Perfect for chilling beer, way too cold for pitcher

(Frank Sullivan is a former All Star pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and a friend of Gazette Columnist Noble Collins. He was a teammate of the revered Ted Williams, among others. Frank has an engaging writing style and has experienced far more adventures than baseball alone. In coming weeks it will be a pleasure to share his many ups and downs with Gazette Blog readers.) 

By Frank Sullivan
Gazette Blog Contributor 

(Major League baseball players, in Sullivan's days, were not paid the huge sums they receive today. Most players had summer jobs to pay the bills until the next season.) 

In the fall of 1963, for the tidy sum of $100 a day and air fare back to Maine, I would return your sailboat home after it had been hauled out at the Hinckley Boatyard at Southwest Harbor to be repaired or painted or whatever. The sail south in late fall is not always easy and if the weather got ugly, I would power a lot of the way taking advantage of the straight line theory.

It was the constant eye-out for lobster pots that failed me. After leaving the island of North Haven and crossing towards the Owl’s Head side of the mainland, I wound the marking buoy line of one of the pots so tight around the propeller drive shaft on a 42-foot yawl that it stopped the engine. I went forward and dropped the anchor. I was off Sheep Island Shoals.

The water temperature there in October is perfect for chilling beer. I reflected on this as I hung on the side of the boat with my lower body in the water trying to catch my breath because it was so ice cold. Once under the water, I sliced the rope off easily because it was wound so tight, but it took three dives and I knew I was in trouble because of the temperature. The struggle to get back on board using the loop of line I had tied to the railing to use as a step was a long battle and my body temperature took a big time hit.

Once on board I was shaking so hard I found it impossible to light the oven, but managed to open the small engine room door to let some heat into the cabin. Knowing I was in big trouble, I grabbed a blanket and lay down on the first bunk closest to the heat. I tried to focus on not falling asleep because somewhere I heard that it wasn’t a good idea. It was a waste of time. Hell, you can’t fall asleep while in full power-on shivers!

Slowly, very slowly, I started to calm down and my body heat got back to normal. I stayed put for the night and continued down the coast the next morning in the fog. This is not a good place to be in the fog without radar because of all the tiny islands, so I went due east for five minutes and then put the compass point on South.

After about an hour of going very slowly, the fog lifted. Because it was low tide, I was able to make out Tennant’s Harbor to starboard with its stilted dockside buildings. I went in and put my lines on the first dock that was empty. It had sapped me more than I realized and I was still dead tired.  Tennant’s Harbor turned out to be a great place to get over a hell of a scare! I slept for 14 hours.

The following day in bright clear sunshine and flat calm water off Monhegan, I noticed a commotion in the water and steered the boat to get closer. It was a huge white shark methodically eating a raft made of lettuce crates. A new kind of shiver went through me.

(Editor's note: Frank Sullivan has written a book called "Life is More than 9 Innings - Memories of a Boston Red Sox Pitcher," a unique collection of stories covering a lifetime of memories. Frank's 10-year Major League Baseball career is the source of a fascinating insider’s look at the sport of baseball and some of the legendary players of the ‘50s and ‘60s including Ted Williams, Yogi Berra, Sam White and many more.   As the title implies, there are many more stories to be told including his early years growing up in California, Army service during the Korean War, and 43 years of life in Hawaii on the island of Kauai.

Put together in a very readable short story format, each account stands on its own as a captivating tale told by a master storyteller. Along with its wonderful collection of photographs, the book is a storehouse of memories to be savored and enjoyed by sports fans and casual readers alike.

Frank Sullivan is a Red Sox Hall of Fame pitcher who is now on the way to becoming a Hall of Fame storyteller. This delightful book not only covers his professional career and many of the great players of that era but also has many delightful human interest tales of life away from the playing fields.

"He details the ups and downs of a baseball career at a time when there wasn’t expansion of the leagues and free agency was not a part of baseball terminology. A really enjoyable, fun book for everyone."
— Dick Bresciani, Vice President, Boston Red Sox 

Copies of the book can be ordered directly from Frank autographed or with a salutation for $23, including shipping.  

Order from:
Frank Sullivan
P.O. Box 1873
Lihue, HI 96766