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| Jerry Moses (Getty Images) |
In 1992, I was lucky enough to go to Red Sox Fantasy Camp in Winter Haven, Florida—the final year that Boston trained in that dismal spot. My manager was Jerry Remy, my bench coach was Jose Santiago and all was right with the world. On the final day of camp, our teams faced a squad comprised of former major leaguers. I got one plate appearance in that game—and had to face the amazing Luis Tiant. As you might expect, I was extremely nervous as I stepped into the box. Then, I heard a calming voice from behind say, "Take it easy, relax, it's only baseball". It came from Tiant's battery mate that day, Jerry Moses. Moses passed away on Tuesday at the far-too-young age of 71. By all accounts he was as kind to everyone else he met as he was to me that day. By the way, thanks to his words, I was able to muster enough courage to get an RBI ground out against El Tiante. I will be forever grateful to Jerry for that.