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FORT MYERS, Fla. – You never know who you’re going to run into at City of Palms Park.
Sure, the park has seen its share of celebrities and sports luminaries, but it’s not every day you can say you rubbed elbows with two Hall of Fame players.
Wednesday was one of those days as fans could see Boston great Carl Yastrzemski down the road at the minor league complex as well as Hall of Fame pitcher and former Red Sox player Ferguson Jenkins at the main ballpark.
Jenkins was signing autographs and selling memorabilia while trying to raise money and awareness for his Fergie Jenkins Foundation, an 8-year-old humanitarian charitable organization based in Thorold, Ontario.
It’s been 25 years since the 1971 Cy Young Award winner ended his playing career, but the 65-year-old hurler looks like he could still throw a couple innings.
“No way,” said Jenkins with a big laugh. “I mean, it’s a nice thought but my arm wouldn’t agree with you. I still do fantasy camps and fool around with it a little, but that’s not very often.”
Jenkins has found a new sports passion: golf. A native Canadian from Chatham, Ontario, Jenkins now lives in Arizona, where he plays as often as he can in an effort to lower his 9 handicap.
“My goal is to get 100 rounds in this year. I was in the 60’s last year,” said Jenkins, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991 after finishing his career with 267 complete games, 284 wins, and 3,192 strikeouts.
Jenkins pitched two seasons for the Red Sox (1976-77) and also played for Texas, but went into the Hall wearing a Chicago Cubs cap. Playing for two of pro baseball’s most storied franchises gives him a unique perspective on fans.
“Oh, Chicago fans by far,” he said when asked whether Red Sox or Cubs fans were the most passionate. “I loved playing in both cities, but playing for the Cubs, with that park and playing all day games, the way it’s supposed to be, was so great.”
His appreciation for the fans has only grown since he hung up his uniform.
“That’s what I like most about retirement is being able to interact with the fans,” he said. “A lot of major leaguers don’t think they can mingle with the fans, but the fans are what make the game. The fans are what make you try harder. I just think a lot of that gets forgotten.”
Fans haven’t forgotten Jenkins, judging from the line waiting to have balls and other items signed.
The three-time All-Star and 1974 Comeback Player of the Year finished with a career ERA of 3.34, but it’s three unique accomplishments in particular that set him apart.
Jenkins won 100 games in both the American and National leagues and won 20 games or more in six straight seasons. He routinely pitched well over 200 innings a season and eclipsed the 300-inning mark more than once.
“I think it’s the six 20-win seasons I’m most proud of because I don’t think anyone will be able to do that in awhile because of the way bullpens have become such a big part of baseball strategy now,” Jenkins said. “I pitched 300 innings five or six times and 200 used to be fairly common, but nowadays 200 is a badge of honor.”
An avid sportsman, Jenkins is no stranger to Maine, having hunted and fished many times in the Pine Tree State.
“I’ve been salmon fishing on the Miramichi River with Bud Leavitt and Ted Williams,” Jenkins said. “I still go up to Maine every now and then. I like fishing for salmon, brown trout and steelhead. I once got a 17-pound brown up there. It’s beautiful country.”
Sox stealth starts
Red Sox starters have been getting work in wherever and whenever they can lately.
Tuesday night, Curt Schilling threw 81 pitches in a simulated game against minor league hitters at City of Palms Park. It was a long day for Schilling and manager Terry Francona as both flew to longtime Philadelphia Phillies coach John Vukovich’s funeral via a private jet provided by Red Sox ownership early Tuesday morning.
Schilling and Francona flew out around 6:30 a.m., returned at approximately 4 p.m., and came to the park around 6:30 p.m. for Schilling’s outing.
Schilling threw 56 pitches for strikes and allowed three hits and two runs over five innings. The 40-year-old righthander is excited about his progress this spring as he tries to incorporate more breaking pitches and off speed stuff into his repertoire.
“My changeup is coming along very well. I threw 15 to 20 tonight, somewhere in there, and it felt good,” he said. “It’s a lot more comfortable and my control is coming along very well.”
Schilling’s next start will come Sunday as he goes for Boston Triple-A affiliate Pawtucket in a minor league game against Cincinnati’s Triple-A Louisville team at the minor league complex just down the road.
Lefthander Jon Lester will start in a minor league game Friday, pitching for Pawtucket in his first “real” game of the spring against Rochester, Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliate, at Boston’s minor league complex.
On Saturday, righthander Tim Wakefield also will start in a minor league game. The 40-year-old knuckleballer will pitch for the Lancaster Jethawks, Boston’s Single-A team, against Minnesota’s Fort Myers club at the minor league complex.
A Maine influence
It’s harder to find baseball fans down here from Maine than you’d expect, with most having rental cars bearing Florida plates, but at least one not only comes down each year, he works for the Red Sox.
Neil Robinson, a 72-year-old retiree from Wells, is a part-time member of Boston’s security personnel at City of Palms Park. It’s something he’s done for the last three years.
“It’s just a great way to start the day and there are a lot of great people here working for the Red Sox,” said the lifelong Sox fan, who got the job two years ago after inquiring about a position with Jim Rowe, a friend who was also is a longtime member of the Sox training staff.
Robinson and wife Jan travel down from Wells to Cape Coral each November and stay until late April.
“There’s a lot of Mainers down here, snowbirds they call ’em,” Robinson said. “During the winter months they have a thing called the Maine Get-Together at Heron’s Glen in North Fort Myers and you can see as many as 100 or so people there.”
Gus Hamel, another member of Boston’s security staff, lives in Smithfield, R.I., but spends two weeks in Maine each August. He and wife Liz have been travelling up to Bar Harbor for the last 10 years. They love to tour the area on motorcycles, eat out at local restaurants and go blueberry picking.
“We probably get about nine quarts each year. We love ’em,” said Hamel, who started working for the Sox in 2006. “Liz makes pies, cakes, jam. And then we freeze a lot to have blueberry pancakes and muffins later on.”
Streaking sellouts
Wednesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates marked the 56th straight sellout for a non-exhibition or simulated game at City of Palms Park. The standing-room only crowd of 8,159 fell just 90 fans short of the park’s all-time attendance record of 8,249 set March 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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