Sports collector T.S. O'Connor reports from the June 1-3 reunion of the 1967 Boston Red Sox at the Mohegan Sun Casino.
Now, four decades (and several reunions) later, Yaz sits behind a table and dutifully signs for a dedicated legion of admirers, occasionally taking a drag on politically incorrect Marboro Red that he would rest at the edge of the tablecloth between signatures. As an ex-smoker, I closely scrutinize actors in the movies as they fake their way through inhaling; it rarely looks real, though I can hardly criticize an actor for wanting to protect a set of lungs. For Yastrzemski, the act of smoking seemed as natural as that magnificent swing of his, and besides, Yaz is New England royalty, and even if smoking was verboten in those conference rooms, who is going to call him on it?
C'mon, Yaz ... time to kick that habit!
1 Comments:
At 10:30 PM,
Jim said…
Growing up in the 60s & 70s, I was pretty much a Yaz fanatic and could rattle off every statistic there was about him. I found it funny that I wasn't aware that he even smoked until very late in his career. To be honest - I was stunned. He really did hide it well and I wonder if the media did the same because of Yaz's role model status.
As I look back I find it ironic how someone could be in such great physical condition and yet be a chain smoker. Anyway, it isn't too late for him to quit smoking, so I agree with you - it's about time he kicked the habbit!
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