The Red Sox made their rookies dress up for Thursday's flight to Baltimore.
September 18, 2009, 4:10 PM
BALTIMORE -- Red Sox rookies went through the annual hazing, on their flight from Boston to Baltimore Thursday night,
that all young players must endure during their first season in the majors
Several of them found exotic outfits sitting in their lockers and their regular clothes were "mysteriously" missing.
It's a ritual that takes place in every clubhouse at some point during every season.
Among the most flamboyant outfits belonged to pitcher Junichi Tazawa, who was fit, head-to-toe, as Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz," complete with a red wig, the checkered blue dress and white knee-high socks with black shoes. The Japanese media was enthralled with Tazawa, who graciously took it all in stride.
It brought back stirring memories for shortstop Alex Gonzalez, who went through the same hazing during his first season with the Florida Marlins in 1998. The big difference, however, was that the Red Sox youngsters had a short flight from Boston to Baltimore, arriving well after midnight at their team hotel in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, where the lobby was fairly empty.
"We were flying from Montreal to New York after a day game,'' Gonzalez recalled. "We had to go through customs in New York, showing our passports as we were dressed the way we were. They had me in a skirt and halter top. I remember Preston Wilson was really upset because they gave him a tight-fitting purple dress. He was really embarrassed. And remember, Wilson had a really muscular body and the dress was right up against his skin. And then we get to the Grand Hyatt in the middle of New York and it's early afternoon. The lobby was packed, the way it always is there. These guys have it off easy.''
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Pedro Gomez
ESPN's Pedro Gomez covered the Oakland A's from 1992 to 1997 and then became the national baseball writer and later a general columnist at The Arizona Republic before becoming an ESPN bureau reporter in 2003.
