The Knuckler: Tim Wakefield

It would be so easy to pile on the negativity by getting into the Josh Beckett controversy. It has all been said and we will never know the absolute truth. Believe me, I already scratched out a few angry paragraphs about that subject. Now it is out of my system and I have chosen to dwell on only the good things about the Red Sox. That positive attitude allows me to look past the mind-numbing early May sweep by the Orioles, the Josh Beckett “Golfgate” incident, and the “Take Me Out to the Balk Game” against the Rays.

Tim Wakefield

Then there was May 15, Tim Wakefield Day. That was the day the Red Sox honored their 17 year, 200-game winning knuckleball hurler. The Red Sox organization knows how to throw a party. The moment I will never forget is when the garage door opened and out came the “Wakefield Warriors”. Tim was not the only person at Fenway that day who was emotional. Tears were flowing from the box seats to the bleachers to the broadcast booth. It was a lovely and fitting tribute to a man who is a great humanitarian.

Wakefield’s Warriors

On a personal note, I had an unforgettable moment as well. I stood behind the dugout for the pre-game ceremony and held up my quilt, “The Knuckler”. Sadly, Wake did not seem to look up to see it. However, it appeared on the HD screen, on NESN’s Game Day Live broadcast and on MLB.com. While I did not really appreciate seeing myself larger than life on the HD screen, I was delighted to see the quilt I made in honor of a special Red Sox pitcher. As an added bonus, it got the attention of Mike Aviles (one of my favorite players). Mike pointed it out to Marlon Byrd and Kelly Shoppach. All three players turned and nodded their approval. Mike Aviles stared at it for some time, looked at me, back at the quilt, then back at me, and said, “Nice!” As I was stumbling for my camera, my friend Kate told Mike that he could be next. He and Kelly seemed to get a kick out of that and chuckled.

Mike Aviles

A Mike Aviles quilt….I’ll have to think about that one. How will I ever capture that big smile in fabric?

For more of my photos from Tim Wakefield Day, please visit: http://photobucket.com/colleenwhary-TimWakefieldDay