Photo by: John Quackenbos
ALS Awareness Game's Calling To Beat The Beast
April 12, 2021 | Baseball, #ForBoston Files
Friday was the first ALS Awareness Game since Pete Frates' Passing In 2019.
Friday afternoon was the perfect day to watch a game at Boston College's Harrington Athletics Village. The mid-afternoon sunshine pushed the temperature's mercury closer to 70 degrees and splashed both the baseball and softball fields in a stereotypical Boston sunshine. The vibrancy offered the backdrop to both teams' home games against ACC opponents in a sign that spring was finally settled after late march ushered it into New England.
It was the perfect day in Brighton, and it encapsulated the moment for both teams. On the softball diamond, a doubleheader against Syracuse renewed the two rival institutions while baseball hosted NC State in another key conference game with the added flair of a national television audience.
Both games offered Friday afternoon viewing in their own right, but both likewise had more to play for than just conference positioning. It was, for Boston College, the day of both teams' ALS Awareness Game, and for the first time, the Eagles were playing in memory of Pete Frates and under the shadow of a building bearing his name.
"As a university, I don't think there was ever a better living model of Jesuit ideals, of men and women for others, than Pete," baseball head coach Mike Gambino said. "To get that diagnosis (of ALS) and then make it about what he can do with that terrible news is why we're so honored to play these games and come to work in this building every day."
The Pete Frates story is well-known, but always warrants retelling. A former Boston College baseball captain, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known at the time as Lou Gehrig's Disease, in 2012. The disease, which has no known cure, progressively robs patients of their motor functions, and Frates underwent the same path as so many who received the same diagnosis as his athlete's body's motor functions slowly dissipated, as did his speech.
He eventually lost the ability to walk and talk before ALS robbed him of the ability to breathe and eat on his own, and it confined him to a wheelchair with a ventilator. It happened while his cognitive function and his brain remained untouched. His attitude and personality stayed intact as he both experienced the gradual loss and persevered to fight the disease.
It came to a head several times over, most notably in 2014 when his inspiration helped spark the Ice Bucket Challenge. The viral sensation spread as people dumped buckets of ice cubes and water over their heads throughout the summer before challenging others to do the same, and it achieved both celebrity and pop culture status before the colors on the leaves changed. Those that participated spurred into action, and donations soared and poured into ALS research.
The money raised over $220 million worldwide and helped unlock both treatments and research, and the ALS Association specifically called it out when it identified a gene recognized as a cause for the disease. In 2017, the FDA approved Radicava, the first new treatment in over 20 years, and offered hope to patients who once received ALS as a certified death sentence.
The hope stemmed from Frates and his neverending fight against ALS, but the greater truth was that his personal victories and battles always operated against an expiring clock. He became a husband and a father and remained the biggest presence against the fight, but there was always the dark, stark reality hanging a cloud over the reality. His health continued to decline as he fought ALS, and on December 9, 2019, Pete Frates passed away at just 34 years old.
"I don't know anybody in the world has ever done a better job of raising awareness for something like what he did for ALS," Gambino said. "So (we) continue to raise awareness (and) raise funds to end this disease. That's the goal. I can't wait to be doing the press conference that we've stopped doing ALS games because they've found a cure, and they're making a ton of progress because of Pete."
Pete occupied a special place in the Boston College lexicon because of his status as a former Eagle. Gambino named him the director of baseball operations shortly after his diagnosis, and Frates was a fixture at the old Shea Field in those initial years of his diagnosis. Birdball hosted its first ALS Awareness Game in 2012, and the instant popularity resonated throughout both BC and its fan base. Its timing usually coincided with the break in spring weather, and its annual appearance drew thousands of fans to the cozy confines behind Alumni Stadium.
