Monfredo: Worcester’s Gedman to be Honored by Red Sox in April

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Saturday, February 22, 2020

John Monfredo, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

The Red Sox season is just around the corner and many Red Sox fans are not optimistic about this coming season… lack of pitching leads the way. On the bright side this past winter Worcester’s Rich Gedman, former catcher for the Boston Red Sox, has been named to the Red Sox Hall of Fame. This winter the team announced that Gedman, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, the late Bill Dinneen, and former general manager Dan Duquette are this year’s choice.  The inductions will take place at the Red Sox Foundation gala on April 30, 2020.  To say the least, Rich Gedman certainly is with a very impressive group.

Rich signed as an undrafted free agent out of high school in 1977 and was sent to the Instructional League to learn the fine art of being a catcher.  Three years later he was brought up to the Red Sox.  Gedman had many great years in the 80’s hitting for power and average and played for the Red Sox for eleven years.  According to Gedman his greatest thrill was being called up from Pawtucket and putting on that Red Sox uniform.

The significance of this story is that Gedman grew up as a kid in Worcester and as a matter of fact was one of my fifth-grade students at Lamartine Street School when I first started teaching. He lived on Lafayette Street growing up which is a stone’s throw from the WooSox Polar Park now being built for the Red Sox Triple-A minor league team.

Rich was one of the students who I had at my house many times and he went to his first Red Sox game with me.  When visiting me my wife, Anne-Marie,  would bake him cookies to take home.  Growing up, Rich always talked about the Red Sox and like many youngsters dreamed of playing for his hometown team. Even as an elementary student you could always see him playing and organizing baseball games in the schoolyard at recess and after school.   As teachers will tell you, we don’t forget our former students!

As one of his biggest supporters I was thrilled when Gedman signed with the Red Sox but more excited when he was named Rookie of the Year by the Sporting News Magazine. I immediately went to see then-Mayor Jordan Levy and requested that the city honor him not only because he was named Rookie of the Year but also because we were proud of him as the All American Boy from Worcester.  The Mayor loved the idea and I was honored to be named by the Mayor as the chairman of the committee to honor him.

Thus, Worcester held a Rich Gedman Weekend.  As I recall the Rich Gedman kickoff weekend started with a banquet at St. Peter-Marian, where Rich played his high school ball. Paul X Tivnan, county commissioner and I served as master of ceremonies for the weekend event.  At the ceremony Mayor Levy presented Gedman with the key to the city and read a special proclamation stating German’s accomplishments.  In addition, the Chamber of Commerce presented him with a special gift from its members.

The weekend ended on Sunday with a big parade as Rich rode with another superstar athlete his wife to be Sherry Aselton known for her softball playing. The parade included bands and floats and T-shirts donated by Mac-Ben Sporting Goods Store entitled “I’m a Richie Gedman fan.”  It also included a number of special guests including then-City Manager Francis McGrath, Bill Norkaitis his coach at St. Peter-Marian, Bob O’Coin president of the Worcester Area Chamber of Commerce, Joe Morgan, manager of the Paw Sox, and William Short, executive vice-president of the Chamber just to name a few.

Rich now serves as the Pawtucket Sox batting coach and wouldn’t it be grand if Worcester could once again honor Worcester’s own when the stadium opens in 2021 for being named to the Red Sox Hall of Fame?  Who knows, perhaps he may be the Woo Sox manager by then!

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