Though all three players were highly regarded
Red Sox prospects with dreams of playing in the big leagues, Maggard, a strapping 6-foot-6, 230-pound catcher selected 20th by Boston in the 1968 amateur draft, had been hampered throughout that ’73 season by a back injury that limited him to 47 games. He was hitting just .179 in 134 at-bats and hadn’t been in the lineup since July. And now there was this new medical issue: Maggard began to experience swelling in one of his arms, which the team determined was the result of an insect bite.
He had been sleeping on the floor in recent weeks, the hard surface taking some of the pressure off his aching back. It would later be theorized he was bitten by something crawling around on the floor. We’ll never know.
What is known is the Red Sox decided to send Maggard home for the remainder of the season since he wouldn’t be playing anyway. The Sox wanted him to rest up and get his back and arm looked at, the hope being he’d be as good as new come spring training.
As Maggard lived clear across the country in Norwalk, Calif., and what with his back and arm bothering him, it made sense, then, to put him on a plane, thus avoiding a long, uncomfortable drive to the West Coast. That would mean his wife, Debora, who had lived with her husband that season in an apartment in Cranston, R.I., would need to pilot their car back to Norwalk. They were coming up on their first wedding anniversary. Maggard’s mother, Shirley, hopped on a plane to Providence so she could keep Debora company during the long trip back to Norwalk.
Shirley and Debora made several calls home along the way, providing updates on where they were in the journey and to check on how Tom was doing. Tom’s father, Jack Maggard, would tell them everything was fine. Tom was resting, he’d say. Drive carefully. We’ll see you soon.