Support from the Boston Red Sox moved the game to Fenway Park in 2017 against NC State and again in 2018 with Mike Martin's Florida State Seminoles appearing in the second iteration. In 2019, the game moved to the Harrington Athletics Village for the first time as part of a doubleheader against Duke.Â
The game has always been a special event on the BC calendar, but it was always going to feel differently in 2021. Pete's passing in December, 2019 impacted so many different people, and his funeral struck the chords of anyone and everyone who was part of the Birdball program But the loss of the game in 2020 as COVID-19 canceled the entire season meant a full calendar year elapsed before BC scheduled the game's ninth iteration.
It was during that time that NC State likewise lost a family member to the disease. The Wolfpack played in the first Fenway Park game in 2017 and dedicated their game to Chris Combs, a pitcher, outfielder and first baseman who played in Raleigh from 1994-1997. He was drafted twice out of the program and played professionally for seven years, and he still remains a fixture within the team's record books.
Combs passed away in September, 2020, less than a year after Frates, and NC State marked the game with their own special edition uniforms. They wore red jerseys adorned with Combs' No. 26 on the back and Strikeout ALS across the nameplate, and the matchup, regardless of the final score, spoke to the bigger kinship between two teams tied together in the same fight.
"You flip back during the pictures of all the ALS Awareness games we've had," Gambino said of BC. "In the first game, Pete is [standing,] waving at the crowd. Then there's the progression into the wheelchair. Two years ago, he's here and what that looks, and it's just a reminder of the devastation of this disease and why it's so important."
Friday was the first ALS Awareness Game without Pete Frates, and that was a reminder of the loss left in the wake of a ravaging disease. Frates is still an inspiration and a hero, and it's why his name is on the new building overlooking both the baseball and softball diamonds. The hallways are echoed with his legacy, and there is no better ambassador to the institution, its programs or its mission. It goes beyond the game and into the very soul and spirit of the awesome responsibility.
His absence is always conspicuous, but it's a reminder of how his fight is now everyone's fight. The advancements made against ALS are impressive but haven't yet knocked it out of the park. The treatments are offering hope to patients, but there is still no cure. In a war against the insidious disease, it's close, but the goal now is to push one across the plate, for the first time and, ultimately, for the last time.
"This is a reminder of 'The Beast,' as John Frates and Pete and Nancy and Julie call it," Gambino said. "The Beast is undefeated. We lost Dick Kelley a few years before Pete as well. So the renewed purpose is that as much as we're making progress until we give The Beast its first loss."
It was the perfect day in Brighton, and it encapsulated the moment for both teams. On the softball diamond, a doubleheader against Syracuse renewed the two rival institutions while baseball hosted NC State in another key conference game with the added flair of a national television audience.
Both games offered Friday afternoon viewing in their own right, but both likewise had more to play for than just conference positioning. It was, for Boston College, the day of both teams' ALS Awareness Game, and for the first time, the Eagles were playing in memory of Pete Frates and under the shadow of a building bearing his name.
"As a university, I don't think there was ever a better living model of Jesuit ideals, of men and women for others, than Pete," baseball head coach Mike Gambino said. "To get that diagnosis (of ALS) and then make it about what he can do with that terrible news is why we're so honored to play these games and come to work in this building every day."
The Pete Frates story is well-known, but always warrants retelling. A former Boston College baseball captain, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known at the time as Lou Gehrig's Disease, in 2012. The disease, which has no known cure, progressively robs patients of their motor functions, and Frates underwent the same path as so many who received the same diagnosis as his athlete's body's motor functions slowly dissipated, as did his speech.
He eventually lost the ability to walk and talk before ALS robbed him of the ability to breathe and eat on his own, and it confined him to a wheelchair with a ventilator. It happened while his cognitive function and his brain remained untouched. His attitude and personality stayed intact as he both experienced the gradual loss and persevered to fight the disease.
It came to a head several times over, most notably in 2014 when his inspiration helped spark the Ice Bucket Challenge. The viral sensation spread as people dumped buckets of ice cubes and water over their heads throughout the summer before challenging others to do the same, and it achieved both celebrity and pop culture status before the colors on the leaves changed. Those that participated spurred into action, and donations soared and poured into ALS research.
