Gene Mauch and Don Zimmer grew up as infielders in the Brooklyn Dodgers' organization and were buddies. Zimmer was managing the Red Sox. They had won 97 games in 1977. That put them 2 ½ games behind the Yankees in the AL East, and thus out of the postseason.
The fans blamed Zimmer for this. And the Red Sox, loaded though they were, were only 12-9 to start the 1978 season.
Mauch and I went to the Fenway press box 10 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Zimmer was in the dugout somewhere.
Mauch used the in-house phone to call the dugout. He got Zimmer on the phone. They chatted for a couple of minutes, and Gene asked, "How are you getting along with the fans?''
Zimmer said he would show Mauch how it was going, and moved into view on a higher dugout step. The fans who were in their seats (the crowd was 19,930) noticed and the boos cascaded from all around Fenway.
Both managers laughed, and Mauch said, "Do that again, Zim. See if it works.'' Sure enough, Zimmer stepped upward, back into view, and the boos were even louder.
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