Page 161 - 1975 BoSox

154 ’75—THE RED SOX TEAM THAT SAVED BASEBALL
morning, never. I was providing veteran in uence to a suitcase.”6 In the early part of 1965,Tony Conigliaro the pop star released his rst recording. He recorded a couple of singles and might have developed a career in this area, but kept his focus on baseball.
Billy Conigliaro joined his brother as the two traveled together to spring training in 1967. Tony was hit by a fastball in early workouts and he hurt his back as well. Billy was sent out for more seasoning; he rst made the big-league club in 1969. Tony got o to a slow start, batting well enough but without much power. He didn’t hit his third home run until June 11. And he still crowded the plate. Johnny Pesky told author David Cataneo, “He was fearless of the ball. He would just move his head, like Williams did. A ball up and in, Tony would just move his head. He thought the ball would never hit him.”7
e Red Sox surprised everyone with their play in 1967. Conigliaro contributed as well. One game that stood out was an extra-inning a air at Fenway on June 15. Boston was hosting the White Sox and the game was scoreless for ten full innings. Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 11th, but Joe Foy singled and then Conigliaro hit a two-run homer o John Buzhardt for a walko win. e win moved the Red Sox up by percentage points to put them in a tie for third place, just four games out of rst, and the next day’s Boston Globe referred to the “Impossible Dream” season the Red Sox team was having for itself.
It was on July 23 that Tony hit the 100th and 101st home runs of his major-league career. e Red Sox were just a half-game out of rst place. It was a tight race, with Boston hanging just out of rst, but never quite making it on top. As late as August 14, the Red Sox were in fth place — but only three games out.
On the 17th,Tony’s partner in the music business,Ed Penney, was visiting his sons at the Ted Williams Baseball Camp in Lakeville, Massachusetts. Ted warned Penney, “Tell Tony that he’s crowding the plate. Tell him to back o .” He said, “It’s getting too serious now with the Red Sox.” Penney remembered, “I told him I would. I’d see him the next night. When
we were walking across the eld to get the kids, and Ted was going up to the stands to make some kind of talk, he turned around and yelled over to me and said, ‘Don’t forget what I told you to tell Tony. Back o , because they’ll be throwing at him.’”8 Penney did tell him, before the game the very next night. Tony was in a slump at the time, and told his brother Billy he couldn’t back o the plate or pitchers wouldn’t take him seriously. If anything, he was going to dig in a little closer.
e Red Sox were facing the California Angels the next day — August 18 — and Jack Hamilton’s fourth- inning fastball came in and struck Tony in the face, just missing his temple but hitting him in the left eye and cheekbone. Tony later wrote that he jerked his head back “so hard that my helmet ipped o just before impact.”9 He never lost consciousness, but as he lay on the ground, David Cataneo wrote, Tony prayed, “God, please, please don’t let me die right here in the dirt at home plate at Fenway Park.”10 Tony was fortunate to escape with his life, but his season — and quite possibly his career — was over. Conigliaro had been very badly injured.
e 1967 Red Sox made it to Game Seven of the World Series before the bubble burst. It had nonethe- less been a tremendous year for the team, and reignited the passion for the Sox in the city of Boston. Since 1967, tickets for Fenway Park have been hard to come by. Tony, however, felt he’d let the team down. He was down on himself and downplayed his contribution in the drive to the pennant. His teammates were the rst to reassure him that they never would have reached the postseason had it not been for his contributions early on. ere is little doubt, though, that Conigliaro was missed in the World Series itself. George Scott was unambiguous in his assessment: “I’ve said it a million times, if Tony had been in the lineup, we would have won. He was one of those guys. Reggie Jackson was a big-game player.Tony was that kind of player.”11
ere was concern Conigliaro might lose the sight in his left eye. He tried to come back in spring training, but there was just no way. His vision was inadequate, and his doctor told him, “I don’t want to be cruel, and