Boston College Athletics
Joe Morgan's Life In Baseball
August 29, 2011 | Baseball
Aug. 29, 2011
Dan Barry wrote a piece for Boston College Magazine entitled "The Longest Game," which takes a glimpse into the life of Joe Morgan, who played baseball and hockey at Boston College.
Morgan went on to play 88 games in the majors before deciding to pursue a managerial career. He coached the Pawtucket Red Sox from 1974-82 before becoming the manager of the Boston Red Sox in 1988. He coached the Red Sox for three and a half seasons and led them to a pair of American League East titles in 1988 and 1990.
Below is an excerpt from Barry's story, and it can be read in its entirety by clicking here or the link above.
"Joe Morgan's baseball passion never cools. The son of immigrants from County Clare, he starred in baseball and hockey at Boston College and continued his studies in Hopedale, Massachusetts, by playing during summers for that mill town's team in the Blackstone Valley League for $30 a week. He'd spend the day working in a textile mill one year, at an inn two other years--then play baseball at night against mill workers, college students, and crusty baseball professionals, including a few former major league pitchers who knew how to snap off a 12-to-6 curve ('I found out how good I wasn't in a hurry,' he will say). Once he earned his bachelor's degree in American history and government, he set it aside to embark upon a long career as an itinerant baseball man, his every port of call remaining so vivid in his mind that he will summon them in a laconic Yankee recitation, like a salty Robert Frost asked once again to deliver 'The Road Not Taken.'
