date published: June 30, 2008

Wade Boggs
by Josh B. Wardrop

Boston Red Sox fans still fondly remember retired third baseman Wade Boggs. The 12-time All-Star, five-time American League batting champion and 2005 inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame recently visited Boston for the opening of the Hall’s traveling Baseball As America exhibit at the Museum of Science.

Q: What are your impressions of the Baseball As America exhibition?
A: I think it’s great. For people who might not have the opportunity to go to Cooperstown, it’s an opportunity to see a Babe Ruth or a Ty Cobb bat, or Lou Gehrig’s glove.…The sheer scope of it is mind-blowing, and it shows how the game has evolved over the years.

Q: What did being inducted into the Hall of Fame mean to you?
A: It was the final piece of the puzzle for me—the greatest honor a baseball player can get. After the Hall of Fame, there’s nothing left.

Q: How did you feel finally seeing the Sox win World Series titles in 2004 and 2007?
A: Well, 2004 finally got the monkeys off all of our backs (from the 1986 Sox)! It was great for the city and the fans to finally win one, then repeat in 2007, and the ownership here has done a tremendous job putting together quality teams for the future.

Q: With all the steroid questions today, are you thankful your high batting average is an accomplishment that can’t be called into question?
A: I just find it ironic, because I was criticized for having a high on-base percentage when it wasn’t fashionable. Now, every team wants to have players that do it.

Q: As an authority on hitting, who impresses you on today’s major league scene?
A: There’s lots of great hitters today. I think Chase Utley from the Phillies is just phenomenal. Ichiro Suzuki in Seattle is amazing, and I love the comeback story of the year in Texas, Josh Hamilton. I scouted him for Tampa Bay in 2000, when he was 18, and I wrote in my report that he should be in the major leagues there and then.