Bill Ballou: Mo Vaughn, Joe Morgan remain popular figures

I wish the Pawtucket Red Sox had announced the dates of their 2017 Hall of Fame inductions before we made vacation reservations.

Both Mo Vaughn and Joe Morgan went into the PawSox Hall of Fame at McCoy Stadium on Sunday, and while both are significant figures in the franchise’s wonderful history, they are equally important ones in Boston baseball history and are in the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.

In both cases, it’s personal.

Vaughn was one of the most admirable players I’ve ever covered, a player who dealt with the game’s relentless failure with remarkable grace and perseverance. Vaughn never hid from a bad play or a mistake — his, or someone else’s.

As his career in Boston progressed, Vaughn took on the role of unofficial captain. After a particularly disheartening defeat, or in dealing with some controversial issue, Vaughn would look at those writing or broadcasting about the team and say, “Gentlemen — come talk to me.”

He would explain what had happened, generally putting the blame on himself at the same time he was deflecting it away from some teammate who might not deal with the scrutiny so well.

Vaughn came up to the majors as a top prospect with high expectations, and he fulfilled them. It was not seamless, though. He was an underachiever to the point where he was sent back to the minors early in his second season, 1992. Undiscouraged, Vaughn returned from that setback to establish himself as the franchise’s premier player of the 1990s.

He was the American League MVP in 1995 but was 0-for-14 in the playoffs. Vaughn had to deal with whispers of “choker” until 1998, when he was 7-for-17 (.412) with two homers and seven RBI in four postseason games.

He has since become a success in businesses completely unrelated to baseball, something that not many ex-players achieve. Vaughn is one of the most important figures in the Red Sox’ 117-year history, but sometimes seems a bit forgotten. It’s nice that the PawSox didn't.

Morgan, in the interests of full disclosure, is a friend, thank goodness. New England considers the Red Sox its own team, but few New Englanders have managed it, Morgan being one. That could be why he remains one of the most popular skippers in team history, or it could also be that his teams won two American League East titles in his 3½ seasons.

Morgan helped lift the Sox, and the region, from the malaise created by 1986’s World Series horror. His Morgan’s Magic in 1988 is a singularly memorable time in the team’s 117-year history, and his gut-instinct style of managing was so much more fun to watch and talk about than today’s paint-by-numbers style.

As Jody Reed, featured elsewhere in this column, once said, “We’d be sitting on the bench, and Joe would call a hit-and-run, and we’d look at each other like, ‘What is he thinking?’ and the next thing you knew, we had runners at first and third.”

Morgan liked everybody, and not in relation to what you could do to further his career, as was his predecessor, John McNamara’s, style. True story:

One night, Morgan prematurely ended his pregame office press conference by saying he had a visitor due in, and when the door opened, it was Ted Williams. The next night, he ended the press conference by saying he had two visitors due in, and when the door opened it was a pair of dairy farmers from Norfolk, one town over from Walpole, who annually provided him with free manure to fertilize his garden.

Mo and Joe. Pawtucket Red Sox Hall of Famers, for sure, and two of the most important ever to wear that uniform and the one in Boston.

Catching up with ...

Jody Reed’s major league career lasted through 1997, but he left Boston in 1992 — at least physically.

“It’s absolutely amazing how Red Sox fans never forget the games, the seasons, the players,” he said in a phone call last week. “I live near Tampa, and when we take the kids to Busch Gardens, we’ll be walking around, and there is always someone there from New England who says, ‘Hey, you’re Jody Reed. How’re you doing?' ”

Reed got three first-place votes in the 1988 Rookie of the Year balloting as he was a big part of Morgan’s Magic and Boston’s amazing run to the A.L. East title. He played short and second through ’92, then was taken by the Colorado Rockies in the expansion draft. His final year was spent with the Tigers in 1997.

He has done some managing in the minors and is currently a field coordinator in the Yankees' player development system.

“I absolutely love doing what I’m doing,” Reed said. “I tell the boys now, one thing you need to understand — our dream is seeing your dreams come true. And that’s the fun of it, giving them the best opportunity. You know what they’re going through and you can help be a part of that.”

Reed’s fondest memories of playing in the majors are being a part of Morgan’s Magic in ’88, Boston’s A.L. East title in 1990 and the Padres' National League West championship in 1996.

“Each of those seasons had their special moments,” Reed recalled. “The common denominator, the most fun part, were the Septembers. Coming down the stretch, every game seems like a playoff game, and there’s this tremendous electricity that the crowd brings to the ballpark.”

And if you’re a former Red Sox, even to the amusement park.