Boston Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier, the greatest rags-to-riches story in the Red Sox’s glorious World Series run last year, opened the envelope. He read it. Put it down. Read it again. And still couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
A congratulatory note? An autograph request?
An invitation to be honored by
his hometown of Wichita Falls, Texas?
Nope.
A summons from the Wichita Falls school system.
He and his wife, Shaina, were being ordered to court to explain why Kolten Brasier, their 8-year-old son, missed 21 days of school last fall.
He was in danger of being expelled.
Really.
“We get home, see the court summons,’’ Brasier told USA TODAY Sports, “and it was like, “'What the hell?' It was the dumbest thing I heard in my life. It was ridiculous. We even had to hire a lawyer. It was a debacle.
“It wasn’t like we just weren’t sending him to school. There was a reason he wasn’t in school.’’
Yes, there was a World Series to be won, and Brasier wasn’t about to deprive his son and family – including 4-year old daughter Avery – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see their dad accomplish the greatest feat in baseball.
“It’s one thing if he was in high school or even junior high,’’ Brasier said, “but he was in first grade. But they could have charged us up to $100 a day for the days missed if it went to an actual hearing.’’