Red Sox Legend Explains How Obsessive Rituals Led To Hall Of Fame

There are two very easy and obvious reasons Boston Red Sox legend Wade Boggs goes by @ChickenMan3010 on X.

First, the former third baseman was a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee after collecting 3,010 career base hits over 18 MLB seasons.

Second, the 12-time All-Star earned the nickname “Chicken Man” for his daily ritual which included, yes, eating chicken before games.

A creature of habit, Boggs had several superstitions as a ballplayer, including taking batting practice at exactly 5:17 p.m., running wind sprints at exactly 7:17 p.m. (for 7:30 p.m. starts) and drawing a Hebrew letter in the batter’s box to start each at-bat.

In an interview with MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, Boggs admitted that he went through “83 or 84” daily habits during his career. But the five-time batting champion never felt the weight of his rituals.

“I think they put me in a frame of mind to where I could block out everything else,” Boggs said, according to Morosi. “I grew up in a military family, and I was very disciplined as far as what time to wake up, what time to go to school, what time to eat dinner, and various things like this.

“So, I sort of had this regimen growing up early,” Boggs continued. “I was always to Little League practice or senior league practice or high school practice at the same time all the time.”

Dozens of daily superstitions could be overwhelming. But they didn’t faze the lifetime .328 hitter.

“No, actually, I think it worked in reverse,” Boggs told Morosi. “I think it calmed me down to where I didn’t have to think of anything. I’ve always said that concentration is the ability to think of nothing. … Nowadays, guys overthink … They’re constantly watching their swings in the dugout.”

So what would Boggs say to hitters trying to establish some sort of rhythm?

“Relax. Just trust your ability. You wouldn’t be in the big leagues if you didn’t have enough ability to be in the big leagues. You don’t need an iPad to tell you what’s wrong with your swing.

“With all the sabermetrics and numbers out there, it makes it difficult for a player not to do that … I’m going, ‘My God, if I had four hits and got exit velo at 51 miles an hour and drove in three runs that night, I’m happy as a peacock,’” Boggs added.

Now 67, Boggs left the Red Sox after the 1992 season and signed with the New York Yankees. He added a pair of Gold Glove awards and a World Series title to his resume while playing in the Bronx.

After five seasons with the Yankees, Boggs finished his career playing for his hometown Tampa Bay Rays. It was with the Rays that Boggs became the first person in MLB history to record his 3,000th hit on a home run. That feat was later matched by New York Yankees Hall of Famer Derek Jeter and three-time American League MVP Alex Rodriguez.