The money raised over $220 million worldwide and helped unlock both treatments and research, and the ALS Association specifically called it out when it identified a gene recognized as a cause for the disease. In 2017, the FDA approved Radicava, the first new treatment in over 20 years, and offered hope to patients who once received ALS as a certified death sentence.
The hope stemmed from Frates and his neverending fight against ALS, but the greater truth was that his personal victories and battles always operated against an expiring clock. He became a husband and a father and remained the biggest presence against the fight, but there was always the dark, stark reality hanging a cloud over the reality. His health continued to decline as he fought ALS, and on December 9, 2019, Pete Frates passed away at just 34 years old.
"I don't know anybody in the world has ever done a better job of raising awareness for something like what he did for ALS," Gambino said. "So (we) continue to raise awareness (and) raise funds to end this disease. That's the goal. I can't wait to be doing the press conference that we've stopped doing ALS games because they've found a cure, and they're making a ton of progress because of Pete."
Pete occupied a special place in the Boston College lexicon because of his status as a former Eagle. Gambino named him the director of baseball operations shortly after his diagnosis, and Frates was a fixture at the old Shea Field in those initial years of his diagnosis. Birdball hosted its first ALS Awareness Game in 2012, and the instant popularity resonated throughout both BC and its fan base. Its timing usually coincided with the break in spring weather, and its annual appearance drew thousands of fans to the cozy confines behind Alumni Stadium.
Support from the Boston Red Sox moved the game to Fenway Park in 2017 against NC State and again in 2018 with Mike Martin's Florida State Seminoles appearing in the second iteration. In 2019, the game moved to the Harrington Athletics Village for the first time as part of a doubleheader against Duke.Â
The game has always been a special event on the BC calendar, but it was always going to feel differently in 2021. Pete's passing in December, 2019 impacted so many different people, and his funeral struck the chords of anyone and everyone who was part of the Birdball program But the loss of the game in 2020 as COVID-19 canceled the entire season meant a full calendar year elapsed before BC scheduled the game's ninth iteration.
It was during that time that NC State likewise lost a family member to the disease. The Wolfpack played in the first Fenway Park game in 2017 and dedicated their game to Chris Combs, a pitcher, outfielder and first baseman who played in Raleigh from 1994-1997. He was drafted twice out of the program and played professionally for seven years, and he still remains a fixture within the team's record books.
Combs passed away in September, 2020, less than a year after Frates, and NC State marked the game with their own special edition uniforms. They wore red jerseys adorned with Combs' No. 26 on the back and Strikeout ALS across the nameplate, and the matchup, regardless of the final score, spoke to the bigger kinship between two teams tied together in the same fight.
"You flip back during the pictures of all the ALS Awareness games we've had," Gambino said of BC. "In the first game, Pete is [standing,] waving at the crowd. Then there's the progression into the wheelchair. Two years ago, he's here and what that looks, and it's just a reminder of the devastation of this disease and why it's so important."
Friday was the first ALS Awareness Game without Pete Frates, and that was a reminder of the loss left in the wake of a ravaging disease. Frates is still an inspiration and a hero, and it's why his name is on the new building overlooking both the baseball and softball diamonds. The hallways are echoed with his legacy, and there is no better ambassador to the institution, its programs or its mission. It goes beyond the game and into the very soul and spirit of the awesome responsibility.
His absence is always conspicuous, but it's a reminder of how his fight is now everyone's fight. The advancements made against ALS are impressive but haven't yet knocked it out of the park. The treatments are offering hope to patients, but there is still no cure. In a war against the insidious disease, it's close, but the goal now is to push one across the plate, for the first time and, ultimately, for the last time.
"This is a reminder of 'The Beast,' as John Frates and Pete and Nancy and Julie call it," Gambino said. "The Beast is undefeated. We lost Dick Kelley a few years before Pete as well. So the renewed purpose is that as much as we're making progress until we give The Beast its first loss."
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