NESN’s Tom Caron on Emotional Jim Rice Interview
Our Boston Sports Insider talked to us today about a side of the Hall Of Famer Jim Rice that he'd never really seen before. It was quite an emotional interview on racial inequality last night.
Over a remarkable 50 year span, left field in Fenway Park was inhabited by three consecutive Hall Of Famers. When I was ten years old, that hallowed ground belonged to Jim Ed Rice.
I first saw him play in person in 1982 and watched with awe on TV as he smashed home run after home run that seemed to still be climbing as they left the ball park.
To add to his heroics, he actually ran up into the stands that same year to rescue a kid who had been hit by a screaming line drive foul ball. Rice quickly yet carefully carried the 4 year old into the Sox dugout to receive immediate medical care.and due to the severity of the injury, he saved the kid's life.
Marvel superheroes are cool and all but NONE of them could do that AND put up the stats he did at the same time!
Watching him broadcast for years on NESN, his work as an analyst has always been focused strictly on batting and fielding. That's what made this discussion between he and TC so extraordinary.
I can never recall in my 40 plus years of watching and listening to him, seeing Jim Rice ever get emotional like that.
I was so glad to hear TC hugged him after and, as always, we thank him for giving us the 'Insider' viewpoint every Friday morning.