For years we’ve all heard the legend of how Wade Boggs once drank 64 beers on a cross-country team flight. Or was it 107? Or was it more? The point is, we’ve heard that story for a long time, and that story always seems to center on the same basic anecdote, growing larger, Bill Brasky-style, over the years.
I’ve always been a mildly skeptical of that. Not of the basics of the story -- I’ve no reason to doubt that Boggs could put a lot of beer away -- but certainly the number tossed out as that tale has grown taller on down the line. And part of me notices that the stories always involve that one incident. Maybe it was like a lot of things: something fun and quirky happened once and it has since has been blown out of proportion because, man, it’s a pretty good story!
But after reading David Laurila’s latest Sunday notes column, my skepticism is beginning to drop. Because we have a new data point on Boggs’ beer consumption!
Laurila interviews Brian Rose, a former Sox’ pitching prospect who later had a cup of coffee with the Devil Rays when Boggs was coaching for them. On a flight he was sitting next to Boggs and . . . well, go read Laurlia’s story for the details. But know that Boggs’ legend -- whatever one might think of it -- continues to grow.