The Skyline Room was an appropriate location for the gathering on Wednesday afternoon.
Situated on the sixth floor of the Museum of Science, the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows offered those present an impressive view of Boston, the Charles River, Cambridge, and the surrounding areas; a panorama of locations once governed by a baseball team that drew the region’s focus and affection, and whose influence continues to resonate strongly today.
The 1975 Red Sox.
Individuals from the distinguished team were present to honor the exhibition highlighting their extraordinary season, which is currently showcased at the Museum of Science for a month and will remain at the nearby New England Sports Museum for an extended period.
For more than thirty minutes, a group of 75 players and media personnel who covered them entertained their audience with laughter, applause, and emotional moments as they journeyed down memory lane together.
Legendary broadcaster Joe Castiglione led the discussion. Arranged from left to right on the small stage were catcher Tim Blackwell, pitcher Bill ‘Spaceman’ Lee, outfielder Dwight Evans, esteemed baseball journalist Peter Gammons, former Boston Globe columnist and renowned author Leigh Montville, infielder Rico Petrocelli, longtime Globe writer Bob Ryan, and outfielder Bernie Carbo.
John Harrington, the long-serving chairman of the Yawkey Foundation and former president of the Red Sox, was seated nearby.
Renowned pitcher Luis Tiant, who died last October, was honored by his wife, Maria, and their daughter. They were seated together at a table in the middle of the room, and their introduction drew the most enthusiastic applause of the evening.
The group resembled baseball: filled with the unforeseen, featuring occasional waves of laughter, emotion, and depth.
Sometimes, they shared tales together. Carbo received a big wave of laughter when he talked about his first encounter with then-owner Tom Yawkey.
“I handed him $20 and asked him to get me a cheeseburger,” Carbo started.
“Indeed, you did!” Lee confirmed.
“He was working in the clubhouse polishing shoes,” Carbo said.
” wearing a brown shirt and brown pants,” Lee stated.
“The clubhouse guy came over and said, ‘Do you know who you gave the money to? Mr. Yawkey owns the team!’” Carbo recalled, with laughter echoing in the room. “I went over and said, ‘Mr. Yawkey—’ He replied, ‘Bernardo, Bernardo,’ and then I realized he liked me.”
Carbo also reflected on his game-tying three-run home run as a pinch hitter, which equalized the score in Game 6 during the eighth inning and set the stage for Carlton Fisk’s legendary “If it stays fair!” walk-off home run in the 12th.
As I was rounding second, I shouted at (Pete) Rose, ‘Don’t you wish you were this strong, Pete? Don’t you wish you were strong?’ And Pete shouted back, ‘Isn’t this the greatest game, the greatest game you’ve ever played with?’ ” Carbo said. “And it was the greatest game.
These individuals up here, they were the top. They were the finest players I’ve ever played alongside in my entire life,” said Carbo. “We were a family, and we played together, and we battled together, and we performed exceptional baseball.
Gammons remembered the athletes dressed in shirts that read ‘Underdogs.’
It might have been, Peter,” Evans said, “but I don’t believe we were that smart back then.
The panel praised the ‘Gold Dust Twins,’ new entrantsFred Lynnand Jim Rice, both missing from the gathering.
“Which team in all of our experiences had a better 1-2 rookie combination than those two?” questioned Ryan.
“When those two men arrived in ’74, we truly had no idea how talented they were…” Evans started.
“Yeah, we did,” said Lee, interrupting, then singing a few lines of the USC Trojans’ fight song, which was Lynn’s school’s anthem.
Bill did,” Evans corrected. “May I proceed?
“You leave now,” Lee replied, prompting laughter from the audience.
It wasn’t the only disruption from Lee, who never held back, as he shared his conflict with Billy Martin (“I got my (expletive) kicked at home plate. That’s assault!”) and explained what their team could have achieved.
We could have won it in ’76, Ferguson Jenkins tore his heel, we could have won it in ’72, we should have won in ’73, if we had different managers, we would have won it in ’74,” Lee stated. “We were a strong team. We should have won it for five consecutive years. We were a dynasty, and we fell short, and I apologize to everyone.
I’d still say this today: if Mr. Yawkey were alive in ’76, ’77, ’78, we would have kept improving and getting better, especially with the two young players we had (Lynn and Rice),” Carbo agreed. “It was a pity… But I want to tell you that I love you. I love the Red Sox. I love these people here.
Sometimes, the lack of loved ones, whether still alive or no longer present, was clearly felt.
When Mr. Yawkey passed away, I believe the team died too, because the new owners— I was the first one to be traded, and they dismantled that team,” Carbo stated. “I cried when Mr. Yawkey died, and I knew my career was finished. And I did, I felt like I died after that.
I really miss Luis. A fantastic, fantastic, fantastic pitcher,” Petrocelli said, remembering how Tiant would refuse to leave the game and make their managers give in, walking back to the dugout by himself. “He always came through. Boy, he was tough. He was really tough.
‘A spot in all of our hearts’: As the 50th anniversary event approaches, the 1975 Red Sox feel incomplete without Luis Tiant
Some aspects of the ’75-ers are unchangeable, and even if they revisit them when asked, they understand that what has been done cannot be altered.
Game 2 is where everything shifted,” Lee remarked about the rain interruption. “You had (Dick) Drago getting ready three consecutive times. If he brought in (Roger) Moret for the ninth inning and he only threw fastballs, Game 7 would never happen. We took advantage of Moret more than any athlete in the Red Sox’s history.
However, there are still some battles they can face together, and they did so on Wednesday. Rice, Fisk, and Carl Yastrzemski, their calm leader, are honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Their fellow players believe more of them deserve to be in Cooperstown.
Jim, Dwight, and Freddie, the best outfield I believe the Red Sox have ever had,” said Petrocelli. “In my opinion, they’re all Hall of Famers, and they deserve to be in, including Luis Tiant.
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