Boggs, Baseball, Boating and a little Fishing
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. --- After getting his 3,000th major league hit, what does future Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs look forward to doing? Going fishing...and as much as possible!
At a special Wade Boggs Day, Tampa Bay
Devil Rays owner Vince Naimoli presented Boggs
with this Mercury 200 hp OptiMax powered deluxe
19-foot Ranger 518 SVX bass fishing boat.
The $50,000 custom-designed craft included
carpeting, done in Devil Rays colors, with
a Wade Boggs signature and a Devil Rays logo.
The design required more than 1,000 man-hours of
work.
When not bass fishing in the lakes and rivers near his home in the Tampa Bay area, Boggs supports numerous charity fishing events including the Mercury Outboards Redbone celebrity series in the Fla. Keys for cystic fibrosis research and Chuck LaMar's Mercury Grand Slam celebrity fishing tournament in Tampa Bay for pediatric cancer research.
by: Pete Johnson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For additional information:
Contact Lori Hoffpauir
(870) 453-2222
rangermarketing@rangerboats.com
www.rangerboats.com
The only man in the history of Major League Baseball to reach 3,000 hits on a home run swing scored bigtime on Wade Boggs Tribute Day, August 22nd at Tropicana Field.
Boggs was awarded the actual home plate he had knelt down and kissed upon completing his historic trip around the bases on August 7, when he became the 23rd player to reach 3,000 hits.
But the biggest surprise came when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays presented the 41 year old Boggs with a fully-loaded, custom-designed, 19-foot Ranger 518SVX bass boat, outfitted with a Mercury 200hp Optimax Outboard, valued at approximately $50,000!
"The Devil Rays organization wanted to buy a one-of-a-kind boat for a one-of-a-kind event to present to the future Hall of Famer," said Randy Hopper, President of Ranger Boats.
It's a fitting honor for a man of honor. When Boggs hit his 3,000th, he slowed between first and second base to blow a kiss skyward to his mother who had died 13 years earlier. An avid angler who participates in charity fishing tournaments around the Tampa Bay area, Boggs has remarked "I just like to fish, anytime, anywhere."
And who wouldn't want to fish out of this boat! This custom job took 1,000 man-hours to build. The carpet is done in Devil Rays colors and features the team logo and Wade Boggs' signature. The number "3000" emblazoned on the outer panels and another Devil Rays logo on the windshield are some of the many custom touches.
Devil Rays Owner, Vince Naimoli, personally selected Ranger as the boat manufacturer and presented it to Boggs on behalf of the entire Devil Rays Organization. Boggs' father, Win, and his brother-in-law, David Bertuccelli, were instrumental in designing the surprise package.
The Ranger 518SVX was wheeled in from center field to the Devil Rays dugout to cap off the pre-game ceremony. Boggs hopped right aboard and rode a lap around the field.
Among those present for the tribute were Boggs' family, baseball legend Ted Williams, the scout who discovered him, his first minor league manager, his hitting coach, his Boston manager, a pitching coach, a teammate and 27,000 appreciative fans.
All in all, a full boat for Wade Boggs!
Ranger Boats, headquartered in Flippin, Arkansas, is the nation's largest manufacturer of premier quality fishing boats, including a line of more than 40 freshwater boats, and a popular saltwater series. With emphasis on building the best boats in the world, Ranger Boats is still building legends ... one at a time.
web by: Walt Reynolds