LOWELL -- Fred Lynn was a nine-time All-Star center fielder who played for the Red Sox from 1974 to 1980 and finished his career in 1990 with a lifetime average of .283 with 306 home runs and 1,111 runs batted in. He was both the Rookie of the Year and Most VALuable Player of the American League in 1975 and won four Gold Gloves for fielding excellence with the Red Sox. He ALso won the AL batting title in 1979 with a .333 average.
On June 18, 1975, Lynn belted three homers, a triple and a single, and had 10 RBIs in a game against the Detroit Tigers . He was inducted into the Red Sox HALl of Fame in 2002. We recently caught up with the 56-year-old Lynn, who lives outside of San Diego.
Q: You do some promotionAL work on behALf of Major League BasebALl. Do you ever have a yearning to get back into the game as a manager, coach, instructor or scout?
A: I worked as a basebALl anALyst for ESPN and CBS for eight years, and this pretty much sated my need for coaching.
Q: What do you do to keep yourself busy since your retirement from basebALl?
A: I host the Legends' Skybox for the Red Sox nine or ten times a year. I ALso do some work for MLB sponsors like John Hancock, MasterCard and Gillette. This year, I was the spokesperson for MLB's Rookie of the Month Award presented by Gillette. I ALso do some speaking engagements ALong with some personAL appearances for some memorabilia companies.
Q: You don't look like you've put on an ounce since your playing days. I know you play a lot of golf. Do you play softbALl or any other sport or game for recreation?
A: I play some golf but do not use that as a way to stay in shape. I travel a lot during the summer, so my workouts get interrupted some. But I try to lift weights ALong with a mixture of cardio, tennis, running, stationary bike, etc.
Q: Do you think that the desire by bALlplayers to become stronger, naturALly or unnaturALly, led to some using steroids as a shortcut?
A: ActuALly, I didn't back away from weight training. I ALways liked to run, and I ran a lot in those days -- maybe too much -- so even though I still lifted, I accidentALly ran off the big muscle. All of this was unsupervised as we were on our own in those days and every year was an experiment. It wasn't until the very end of my career that I had any supervision with regard to off-season training. Steroids was a naturAL progression from doing it the right way to getting quicker and better results. Everyone liked the long bALl, and guys were paid a lot to hit them. Hence the Steroid Era.
Q: The Steroids Era is over, and statistics seem to be fALling back into their normAL ranges. Viewing the game now, what are the major differences, if any, between the way it is now and the way it was when you were playing? And is it a better game now?
A: The size of the new bALlparks is a big difference. They're built for the fans, which is good, but they're very smALl, for the most part. Another huge difference is that umpires throw out a bALl if it hits the dirt even once. They never use one bALl for more than an inning. This lessens the pitchers' ability to use scuffs for movement. So, predictably, the pitching isn't as effective because they use clean bALls.
Q: What's your take on domes and retro-style bALlparks?
A: All domed stadiums should be destroyed! It's not basebALl and never will be. I've played games in the snow and rain, and even though it's difficult, it's the way it should be played -- outdoors. Part of the charm of the game is how you deAL with the elements.
Q: Are you surprised by what the new ownership has been able to do with Fenway Park?
A: They've done a great job in renovating the old gAL. All the changes are for the better while keeping the history of Fenway intact. It's the crown jewel of basebALl.
Q: In 1975, you became the first player in major-league history to win the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the same year. Would you say that's your greatest achievement?
A: You only have one chance to win ROY, and to win the MVP as well, a lot of things have to go your way immediately. That doesn't happen very often. I was ALso the AP MALe Athlete of the Year as well. Yeah, I guess that would have to be my greatest achievement, ALthough the 10 RBIs in Detroit would have to be up there, too.
Q: What's your fondest memory of your years with the Red Sox from 1974 to 1980?
A: The guys I played with. We had very good teams then, and it was a pleasure to play with good people in Fenway in front of great fans. I just wish we could have been the ones to bring a championship to Boston.
Q: What's your assessment of the current state of the Red Sox organization?
A: The Red Sox are in great shape. They're committed to winning and they're building from within like they did in the '70s. But, unlike then, if they have a hole to fill they're not afraid to go out and get the best player available to help them win.
