Wade Boggs: Putting Heroism Into Perspective

As I write from my vacation in Key West, I originally planned on writing about a cool story involving my encounter with Wade Boggs in Key West a few years back, but then Monday’s Marathon Day tragedy happened back home in Boston and, at first, my Key West story seemed trivial.  Then I thought about it and concluded that first, it’s a cool insight into a man who many viewed as self-absorbed during his baseball career and second, the story resonates in a significant way in relation to Monday’s events.  Particularly when we casually, perhaps erroneously, throw around the “Hero” tag in association with our favorite pro athletes.

 

So let me take you away from the negative events of this past week and take you back to 2007 on a warm, tropical April vacation when I Had the privilege of meeting HOF’er, Wade Boggs and was humbled by his definition of a hero.

My wife, Kathy and I were vacationing in Key West back in April of 2007.  We typically vacationed with 2 other couples during Boston’s April Vacation week, because two of our friends are teachers and they have the week free.  We were sitting at the bar at Hog’s Breath, listening to music and chatting.  The place was packed as that week also coincided with the World Sailfish Championship that is held annually off of Key West.  The main bar has seating along all 4 sides of the bar and I was stationed at one of the corners, close to the band.  As we were chatting, one of our friends, knowing that I am a devout baseball fan and diehard Red Sox fan, got my attention, leaned in and said, “Wade Boggs is sitting next to you.”  Apparently, Wade partakes in the event every year and is a regular around town while in Key West.

 

Well, I nearly fell off my stool.  I was speechless, nervous, not sure if I should acknowledge him or interrupt his conversation with his friends.  My friends urged me to talk to him, knowing he was one of my favorite players through the 1980’s and into the 90’s.  You see, even when the Sox had terrible teams, they were worth watching just to see Wade swing the bat 5 times a game.  When the team was bad, I used to joke that the only thing exciting was checking out the “Boggs-score” every morning to see where his batting average landed that day.

 

One of our fiends slid a pen and some paper over towards my wife and I, again, urging me to get his autograph. As I sat there nervously contemplating whether to turn around and interrupt him, my wife spoke up.  She has never been anyone who is awed by fame, especially associated with a pro athlete.  You see, my son, Trevor, who was 15 at the time, received what may have been his first ever A+ in English, when he was tasked to write about someone he looked up to, other than a family member that he could assimilate with. Being a line drive, spray hitting, left-handed hitter, he chose the man he had been compared to since Tee-Ball, Wade Boggs. Kathy grabbed the paper and pen stating, “This guy is one of my son’s heroes, I have to ask him for his autograph.”

 

She walked over to Wade and excused herself for interrupting him and his friends then proceeded to tell Wade about our son’s essay and how he was one of his biggest heroes.  Wade turned flushed, slightly embarrassed and thanked Kathy for the compliment, but added, “I’m not a hero, if you want to meet a real hero, let me introduce you to this man, Eric Littlejohn,” gesturing to a gentleman seated to his left.  “He was one of the Secret Servicemen who tackled John Hinckley as he was firing at President Reagan,” Wade proudly offered.

 

WOW! I was stunned, amazed.  Amazed by that gesture from Wade Boggs.  Imagine, here was an iconic, Hall of Fame baseball player and he’s embarrassed about being called a hero and responds by rejecting that tag and instead, deferring the hero tag to one of his friends and former Secret Serviceman who had risked his own life to save others, including a U.S. President.  I always admired Boggs, but my respect level for him went through the roof that day because he put the meaning of a true hero into perspective for me that day.  We shook Mr. Littlejohn’s hand, thanked him for his service and continued to talk with them both for a few more minutes before Wade eagerly signed his autograph to that slip of paper.

 

 

So, what was originally going to be a fun story about meeting Wade Boggs turns out to be more relevant than I’d anticipated because he put the hero tag into perspective for us that night in Key West.  He was right.   Typically, athletes are not heroes just because of their success on the field, but the true heroes are the first responders, the volunteers, the ones who forsake their own safety to help others.  Heroes are the first responders who ran into the burning World Trade Center, knowing the danger at hand, heroes are the first responders, the volunteers and scores of bystanders who ran toward the smoke to help others last Monday at the Boston Marathon after the bombs exploded, never considering whether more bombs were imminent.

 

Sure, I met Wade Boggs that night in Key West, but I also met a real American hero, Eric Littlejohn.  And that encounter resonated even more so this week, given the unselfish heroism of so many others on Monday in Boston.  Though we look up to our favorite athletes, it’s important to remember our true heroes. Sports does have its place in times like these. It’s a part of our fabric, it’s our escape, yet it helps us to feel like all is normal, all is safe and ok with the world.  Today, just as in 2001 after September 11^th, sports will play a central role in our recovery, when 17,000 spectators belt out the Star Spangled Banner in proud unison,

when bitter athletic rivals ‘lay down their swords’ and stand united on their battlefields, that puts sports into perspective; showing us that we are all ONE, united as Americans and shows us that our spirit will never be broken, that we shall overcome, TOGETHER!

#BostonStrong

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