Playing For Pete

When I first spoke with Pete Frates' family, his father, John Frates, explained to me that when Pete couldn't fight for himself, others would fight for him.

It's a statement that's never left me. Since his diagnosis over five years ago, Pete Frates went from Boston College baseball alum to ALS patient to activist to legendary icon. His inspiration helped start a movement funding the research now unlocking the secrets of a once-unknown, insidious illness. When he couldn't fight for himself, others picked up the torch. People like his brother Andrew, who followed Boston Herald columnist Steve Buckley and assistant coach Greg Sullivan into the annals of the Boston Marathon.

Boston College's baseball program has been in that fight with Pete since the beginning. It's a relationship that has blossomed with roots so deep, it defines all those fortunate enough to call him a friend or a brother.

"Pete's the model for our program and who we want to be," head coach Mike Gambino said. "He models 'men and women for others' in all that he does. He's a great father, a great husband and he genuinely and truly loves the boys in this program. We talk about character, toughness, and class in our program; find me a better example than Pete Frates."

That's why the ALS Awareness Game, in its sixth incarnation this year, is such a special event. Last season, Boston College retired Frates' number three in between doubleheader games at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond against Wake Forest. This season, the Eagles will honor Frates and his fight at Boston's fabled Fenway Park.

Though the Beanpot championship was held there on Wednesday, this game has a totally different feel. It's on national television on ESPNU, and it's a key conference game against NC State. The Eagles will don ALS patches on their gold uniforms. This year, it's a dual fight as the Wolfpack take the field in honor of Chris Combs, a former NC State baseball player who recently received his own ALS diagnosis.

"Pete has been a big inspiration for us on the field," junior Donovan Casey said. "He always has been and he always will be. We (play) for Pete. We play (the ALS Awareness Game) to raise as much money as we can and get as many people as we can to come out and see us play. Our games help us raise awareness so we can hopefully strike out ALS."

Frates' relationship with the players goes well beyond a simple friendship. It's an impact that's defined everything about the Eagles. On their NCAA Tournament run last year, the Team Frate Train flag held a very real and constant presence in their dugout. They continued to wear wristbands with his familiar No. 3. On the bus or during batting practice, every member of the team waited for their opportunity to FaceTime with their mentor and brother.

"He's meant the world, not just to me but to a lot of people out in the world," said senior captain Johnny Adams. "He serves as a role model for his relentlessness and the way he fights this disease. We're just thankful for how close we are to him and that we have him to look up to."

It's an inspiration that can change a game as soon as Pete arrives at the field. A simple game immediately becomes a special event. The players perk up almost immediately and their resolve intensifies. Their desire to win, which already burns in every game, rages an inferno.

"Everyone immediately gets fired up when they hear that Pete's coming," Adams said. "He's going through a tough time right now, so for him to come out and support us tells us how much we mean to him. But he obviously means more to us, so it's always really cool when he can come out and see us play."

"It's like at the end of David Ortiz's career, when there would be a buzz throughout Fenway when he would step into the on-deck circle," Gambino said. "When Pete shows up at the ballpark, there's that same buzz, but it's even more present in our dugout. Our guys talk to him almost every Thursday over FaceTime, and we talk to him during our postgames. He's always sending our guys messages, sending me messages, reaching out to everyone through Facebook. And that keeps him in constant contact, so when he's at the ballpark, one guy will notice and you can feel it when someone says, 'Hey Pete's here.'"

"We don't get to see him often," Casey said. "But when we do get to see him, we make it known that he's there for us. It brings a smile to our faces whenever he can come out to see us play, even when he's not feeling too well. It's always great to see him come out to see us."

That relationship is the inspiration for others to join Boston College in the fight with Pete. On Saturday, BC and NC State will take the field for their brothers to help pick up the torch where Pete and Chris can't fight for themselves. They'll do something as simple as playing a baseball game, which Pete himself hopes will draw 15,000 strong to America's Most Beloved Ballpark to help win the fight against the disease.

"It's unbelievable to play at Fenway," said Adams, a Walpole, Mass., native. "Being a hometown guy, you dream of playing at Fenway Park growing up, so it's a dream come true. But to do it for Pete makes it even more special. With his fight against ALS, it's something we're all looking forward to."

"This isn't just playing at a pro ballpark; this is Fenway Park," Gambino said. "I don't know that any other team in the country has a relationship like we have with the Boston Red Sox. From our Baseball Night in Boston to playing them in spring training, we're really lucky. But more importantly, as much as they do for our program, they do it for Pete. Pete's a part of our program, but he has a contract with the Red Sox. The entire New England baseball world is at the epicenter of the Ice Bucket Challenge and I hope our fans and alumni come out for Pete. He wants 15,000 people there this weekend and there's no reason we can't do it."

It's a fight that Pete Frates is still fighting. Before his fight, people like me could barely spell amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Now, his fight allows him to see another day with his family and daughter. His fight allows him to obliterate the average - the same average predicting an ALS patient only survives two to five years after diagnosis. His fight allows us to fight for him at places like Fenway Park to help find a cure, something that's coming sooner rather than later.

"It's one thing for someone to take on ALS, meaning they're going to outlive a diagnosis," Gambino said. "Pete not only outlived the diagnosis, but he's beating the disease. We don't have a cure right now, but our goal is to not have the ALS Game anymore. We don't want ending ALS to be part of our program; we want to end this disease. Based on what Pete's done, that's coming. We know that's coming. And that's a pretty amazing thing."

Players Mentioned

Johnny Adams

Donovan Casey

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