00:50:20.231 --> 00:50:22.438
Well, I mean, if you think about it, it could have hit somebody.

00:50:22.438 --> 00:50:27.838
So you know, maybe he saved somebody by doing it too, but he also got a fall ball, but didn't drop his baby.

00:50:28.510 --> 00:50:30.195
He didn't drop his baby or his beer.

00:50:30.195 --> 00:50:34.599
It was epic, but see, I would hold the baby, drop the beer and grab the ball.

00:50:34.599 --> 00:50:37.478
Come on, kate, who am I kidding?

00:50:37.478 --> 00:50:41.701
Kidding, I don't have a baby okay, just so you know beers don't bounce.

00:50:41.701 --> 00:50:44.934
How do you know?

00:50:44.934 --> 00:50:47.918
Babies do experience.

00:50:48.039 --> 00:50:52.184
I'm gonna say xavier nope, I never dropped my child.

00:50:52.184 --> 00:51:05.583
I've seen vesper bounce off the ground, though, because she'd fell and like, oh, I'm okay, all right, vesper, but uh, anyways, I'll find that video and show it to you afterwards.

00:51:05.643 --> 00:51:06.672
So did you like that?

00:51:06.932 --> 00:51:07.233
I did.

00:51:07.233 --> 00:51:08.197
Yeah, it's kind of cool.

00:51:08.197 --> 00:51:09.380
I we did a baseball one.

00:51:09.380 --> 00:51:13.273
I like it sure and uh, no, I again I didn't.

00:51:13.273 --> 00:51:16.038
I didn't know anything about him, so that's pretty awesome.

00:51:16.038 --> 00:51:21.985
The fact that he basically saved a kid's life is pretty impressive.

00:51:21.985 --> 00:51:26.661
Yeah, by quick acting and just like, let's get him into the dugout and to the clubhouse.

00:51:26.940 --> 00:51:29.177
Yeah, closest physician is down here.

00:51:29.349 --> 00:51:32.079
Well, I mean, they always have one on staff for every team.

00:51:32.079 --> 00:51:34.858
So I mean that's brilliant.

00:51:34.858 --> 00:51:39.456
Really quick thinking, because clearly no one else did it, so he did.

00:51:40.190 --> 00:51:43.438
I mean the guy who was up for bat next.

00:51:43.438 --> 00:51:47.650
He called the trainer, which probably could do something.

00:51:48.231 --> 00:51:59.072
No, I'm sure he would have helped immensely obviously, but not as much as what Rice did to bring him into the clubhouse to see the actual physician and then, the physician got him onto the ambulance to get to the hospital.

00:51:59.072 --> 00:52:01.052
That probably saved that kid's life.

00:52:01.052 --> 00:52:04.217
Yep, it was quick, because you wait too long on a head injury like that.

00:52:04.217 --> 00:52:08.597
You are fucked so, especially when they said the most blood I've ever seen at.

00:52:08.871 --> 00:52:10.255
Fenway I mean Jesus?

00:52:10.898 --> 00:52:11.480
That's crazy.

00:52:11.480 --> 00:52:14.931
Yeah, no, that was quite interesting.

00:52:14.931 --> 00:52:15.954
So thank you for that one.

00:52:15.974 --> 00:52:25.396
Yeah, that was fun all right well I suppose all right, buffoons, that's it for today's episode buckle up, because we've got another historical adventure waiting for you.

00:52:25.396 --> 00:52:35.393
Next time feeling hungry for more buffoonery, or maybe you have a burning question or a wild historical theory for us to explore hit us up on social media.

00:52:35.775 --> 00:52:40.304
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00:52:40.304 --> 00:52:44.418
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00:52:45.530 --> 00:52:50.298
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00:52:50.590 --> 00:52:53.797
Until next time, stay curious and don't forget to rate and review us.

00:52:54.289 --> 00:52:56.431
Remember, the buffoonery never stops.

00:52:56.431 --> 00:53:09.887
Love it, love it.

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