One Sunday August 6th, I headed out to Staten Island to meet up with Red Sox icon Jim Rice. We had a public appearance at the Staten Island Yankees stadium followed by Jim throwing out the first pitch of their afternoon game against a Red Sox minor league team. I have always enjoyed talking baseball with Rice. He has so much knowledge and it all comes from playing ball in what is arguably the golden age of the game. Jim played against and with all the greats. We talked about how different the game is now. Rice was amazed by how nice the Staten Island stadium is. He joked about how easy it must be for minor league players now. When he was in the minors they played in front of no one in bad ballparks.
The appearance itself was great. There were so many Yankees fans that came out to meet Jim. Almost every fan gave Rice their support in saying that he belongs in Cooperstown. After looking at his numbers I agree. He was a league MVP and six time batting champ. The guy dominated his era. I don't know how he is not in the Hall of Fame.
After the public signing we walked onto the field where there was a nice video tribute to Jim. Jim then threw out the first pitch and took a few photos with the players. There wasn't a player on the field who didn't want to shake hands with the legend. One we left the field we headed to a few corporate suites where Rice met some fans and took a few photos. After the last suite I drove Jim back to the airport and went straight home to pack for Chicago.
Check back later for a recap of my Chicago trip.