Terry Francona is a popular guy these days in the college ranks. Just a few days after he was the guest of honor at the Virginia Cavaliers Step Up to the Plate banquet, Francona will be speaking at fund-raiser for the Utah Utes baseball team.
How did the Utes manage to get Francona to come out and speak? Utah baseball coach Bill Kinneberg and Francona were teammates at the University of Arizona.
“He’s been very special for me and my family for the last 30 years,” Kinneberg said. “He’s my son’s godfather, so there’s a lot of deep and cherished friendship with our families. It’s very special to have him here again.”
This is the fourth time the Utes have held the annual fundraiser. Francona was their first guest of honor, followed by Hall of Famers Cal Ripken, Jr and Brooks Robinson.
Did you know that Josh Beckett knows him some math? Red Sox pitcher Craig Breslow was on hand at a Danbury, CT middle school to talk to students about math.
He later helped a friend, Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, win a bet against catcher Doug Mirabelli. Breslow calculated how many times a baseball spins when it’s thrown 90 miles an hour from the pitcher’s mound to the home plate.
I wonder how close Beckett got. Breslow, if you didn’t know, is a graduate of Yale University with a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. So needless to say, he’s one of the smarter players in the organization.
Red Sox skipper will speak at U. baseball fund-raiser tonight [Desert Morning News]
Red Sox player gives math lesson [NewsTimes.com]
And by the way, it’s my birthday and I’ll cry if I want to.
