The Prank That Changed MLB Forever

[umfan]

https://www.mlb.com/news/boston-radio-prank-altered-mlb-history

On Oct. 2, 1983, the Boston Red Sox, their fans and the baseball world said goodbye to Carl Yastrzemski. There was a whole massive production at Fenway Park for his final game, with an hour-long pregame ceremony, the retirement of his No. 8 jersey and a letter, read aloud to the crowd, from President Ronald Reagan. For a team that hadn’t reached a World Series in eight years, and hadn’t won one in 65, it was the biggest Red Sox story imaginable.

Radio can have quite the impact when it wants to. A radio prank in Boston altered the destiny of both the Reds and the Expos. What a story! I never knew of this until seeing this article.

 

[CTListener]

https://www.mlb.com/news/boston-radio-prank-altered-mlb-history




Radio can have quite the impact when it wants to. A radio prank in Boston altered the destiny of both the Reds and the Expos. What a story! I never knew of this until seeing this article.

I've been a Red Sox fan for 53 years and had never seen a word about that story until just now! Of course, I was living in Connecticut then, as now, and couldn't receive WEEI, which then, as now, was sending most of its signal straight out to sea. I wonder if Boston TV or newspapers mentioned the prank when it happened, or picked up on the connection to the Sports Huddle prank when the Reds hired Rapp or when he was fired and replaced by Rose.