Red Sox
Report: Only four Red Sox players showed up for Johnny Pesky's funeral
Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino said it was "unnecessary" to focus on how many players showed up for Johnny Pesky's funeral after only four players attended.
The players in attendance at the Swampscott funeral on Monday were David Ortiz, Clay Buchholz, Vicente Padilla, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, according to a report.
"There was a tremendous turnout at the Johnny Pesky's funeral," Lucchino told listeners on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show. "We had over a 100 people there in terms of ownership, front office, current players, staff, former players. It was a very impressive turnout. I think the people who knew Johnny best had came to it. Our players will have had a chance on Tuesday night to participate in a ceremony on the field -- they all willingly and enthusiastically participated on that date -- and then there's going to be another memorial service. So I think it's unnecessary to focus on that issue."
The Boston Herald's Inside Track reported the the team rented buses for the players and staff to attend the funeral, but there was still a paltry turnout.
“We ordered the buses for the front office to go, knowing that any players could join us or drive separately from their homes,” Sox spokesman Charles Steinberg told the Track. “Between the ownership, front office, current players and staff, and former players, we were well represented by the people who knew Johnny best.”
Instead of attending Pesky's funeral, for which the buses left around 11 a.m. Monday morning, the team reportedly showed up for Josh Beckett's charitable Beckett Bowl later that night at Jillian's/Lucky Strikes Lanes.
"Remember, our players got in at about 4 in the morning" that day, Lucchino said. "[The buses] were designed primarily for the front office ... The buses were pretty full, entirely full."
The main contributors to The Buzz are:
- Steve Silva, Boston.com senior sports producer
- Gary Dzen, Boston.com senior sports producer
- Zuri Berry, Boston.com sports producer