The tragedy & irony of the last week, with "Wake" dying of Brain Cancer on the last day of the season, his wife, Stacy, having Pancreatic Cancer & it's the last day of Tito's career to boot - the 20th Anniversary Celebration next year is now missing a crucial "piece" & Wake is the first of The 2004 Magic List to depart
I first saw Wake befuddle all sorts in 1992 for The Pirates, particularly in the NLCS, where that mythical MVP disappeared into thin air at the very Last
Little did we realise Wake would spend the next 2 decades at Fenway - those glory days were filled with brilliance, quality, sadness, heartache, character, redemption, smiles, laughter, joy & perseverance
Following the infamous "first pitch Boone" Game 7 ending to season 2003, it was in Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS that Wake piloted the slow redemptive turnaround of proceedings - the 12th, 13th & 14th innings were his "masterpiece" as they repeatedly swung at a ball that somehow magically wasn't there !
Wake fanning Ruben Sierra in the 13th is still the most memorable strikeout of my lifetime & it always will be - with the Series on the line and defeat inevitably looming, as it always did every October ....... the previous history from 2003, and of course from 1918 to 2004, the mistakes that were always punished, the chaos of all the passed balls, 2 outs & runners on 2nd & 3rd and Wake chose that moment to play High Risk Double Jeopardy !!!
Ruben swung at a ball that didn't break half as much as he thought & it was that very precise instant & I remember the moment incredibly well, that you started to "believe" that the ending we all pessimistically expected, may not actually happen - could the unthinkable occur ........ ?
But it was "off the field" where Wake impacted the lives of so, so many - kids, Foundations, Hospitals, Community Work, Cancer Research & you don't have to look far to see it all & the stories are plentiful of his legendary personality & great deeds
Red Sox Nation could never ever Thank Tim Wakefield Enough for so many Lifetime Memories that will never leave us
There have been "Better" Players for The Red Sox over the course of 125 years
But quite simply, No Better Human Being
Rest Peacefully Wake, in "Knuckleball Land" ....... all those Summer Days in The Sun ......... like that fabulous fluttering butterfly ........ you are now floating free forever
Love the thoughts. Thanks! Of course Boone’s ball, being hit in New York, didn’t go over the Monster.
Of course! I'm such a dodo brain. Thanks for the correction.
I wish it hadn't happened. But second best would have been at Fenway - Sox would have had another AB!
Tim Wakefield 1966 - 2023
What can you say ........
Everything seems insufficient
Something seems not enough
Nothing would be unforgivable
The tragedy & irony of the last week, with "Wake" dying of Brain Cancer on the last day of the season, his wife, Stacy, having Pancreatic Cancer & it's the last day of Tito's career to boot - the 20th Anniversary Celebration next year is now missing a crucial "piece" & Wake is the first of The 2004 Magic List to depart
I first saw Wake befuddle all sorts in 1992 for The Pirates, particularly in the NLCS, where that mythical MVP disappeared into thin air at the very Last
Little did we realise Wake would spend the next 2 decades at Fenway - those glory days were filled with brilliance, quality, sadness, heartache, character, redemption, smiles, laughter, joy & perseverance
Following the infamous "first pitch Boone" Game 7 ending to season 2003, it was in Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS that Wake piloted the slow redemptive turnaround of proceedings - the 12th, 13th & 14th innings were his "masterpiece" as they repeatedly swung at a ball that somehow magically wasn't there !
Wake fanning Ruben Sierra in the 13th is still the most memorable strikeout of my lifetime & it always will be - with the Series on the line and defeat inevitably looming, as it always did every October ....... the previous history from 2003, and of course from 1918 to 2004, the mistakes that were always punished, the chaos of all the passed balls, 2 outs & runners on 2nd & 3rd and Wake chose that moment to play High Risk Double Jeopardy !!!
Ruben swung at a ball that didn't break half as much as he thought & it was that very precise instant & I remember the moment incredibly well, that you started to "believe" that the ending we all pessimistically expected, may not actually happen - could the unthinkable occur ........ ?
But it was "off the field" where Wake impacted the lives of so, so many - kids, Foundations, Hospitals, Community Work, Cancer Research & you don't have to look far to see it all & the stories are plentiful of his legendary personality & great deeds
Red Sox Nation could never ever Thank Tim Wakefield Enough for so many Lifetime Memories that will never leave us
There have been "Better" Players for The Red Sox over the course of 125 years
But quite simply, No Better Human Being
Rest Peacefully Wake, in "Knuckleball Land" ....... all those Summer Days in The Sun ......... like that fabulous fluttering butterfly ........ you are now floating free forever
Lovely tribute, Matt.
I’ve always been intrigued by knuckleball pitchers, because almost without exception guys who adopt it do so out of desperation.
Wake was a Class A infielder facing release when he started throwing it. He wound up winning 200 MLB games and a couple WS rings.
He was the consummate teammate and professional. RIP