Jim Rice Emotionally Reflects On Tim Wakefield’s Legacy

The news of the death of two-time World Series champion Tim Wakefield became public just minutes before the Red Sox’s regular season finale on Sunday.

During the postgame programming after the final Red Sox game of the season, NESN analyst Jim Rice spoke to his relationship with the 57-year-old.

“He was always smiling,” Rice said. “Always willing to do anything he could to help anyone. I never was a teammate of his, but we were friends. Golfing friends. I got to know his family. I got to know his mom and dad. He was doing the tournament down in Florida. Then, he was doing the tournament here and doing the Jimmy Fund and doing all these things. A lot of people know of Tim Wakefield. You also have to know his wife. His wife is a very strong lady behind him. She kept him in place.”

During Rice’s time on the coaching staff in the 1990s, a particular memory of interacting with Wakefield stood out in a capsule of his character.

“Wake was throwing extra batting practice one day,” Rice shared. “I was the hitting coach. He wanted someone to step in. I said, ‘I’ll step in. I’ll hit the little knuckleball.’ I said, ‘Throw the knuckleball. You better not hit me or I’ll charge the mound.’ He said, ‘What?’ He hit me, but nothing happened.

“He was that type of guy. You loved to be around (him). He knew baseball. He was very well-mannered as far as talking about the game and talking about what he had to do to improve. He always wanted to get better on the golf scene and the baseball scene. He was a cheerleader. He really pumped the guys up.”

Rice noted that Wakefield stood out as a “team guy” who showed dependability for his teammates and constantly made a positive impact on anyone he encountered.

“He didn’t talk bad about anyone,” Rice said. “He didn’t have anything negative to say. I think he learned that by coming to Boston and doing your job, people are going to know who you are. They will respect you. Also, you have to give them respect because they’re very knowledgeable about the game of baseball.”