Time for Red Sox Nation to join the Ride for Hope
Contributing Writer
Nobody does
a pregame ceremony better than the Red Sox.
Since the
current ownership group took over the Red Sox in 2002, the team has been
masterful at drawing tears and offering some inspiration before the first pitch
at Fenway Park.
Perhaps the
best was at this year’s home opener when the Red Sox honored the courageous and
inspirational Pete Frates.
Before that
tear-jerking moment, my favorite pregame ceremony was the 2008 home opener when
Bill Buckner returned to throw out the first pitch. Or maybe it was David Ortiz
breaking FCC rules in the first home game after the marathon bombing.
It’s hard to
say what the players think about those ceremonies, but it seems like every time
the Red Sox pull off a perfect ceremony like that good things happen in the
game. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but I like to think it is karma.
Seriously,
there was no way the Red Sox were going to lose April 13 when each member of
the team slowly walked to Frates’ wheelchair and each presented the creator of
the Ice Bucket Challenge — and a man who represents hope for ALS patients and
their families around the world — a red jersey with the No. 3 and the name
“Frates” on the back.
Mookie Betts
robbed a home run and then stole second and third on one play to start the game
as the Red Sox jumped out to an 8-0 lead in a 9-4 win over the Washington
Nationals.
The team
might have won had Frates not been there before the game. There’s no way,
however, you can convince me that he didn’t inspire the team to do great things
that day.
The same
goes for when Buckner made that great appearance on April 8, 2008. The Red Sox
snapped a three game losing streak and beat Detroit 4-0 that day.
Of course,
the Red Sox beat the Royals 4-3 on the day Papi proclaimed “this is our f---in’
city.”
So with that
in mind, I have a suggestion for the ceremonial first pitch before the Red Sox
take on the Orioles June 25 at Fenway Park. Have John Leeming of Reno, Nevada,
throw out the first pitch.
Exclaimer:
John is my cousin. He isn’t showing the world how to bravely fight ALS, and he
isn’t a symbol of reconciliation of the ills of Red Sox Nation past. In my
eyes, though, he is definitely a hero.
John is one
of 16 riders taking part in the 2015 Ride for Hope Coast to Coast. They leave
Sunday in a bike ride from San Francisco to Boston to raise money for advocacy
efforts regarding children orphaned as a result of the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
Sub-Saharan
Africa remains the region most affected by the AIDS epidemic, with 68 percent
of the people living there infected with HIV. John and his fellow riders can’t
live with those numbers, and they are putting their bikes to work to fight
them.
The group of
United States and international riders will roll into the Hub on June 24, and
they plan to be in Fenway for the matinee game with the O’s on June 25.
Not only do
these brave riders deserve some recognition from the Fenway crowd, the Red Sox —
or any other team — could benefit from a few minutes of exposure to such amazing
people.
To get to
that game, whey will ride their bikes 3,000 miles over several mountain passes,
over the Continental Divide and through all kinds of weather, probably even
snow.
And to
think, we can’t get the speedy Betts to try to journey 90 feet to second base
against a closer with the team trailing by one run in the ninth.
John and his
teammates are riding for children who live every day without an education. They
are riding for children who continually endure difficulty, pain and hunger.
They are riding for children who cannot possibly help themselves.
Now is the
time for the Red Sox and Red Sox Nation to join them in this ride.
Click hereto donate to John’s ride. You can donate under his name or under the name of
one of the other riders. Any amount will count. Even a donation of $5 will add
up. Of course, bigger donations add up faster.
Earlier this
year, the Red Sox unveiled a free bike valet service for any ticketholders who
commute to Fenway Park. Well, nobody is commuting farther or better than these
guys.
How cool
would it be if their final few pumps of the pedal came in a victory lap around
the warning track of Fenway Park? Then they could all throw out the first pitch
to some Red Sox players.
For a half
inning John and some of his teammates could talk with Jerry Remy and Don
Orsillo during the NESN telecast. They can talk with Joe Castiglione and Dave O’Brien
on WEEI during another half.
They could
get the word out to help support the cause.
OK, so it
might not be Buckner returning to make amends with the fans who once cheered
him and then tormented him.
It might not
be the great Pete Frates making us all cry and dream of better days.
But it will
be a chance for the Red Sox to do something terrific for a tremendous cause. It
could be a chance to change at least one life for the better. It could be
something simple that would ensure that the 2015 Ride for Hope is the best one
yet.
Plus, have
you seen the 2015 Red Sox play this year?
As Ray Kinsella
said as he pulled over to pick up a young hitchhiking Moonlight Graham, they need
all the karma they can get right now.
