Whatever happened to: Fred Lynn

Call him Rodney Centerfield?

You could make an extremely weak argument that Fred Lynn, at certain points in his 17-year major league career, was baseball’s version of Rodney Dangerfield.

He didn’t get any respect in 1983 when, during the MLB all-star game, Atlee Hammaker walked Robin Yount to load the bases in order to face the left-handed outfielder.

He didn’t earn much respect when, after winning Rookie of the Year honors and being named the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1975, he glanced down at the MVP trophy only to notice his name was misspelled.

How the heck to do you spell Fred Lynn wrong?

“They spelled it F-R-E-D-E-R-I-C,” he said recently from his home in California. “It’s spelled F-R-E-D-R-I-C. I never use my full name unless I’m doing my taxes.”

He left the trophy as is, but he certainly made Hammaker pay as Lynn used the intentional walk to Yount as motivation.

“Yeah, I took it personally,” said Lynn, who met his wife Natalie in New Bedford when she was working for Channel 6 back in Lynn’s Red Sox days.

A member of the California Angels at the time, Lynn stepped up to the plate that night at Comiskey Park and cleared the bases with the only grand slam in all-star game history. The homer ignited a seven-run third inning and led the AL to a rare Midseason Classic victory.

He considers that grand slam his favorite personal highlight.

“Not because it was the first one, but because of the importance of it,” said Lynn. “You have to remember, the National League owned us then (the NL had won 11 straight all-star games). I had lost eight in a row to them personally, so the game really did mean a lot to me. Chicago is also my hometown and I had lots of friends and family at the game.

“(American League President) Lee MacPhail told me we had to win this one. There were a lot of bragging rights in those days. Back then, the National League fielded the same team every year – Bench, Perez, Garvey, Parker – but the AL always had a lot of turnover. When you play your first all-star game, believe me, you’re nervous, so maybe that had something to do with their win streak.”

This was actually Lynn’s second don’t-intentionally-walk-the-guy-in-front-of-me homer of his baseball career. In 1972 at the University of Southern California, Lynn smacked a three-run homer, knocking the University of Texas out of the College World Series.

Although Lynn views his all-star slam has his personal favorite, he has several highlights to chose from, including a three-homer, 10-RBI game against Detroit in June of 1975, and being named the MVP of the 1982 ALCS after his Angels lost to the Brewers.

“Oh yeah, it was a lot of fun accepting that one,” said Lynn sarcastically. “We just lost and they come in and tell me I’ve been named MVP. I said ‘are you kidding me?’ I wasn’t very happy at that time.”

In his post-playing days, Lynn has worked as an analyst for ESPN (from 1991-98) doing some College World Series games and some West Coast MLB games. He has also been a spokesman for Gillette and MasterCard, and occasionally entertains clients at Red Sox games from the Legends Skybox.

“I do a little bit of everything,” he said.

During his lengthy major league career, Lynn played for five different teams, but considers himself a member of the Red Sox family.

“I’m a Red Sock. I didn’t want to leave the Red Sox,” said Lynn, who was traded to the California Angels in January of 1981. “I came up with them and from 1973 to 1980 I was their property. I thought I’d end up spending my entire career in Boston. It was tough, even though I was going to a great team and playing for a great owner in Gene Autry.”

Although Lynn finished with 306 career homers and a .286 lifetime batting average, he was known for his defense – something he is proud of.

“I took a lot of pride in my defense,” he said. “For me, it was more gratifying to take away runs than to drive them in.”

Lynn, who was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2002, still follows the game today and says the major difference between now and then is the money and the ballparks.

“I made 20 grand in my first year,” he said. “Today, the ballparks are brand new, the facilities are great. I think there was better pitching when we played. I also don’t think the players have as much fun as we did. They don’t pal around like we did.”

In August of last year, a game commemorating the 1978 one-game playoff contest between the Sox and the Yankees – the Bucky Dent game – was played in Scranton, Penn., and Lynn got to put on the Boston uniform once again.

“Anytime I put the glove on now, which is not often, it feels good,” said Lynn.

“I’m still in pretty good shape, not good baseball shape, but that was a good time. (Mike) Torrez threw to Bucky Dent. I faced Goose and he was still throwing in the 80s. He was even throwing me sliders.”

For the record, Lynn singled and flied out.

Lynn, along with some of his former Red Sox teammates, will be heading back to Boston in April for the first series against the Yankees. One of those teammates will be newly inducted Hall of Fame member Jim Rice, who made the Hall in his 15th and final year on the ballot.

“I’m very happy for him, but what changed the people’s minds?,” Lynn asked. “If you find out how people can change their minds after all those years, let me know. When I see Jim in Boston, I’m going to say to him, ‘You must’ve had one hell of a year last year.’”

Mike Thomas is the sports editor of The Herald News. He can be reached at mthomas@heraldnews.com