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Pudge gets the call Fisk talks baseball with CNNSI.com
Posted: Thursday January 13, 2000 10:47 PM
In his second year of eligibility, Carlton Fisk, a 24-year-veteran, was selected to the Hall of Fame along with first baseman Tony Perez. CNN/Sports Illustrated's Eric Goodman spoke with Fisk about his selection to Cooperstown. Eric Goodman : Carlton, what was it like to get that phone call and who gave you that call? Carlton Fisk : It was terrific to get that phone call. I had been awake since about five o'clock this morning. My emotions were just running up and down. "What if? What if not? What happens if it does? What happens if it doesn't come?" When it did come in the late morning, Jack O'Connell from the Baseball Writers' Association called me and we just went into an emotional pandemonium in the kitchen receiving the call. It was such a thrill. It was terrific. Eric Goodman Nobody dropped a plate of eggs or anything, did they? Carlton Fisk : No, I couldn't eat anyway, I think. I was kind of waiting around in the morning, drinking coffee, and the more coffee I drank the faster I started talking. So I probably didn't need any coffee because I was nervous enough as it was. Eric Goodman : When did you start thinking that this is a real possibility of getting into the Hall of Fame? Carlton Fisk : Knowing the career I had and the position I played, I wondered about it when I got done playing as to whether people would perceive or interpret my career in Hall of Fame terms. Then as the years went on and it came closer and closer to my eligibility year, then I began to wonder what would happen, knowing there were three other guys who were pretty deserving in [Robin] Yount, [George] Brett and [Nolan] Ryan. And then, not quite getting enough votes last year, made me look forward to this year and the possibilities. Throughout the year, the talk was very positive. But the closer I came to the actual morning, the actual date, this morning, the nervous anxiety started creeping in. And that's when I began to wonder. But it turned out positive and jeez, I'm just thrilled to death. Eric Goodman : I'm not going to be the first one to ask this question, nor will I be the last, so here goes. You will go to the Hall of Fame as a member of the Sox. The question is, which one? Is it going to be Red or White? Carlton Fisk : Well, I'll definitely be a member of the Sox, as we all know. But I don't know if that's important to declare at this time or not. I think what's important to know is that I played for the Red Sox and I did play for the White Sox. And participating and performing with those two organizations, I accumulated my career. It boiled down to today and I'm a Hall of Famer and I played with the White Sox and I played for the Red Sox. And we all ought to be proud of the fact that it happened today. Eric Goodman : When it does come to decision time, how do you make that decision? What are you going to weigh your options with? Carlton Fisk : I have always played the game with a certain amount of preparation. And as a result, I think this will take some thinking about and some preparation in order to be able to make the decision. I don't think whatever decision I made is any slight on whatever decision I didn't make. I think it's an important fact that I accumulated my career with both organizations and that I'm a Hall of Famer today. Eric Goodman : What does it mean to be immortalized with the greatest baseball players of all time? I mean, your name is going to be next to names like [Babe] Ruth and [Lou] Gehrig and [Yogi] Berra and all the greatest players. Carlton Fisk : That's the most unfathomable part about this whole day. I don't know if I'll ever come or when I'll ever come to the realization of the impact of this day and be able to write Hall of Fame after my name. All the people and all the players who came before me that made an impact on the game, I hope that I was able to carry the torch for those guys and make an impact on the game. To be considered amongst those [players] is just, it's almost unbelievable. Eric Goodman : You will be ever linked with that game-winning home run, Game 6 of the 1975 World series against the Reds. And, ironically, the first guy you passed was Tony Perez and now you will be standing next to him in Cooperstown on July 23rd. Carlton Fisk : Well, I won't be passing him again. We'll be riding on the same stage, the same podium and I'm thrilled I'll be able to do that. Tony is such an integral part of that Big Red Machine. And I had an opportunity to play with him as he came though Boston. And only then do you fully realize the type of player he really was and the type of impact that he can have on a ballgame. And I'm just thrilled for Tony and his wife. And it will be a privilege to stand on the podium with him up in Cooperstown. Eric Goodman : One more thing before we let you go. I asked a number of people in the newsroom and they did not know the answer and I grew up in Chicago. How did you get the nickname "Pudge?" Carlton Fisk : That came a long, long time ago when I was about a year old. I was about as wide as I was tall. And as a result, some of my aunts or somebody ended up nicknaming me "Pudge." I was like 36 pounds when I was a year old and it wasn't until I was a sophomore in high school that I stretched out of that. I was a chubby little kid all along the way. Eric Goodman : Well, not anymore. You'll be thin and grinning on July 23rd. Looking forward to seeing you and, once again, congratulations. Carlton Fisk : Thank you very much.
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