Peter Gammons reflects on his 53-year career in baseball, shares favorite Red Sox stories
Longtime baseball writer Peter Gammons turned 80 years young this week. He's spent 53 years covering baseball, and for decades his baseball notes column in The Boston Globe was a must-read every Sunday.
But in his mind, the most important work he's ever done was starting The Peter Gammons College Scholarship Program. Over the last 15 years, through Gammons and The Foundation To Be Named Later, over 350 under-resourced students have been sent to four-year colleges around the country. Many have gone on to work in law firms, hospitals, and for The Foundation To Be Named Later.
"I think it's one of the most important things I've ever been involved in, and certainly one of the most gratifying things," Gammons told WBZ-TV. "What is so incredible to me is the excitement that goes into those kids. The majority of them are the first ones in their family to go to college.
"It gives me a tremendous feeling to realize how important it is to so many people and for those kids," Gammons added.
Just ask Mariano Suriel Gurrero, who received the Gammons scholarship in 2012.
"We moved here from the Dominican Republic. We learned to speak English and we got to work. Both me and my sisters pursued higher education, and it allowed us to go to college and get our degrees," Guerrero said of the scholarship. "I'm currently a Physician's Assistant at Brigham."
There is a party every January to celebrate and check in with scholarship winners. Gammons said at last year's party, every student spoke about how they wanted to give back and help with the foundation.
"These kids define how successful we are with this foundation," said Gammons.
Music remains a passion for Gammons
When he's not talking baseball, there's a good chance Gammons is either listening to tunes or strumming away on his guitar. Music remains a big part of Gammons' life, as he readies to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hot Stove, Cool Music Saturday night at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston.
This year's concert is headlined by Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick and will feature Greg Hawkes of The Cars, Boston-based cinematic pop band Eddie Japan, Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom, Kay Hanley of Letters To Cleo, and many others. The concert has been headlined by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, John Legend, and James Taylor in the past.
There are also two other bands that Gammons recalls fondly.
"We had a band from New York called 'Carlton Fisk' and a band from Boston called 'Thurman Munson,'" Gammons chuckled.
All proceed from the event go to The Foundation To Be Named Later and the Peter Gammons College Scholarship Program.
Red Sox questions with Peter Gammons
You can't sit down with Peter Gammons and not talk Red Sox baseball. It's almost mandatory when you chat with the Groton native, who covered the team for The Boston Globe for 14 years. He also talked plenty of Red Sox during his 20-year career at ESPN.
His favorite player to cover in Boston? That would be second baseman Dustin Pedroia. How about the best player he's seen play in Boston?
"I think for the longevity of his career, and what he did and what he meant to the city, and having played the second most games in baseball history -- spending only 10 days on the disable list for his career -- it was Carl Yastrzemski," answered Gammons.
Pedro Martinez was his favorite pitcher, but he also said Luis Tiant, who Gammons explained had a "different style, different meaning to the city."
"With the busing [crisis] and everything, it was a very bad time in the 1970s. Tiant came here and everyone fell in love with him," said Gammons. "Mike Barnacle and I have always said he's one of the most important sports figures for the city of Boston for what he did to calm the city down."
Gammons was also asked what it was like to watch Ted Williams swing a bat: "It always felt as if it was slow motion because it was so artistic and so beautiful. Every swing was seemingly perfect."
Of the four recent Red Sox World Series champions -- 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018 -- Gammons said the 2013 team was his favorite of the bunch.
"It was so implausible," said Gammons. "Plus it was Boston, because of all that happened with the Marathon and the way the players were."
Gammons recalls seeing David Ortiz during a pre-ceremony to honor first responders less than a week after the Marathon bombing, and how rattled the Hall of Famer was during the tribute for eight-year-old Martin Richard, one of the three spectators killed in the tragedy. It's what prompted Ortiz to deliver his famous pregame speech.
"This jersey that we wear today doesn't say 'Red Sox.' It says 'Boston,'" Ortiz said before thanking first responders. "This is our [expletive] city, and no one is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong!"
"I was working for NESN the day they had the event to honor all the people who worked after the bombing. When they had the Martin Richard video on, David Ortiz had come down and was at the end of the dugout. He bolted down the dugout and grabbed me, he was yelling, 'My boy is eight years old!'"
"If anyone thought he went out there and did that speech as planned -- Martin Richard so rattled David Ortiz, he had to go out and do that," said Gammons. "I remember being asked on Morning Joe on Monday, 'What about the language?' I said, 'He spoke for me and everybody who ever grew up in New England. Thank you.'"
