The poet laureate of the Boston Red Sox has passed away. At age 86, Richard “Dick” Flavin.
Additionally, Flavin was a dramatist, a former journalist for WBZ-TV, and the Boston Red Sox’s longtime voice.
Flavin, who attended Stonehill College, was born in Quincy on December 7, 1936. Before becoming a political reporter in 1970 and joining WBZ-TV in 1973, he served as a press secretary, speechwriter, and press spokesman for a number of Democratic leaders.
He spent 14 years working for WBZ-TV and received numerous Emmy awards. He received a 2011 Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame induction.
In addition, Flavin created the one-man drama “According to Tip,” which is based on the biography of Tip O’Neill, the speaker of the US House of Representatives.
His biggest fame, though, came when he traveled to Florida to see Ted Williams with former Red Sox stars Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky. The poem’s plot was altered when Flavin rewrote “Casey at the Bat” as “Teddy at that Bat.”
For the three former Red Sox players, he read the poem. When Williams passed away, Flavin was asked to read the poem at Fenway Park when word of it spread. He eventually recited the poem around the nation.
The family is yet to make an official statement about his funeral arrangements; keep checking for new updates. Dick Flavin
