Red Sox Nation Alive & Well at Bellingham Senior Center
Jul 28, 2017 06:00AM ● By Pamela Johnson
Baseball Historian Herb Crehan
written by Kehma Johnson, Contributing Writer
At his recent presentation at the Bellingham Senior Center, baseball historian Herb Crehan began his discussion on the prolific 1967 Boston Red Sox team with the statement“Well, this may not be a quantity group but more so a quality group.”
Fifty years ago the Red Sox began the franchise turnaround that gave the team momentum over the years to eventually break its World Series win drought in 2004.
Herb is certainly qualified to discuss the topic, having written about baseball history for 75 years, covering players in retirement or nearing the end of their careers. Throughout the talk, Herb gave accounts from players and season highlights rather than just quoting stats in a similar fashion to the structure of his book, The Impossible Dream 1967 Red Sox: Birth of Red Sox Nation.
Herb was indeed correct in his opening statements in regard to the quality of the group that attended the presentation. Typical New England sports passion was evident throughout the room, with attendees recalling players and memories and sharing their own memorabilia about the Red Sox.
When Crehan talked about the 1967 pitch that dislocated and shattered Tony Conigliaro’s jaw and damaged the retina in his left eye, local Bellingham resident Pete Rojcewicz recalled being at that game and hearing the blood-curdling crack when the ball hit Conigliaro. Rojcewicz also displayed an autographed baseball from Jim Lonbourg, who pitched for the Red Sox from 1965 to 1971.
Bellingham resident Tsune Roberts had also brought her collection of Red Sox memorabilia from her many years as a Red Sox fan. You could tell from the glow in each of their eyes that they had a great passion for the Red Sox, a feeling obviously shared from the loud applause that Herb received at the end of his presentation.
If you have a similar passion for the Red Sox but were unable to attend Crehan’s presentation, or you just want to rekindle the memories of the legendary team, you can purchase Herb’s book at http://bostonbaseballhistory.com. And if you’re really lucky, you may have, or be able to get, tickets to their Aug. 16 game against the St. Louis Cardinals, when they will celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the Boston Red Sox.
At his recent presentation at the Bellingham Senior Center, baseball historian Herb Crehan began his discussion on the prolific 1967 Boston Red Sox team with the statement“Well, this may not be a quantity group but more so a quality group.”
Fifty years ago the Red Sox began the franchise turnaround that gave the team momentum over the years to eventually break its World Series win drought in 2004.
Herb is certainly qualified to discuss the topic, having written about baseball history for 75 years, covering players in retirement or nearing the end of their careers. Throughout the talk, Herb gave accounts from players and season highlights rather than just quoting stats in a similar fashion to the structure of his book, The Impossible Dream 1967 Red Sox: Birth of Red Sox Nation.
Herb was indeed correct in his opening statements in regard to the quality of the group that attended the presentation. Typical New England sports passion was evident throughout the room, with attendees recalling players and memories and sharing their own memorabilia about the Red Sox.
When Crehan talked about the 1967 pitch that dislocated and shattered Tony Conigliaro’s jaw and damaged the retina in his left eye, local Bellingham resident Pete Rojcewicz recalled being at that game and hearing the blood-curdling crack when the ball hit Conigliaro. Rojcewicz also displayed an autographed baseball from Jim Lonbourg, who pitched for the Red Sox from 1965 to 1971.
Bellingham resident Tsune Roberts had also brought her collection of Red Sox memorabilia from her many years as a Red Sox fan. You could tell from the glow in each of their eyes that they had a great passion for the Red Sox, a feeling obviously shared from the loud applause that Herb received at the end of his presentation.
If you have a similar passion for the Red Sox but were unable to attend Crehan’s presentation, or you just want to rekindle the memories of the legendary team, you can purchase Herb’s book at http://bostonbaseballhistory.com. And if you’re really lucky, you may have, or be able to get, tickets to their Aug. 16 game against the St. Louis Cardinals, when they will celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the Boston Red Sox.
