Going deep with Dewey
Dwight Evans’ passion for the Red Sox and the game of golf is only surpassed by his commitment to fighting the disease neurofibromatosis
By Gary Trask
The session of 18 Questions with Dwight Evans is set to begin, and the options for what to use as an opening question are being mulled over. Evans, who has lived in Lynnfield since his playing days, is one of the most popular players to ever wear a Boston Red Sox uniform, so the choices are many.
Suddenly, Evans turns the tables and begins the conversation by asking a question of his own.
“Do you know the meaning of neurofibromatosis?” he asks, almost rhetorically.
The questions about Evans’ baseball career and his golf game will have to wait. Dewey has the floor.
“‘Neuro’ means nerves,” continues Evans. “‘Fibroma’ means tumor and ‘tosis’ means disease. It’s a disease that causes tumors of the nerves. Believe me, I know more about it than I ever wanted to.”
Evans’ familiarity with “NF,” a genetically determined disorder that affects more than 100,000 Americans, stems from the fact that it has been a part of his life for more than 30 years. He and his wife Susan have two sons, Tim and Justin, now 33 and 29 respectively, who have battled the disease their entire lives.
On Monday, July 17, Evans will combine his stardom as a professional athlete, his deep passion for the game of golf and his even deeper desire to find a cure for NF when he and Susan co-chair the 21st Annual Neurofibromatosis Golf Tournament at The International in Bolton.
“I’m going there as a parent, not as an athlete,” Evans, 54, declares. “We’re looking forward to raising some money and getting a chance to meet some other parents that have been through the same things that Susan and I went through. Hopefully, we can talk with them, give them some advice and console them in some way.”
Evans has always been a private person. Even during his career, he rarely talked about what he was going through off the field. He never used the fact that Tim went through 36 major surgeries during his lifetime as an excuse after an 0-for-4 night at the plate. When Justin almost died on the operating table as a toddler, Evans and his family didn’t make it a public matter.
Yet, Evans still managed to earn eight Gold Gloves, three All-Star nominations, belt 385 career home runs and become known as of the best defensive outfielders in the game during his 20-year career (1972-1991).
How? You ask. Well, that’s the question that popped into our mind just minutes into our conversation with Evans. So that’s where we began our 18 questions.
1. What was it like being in the public eye as a professional athlete while going through what you had to deal with off the field?
It wasn’t easy. To see your children go through something like that...it’s heart wrenching. I would stop in and see them at the hospital on the way to the park and on the way home. There were times I was so mentally exhausted I had to come out of the game. A couple of times I left the park before the game even ended to go to the hospital. I’d be sitting in that room as the game was still going on, with the light of the CITGO sign flashing in the sky, saying to myself, “Why?”
2. How difficult was it to concentrate on baseball when your son was lying in a hospital bed?
I guess sometimes baseball was actually an escape. I just had to learn to cope with it because what else could you do besides pray?
3. How are your sons’ health today?
They’re both great. They are grown adults. They have jobs, they’re totally functional. They’ve just been through a lot. That’s why Susan and I are so happy to be part of this tournament. What better way to raise money for charity than to do it on a golf course?
4. When did you begin playing golf?
I only played once or twice a year during my playing career. Playing golf during the season was kind of frowned upon. I remember in 1975 we had lost eight straight games and we arrived at the airport in California from Chicago. This was during the days when the writers traveled with the team. As we were waiting for the luggage, all of a sudden you saw about 17 or 18 sets of golf clubs come rolling off the plane. The writers pulled out their notebooks and the next day people were asking. “Is this a baseball team or a country club?” After that Mr. Yawkey (the team owner at the time) put an end to it and said no more golf clubs on the road.
5. So that meant nobody played golf on the road after that?
Oh no. Guys still played. They just had to rent clubs. Honestly, I don’t know how they did it. Especially the everyday players because that becomes a long day when you play 18 in the morning and then play a baseball game that night.
6. When did you get hooked on the game?
I started playing for real back in 1992, right around the end of my career. I really have fallen in love with the game. To give you an example, [earlier this year] out of 100 days, I figured out I had played golf on 98 of them. That’s a lot of golf.
7. What’s your handicap?
I’m playing at a seven right now. It’s up and down though. I’m always trying to improve my game. I’d love to be a scratch player someday. Maybe it won’t happen until I’m in heaven, but I’m going to try like heck to get there while I’m still alive. (Laughs).
8. During your career you were once known as “The Man With 1,000 Batting Stances.” Do you change your swing in golf as much as you changed your batting stance?
