Tony Conigliaro wa born in Revere, Ma and went on to play for the Boston Red Sox in 1963, just one year after signing a contract. He hit a home run in his first major league game. For the season, he hit .290 with 24 home runs over the first five months, but after breaking his arm in August, he saw the Rookie of the Year award go to Minnesota's Tony Oliva. When Conigliaro hit 32 homers the following season, he become, at age 20, the youngest home run champion in the history of the American League. He had also become the youngest person to reach 100 homers.
Off the field, Tony C's popularity allowed him to pursue another interest: singing! He cut several records on the RCA and Penn Tone labels.
But on August 18, 1967, Tony C's life would change forever. During a night game at Fenway Park, Conigliaro was hit in the face by a fastball from California Angels' pitcher Jack Hamilton. He suffered a broken cheekbone and temporarily lost the sight in his left eye, causing him to miss the 1968 season.
Conigliaro returned in 1969, winning the Comeback Player of the Year award. In '70, he belted 36 homers and it appeared, his career was back on track. But vision problems continued to bother him and he left the big leagues in 1971. He attempted a brief comeback in 1975 but it failed.
In 1982, Conigliaro suffered a heart attack while returning from an audition for the Red Sox telecasts. He was never the same and on February 24, 1990, this seemingly indestructible hero died at the age of 45.
The Boston Red Sox and their new owners are seriously considering retiring Tony Conigliaro's number 25.
If you are interested in helping out, please send a personal note to the Red Sox asking them to retire Tony's number 25:
To Write the Red Sox:
Boston Red Sox
4 Yawkey Way
Boston MA 02215-3496
Thanks for your support!
2 comments:
Can't wait for your next blog....
Todays inspirational quote:
"The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand"
(Vince Lombardi )
vioxx
I recently visited the final resting place of Tony Conigliaro at Holy Cross cemetery in Malden, MA.
After every home game Tony would rest on the back of his Corvette and sign autographs for over an hour until everyone was taken care of. Who does that these days?
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