Okay, so I was going through some old boxes in the attic the other day, just sifting through junk, you know? And I came across a real blast from the past – a Sports Illustrated magazine from way back in 1970. What caught my eye was the cover. It had this close-up picture of Tony Conigliaro, the Boston Red Sox right fielder. Now, I vaguely remembered the name, but the picture, man, it really grabbed me. The dude had a serious shiner, a real black eye.
This got me curious. I started digging around, trying to refresh my memory about this guy. Turns out, Tony C., as they called him, was a local hero, a real “kid made good” in Boston, as I read somewhere. He was a big deal for the Sox, especially in 1967. They called it the “Impossible Dream” season, whatever that means. He was an All-Star, seemed like he was on top of the world.
Then I found out about the accident. It was in a game against the California Angels, August 18, 1967. A fastball from Jack Hamilton, bam, right to the face. It just missed his temple, thank goodness, but it hit him square in the left eye and cheekbone. I read that he was almost blinded. Can you imagine? One minute you’re a baseball star, the next your career could be over.
- Flipped through the magazine, saw the date: June 22, 1970. This was three years after the accident.
- Found an article mentioning the Conigliaro brothers, Tony and Billy, were at their home in Nahant, Mass., while their teams were playing. So, this must’ve been taken around then.
- Discovered that this Tony C. guy was only 37 in 1982. He was trying to make a comeback, even got a job as a commentator for the Red Sox.
But here’s where it gets really sad. I read that on his way to the airport, he had a heart attack and stroke. He was being driven by his brother, Billy. I mean, talk about a curveball from life. The guy survived getting hit in the face with a fastball but then gets taken down by this. He never really recovered and died eight years later from some complications.
It’s crazy, isn’t it? One minute you’re on the cover of Sports Illustrated, a symbol of resilience, and the next…well, you know. It makes you think about how unpredictable life can be. This cover, it’s more than just a picture of a baseball player with a black eye. It’s a reminder of a guy who faced a major setback, tried to bounce back, and then got hit with something even worse. It’s a whole story right there, captured in a single image.