(Laughs). I’d like to think not, but now that I think of it, yeah, maybe I do. (Laughs again). You know, the guy that helped me the most with my batting was (hitting coach) Walt Hriniak. I wish I had a golf instructor like Walt because he’d used to just tell me, “Here’s what you have to do to get better. If you don’t want to do it, find someone else to coach you.” Maybe that’s what my golf game needs.
9. What is it about golf that you love so much?
I love the history. I love that you don’t have to be a great player in order to enjoy it. It blows me away how much golf is like life itself. There are so many ups and downs during one round. You need to learn how to cope with those low points in order to succeed.
10. Where do you play most of your golf?
Susan and I are members at Fiddlesticks [Country Club] in Fort Myers. We spend most of the winter down there and we get out and play quite a bit. Susan has become a great golfer. She’s down to about a 10-handicap and we just love getting out there and playing together.
11. What about when you’re in this area?
I’m proud to say that I’m a member at Salem Country Club. I waited seven years to get on as a full member and it was worth every minute. It’s just such a great course.
12. What is it about Salem that you like so much?
Well, like I said, I love the history of the game and Salem is a historic place. I’m also a big Donald Ross fan. I could play Salem every day for the rest of my life and not get bored. It’s like getting into a new car every day. Every round has a new smell, a new feel.
13. Other than Salem CC, what is it about the North Shore that has made you and your family decide to live here even after you retired?
We just love this area. Our four grandchildren and daughter Kirsten and her husband Rick live in Sudbury so we get to see them a lot. It’s funny. I was born in California and I spent the first 10 years of my life in Hawaii. But this is home now. And it always will be.
14. What do you think it was that made you so popular with the Red Sox fans?
You know, I’ve never really thought about being popular. In fact, you even asking me that question kind of takes me aback. All I know is that I loved playing for these fans. They’re great, great fans.
15. What was it about playing in Boston that you liked so much?
Well, it’s a great city with a great ballpark and the fans are just so emotional. When you do bad, they’re going to boo you, but when you do something good, they’re going to cheer you like crazy. And one thing they simply do not let you get away with is when you’re not hustling. They know when you’re out there everyday busting your behind and they respect that.
16. Where were you when the Red Sox finally won the World Series back in 2004?
I was at home with Susan. And you know what I did when they recorded that final out? I pulled out an old 1982 bottle of Krug champagne. It was a bottle I had planned to open during the ‘86 World Series when it looked like we had a chance to win it. But that didn’t work out so we had to wait until ’04. Boy, did it taste sweet.
17. Was it at all bittersweet to see the team win it after you came so close as a player?
I’d be lying if I said no. My reaction was two-fold. First, I was thrilled for the players, especially the ones I got to know when I was the batting coach for the team in 2002. I was happy for the ownership, who have done an unbelievable job since they took over. And I was so happy for the fans, because they certainly deserved it. But at the same time, yes it was a little bittersweet, because we were close in both ‘75 and ‘86 and I’m still kind of saddened we didn’t get it done back then. But the team gave me a World Series ring in ‘04 and I was just overwhelmed and proud to get one even if I wasn’t a player on the team.
18. Final question: Everyone knows you as “Dewey,” but not a lot of people know where you got that nickname. Where did it come from?
It started way back when I was in Double A. The manager was Ron Locke, good guy, good manager. He gave Don Newhauser the nickname “Newie.” Then there was another guy on the team - I can’t remember his full name - but his name was Louis so Ron called him “Louie.” Somewhere along the line he called me “Dewey,” so it became “Newie, Louie and Dewey.” It followed me all the way up to the big leagues.
I remember one of the first games of my career at Fenway back in 1972, I was playing left field. We were playing the Tigers and we were fighting for first place. Dick McAuliffe hit a high fly ball to me, and the TV announcer, I think it was Curt Gowdy, said, “and there’s a fly ball to left to Dewey Evans.” Well, I lost the ball in the sun. Never saw it. It landed 20 feet behind me. We ended up losing the game 2-1. After the game I was talking to my father and I said, “Dad, I can’t believe I lost that ball like that.” He said “Never mind that Dwight. What’s with all this Dewey stuff?” (Laughs). I told him, “Dad, if you could have heard what those fans out in left field were calling me after I let that fly ball drop, believe me, Dewey would sound real good right now. (Laughs again).
But it’s a nickname that really stuck. Everyone still calls me Dewey. Even my wife.
