Q&A with John Kerry

By Kostya Kennedy

U.S. Sen. John Kerry Charles Krupa/AP

The Democratic Presidential candidate and senator from Massachusets played hockey, lacrosse and soccer at Yale and, at 60, is still a jock.

SI: What was your greatest sports highlight in college?

Kerry: It had to be in soccer. I scored a hat trick against Harvard, and we beat them for the first time in years. That was just a great day.

SI: Weren't you playing in a soccer game when you found out John F. Kennedy had been shot?

Kerry: Yes. I still remember that hush go over the crowd when the announcement was made. But I don't remember the score [of my game].

SI: When did you start playing hockey?

Kerry: On frozen ponds in New Hampshire as a kid. There weren't many artificial rinks then. I chipped a few teeth, got a few stitches in my face along the way. But it's a great game.

SI: You play in charity games with ex-NHL players. What's that like?

Kerry: Like you're a kid in heaven. I mean, you come off your shift and your tongue is hanging out and you look over and there's Ray Bourque sitting next to you. Then you look to your other side and there's Phil Esposito. Then you feel a hand on your back and someone says "nice shift," and it's Gordie Howe. Come on. It doesn't get better than that.

SI: How did people react when you acknowledged Bourque's retirement on the Senate floor?

Kerry: I don't know. I just know he's a great athlete, and I believe great athletes should be honored.

SI: What did you think of the President's mention of steroids in his State of the Union address?

Kerry: It's a legitimate issue, but I did think it was strange to hear in that speech.

SI: If you were president, would you abolish the DH?

Kerry: [Laughs.] Could I actually do that? Oh, I don't know.... I'm not a fan of the DH, but I think we're going to have to live with it.

SI: What about in the NHL, would you get rid of the red line? Abolish fighting?

Kerry: Well, I'm just not a fan of all the grabbing and the clutching. I'd like to see things open up a little more. I like the finesse game, like Jaromir Jagr's. The players are so big now, I'm not sure the rinks are even big enough anymore for the game to be as wide open as it could be.

SI: If you could challenge President Bush to any sport, one-on-one, what would it be?

Kerry: He's a better runner; I'm a better hockey player. Maybe we'd have to compete on neither ice nor asphalt -- how about windsurfing?

SI: A few years ago you were profiled in American Windsurfer and said windsurfing can be like meditation. Explain.

Kerry: It's the mixture of the wind and the sea and flying. There's a lot of freedom, and when everything is dialed in right, you're just right there, focused on getting it right.

SI: Haven't you windsurfed from Cape Cod to Nantucket?

Kerry: Yes, four times. It takes about six hours. When you get tired, you just drop your sail and sit for a minute. Or if you get dunked, you drop your sail too.

SI: As a Red Sox fan, what do you think when you hear "Bill Buckner"?

Kerry: Little white ball. Squiggling through the legs. World Series -- gone! The toughest loss of all. But Bill Buckner's a good player. He's had a tough time. I've forgiven him.

SI: Have you forgiven Grady Little for leaving Pedro Martinez in against the Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS?

Kerry: No! That was just unbelievable. We were screaming at the TV, "Take him out!" I could see leaving Martinez in for one more batter, but after he gave up a hit [sighs].... Well, it still is just unbelievable.

SI: Were you happy when the Marlins beat the Yankees?

Kerry: Oh, yes. You bet I was.

SI: Senator Edward Kennedy tells a story of you showing up at his house on your bicycle, blue and half frozen. What was that about?

Kerry: It was the end of the coldest ride I have ever had. It was a [charity] ride from Boston to the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport -- about 80 miles or so. [Three-time Tour de France winner] Greg Lemond was riding [with us] and he said it was the worst conditions he'd seen for bicycling. But, you know, it was a challenge. I liked that. There was no way I was going to quit.

SI: Bill Bradley supposedly once suggested that we choose our President by having the candidates shoot foul shots. How would you like us to choose among the candidates?

Kerry: Number of hat tricks.

Issue date: February 9, 2004