Photo: Johnny Nunez (Getty Images)
Nothing beats an ice-cold beer on a hot summer’s day, especially if it’s combined with a tasty burger and a couple of close friends. However, some people enjoy beer so much that they don’t actually need anything else with it. The legendary baseball player Wade Boggs is certainly one of those people. Not only was he one of the greatest third base players of his time, he also loved having a couple of beers, which ultimately made him even more famous. How could this be? Well, it’s mainly because “a couple of beers” for Boggs usually meant about a hundred a day. So what is actually true when it comes to this Wade Boggs beer legend?
The Original Story
The first legend that surfaced regarding Wade Boggs’ love for beer stated that he once drank 64 beers during a long trip from Boston to Los Angeles. If we assume that it takes about 4 hours to reach the destination by plane, this means that he managed to gulp 16 beers every hour. Plausible? Whether it’s true or not, this story became an urban legend. Pretty much everyone knew about this amazing venture, and it was even featured in a comedy show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In a season 10 premiere, the main characters book a flight to LA and try to beat Wade’s score by drinking at least 70 beers. The episode also features a Wade Boggs cameo as the man himself motivates Charlie to beat his score.
New Legend
Sometime after, a new legend appeared and lifted this already dubious story to new heights. Namely, in a couple of interviews, Charlie Day, the show’s star who met Boggs said that he told him the real story of the plane trip to LA. Charlie noted that Boggs actually drank 107 beers during the flight. Some stories suggested that he drank that amount of beer daily, but that is really taking it too far. Many people agree that he could easily chug 50-60 beers daily, but that’s about it. Later on, a witness of sorts appeared and further fuelled this amazing story. Apparently, Brian Rose, a baseball player who had a chance to travel with the legendary Boggs recounted his experience in a recent article. One time when they were traveling, a flight attendant brought a case of beer to Boggs and Rose sat there in amazement as he drained one by one. Boggs confessed that beer didn’t affect him in any way. He had to drink at least a case and a half for it to have any effect on him. Rose stated that the man never even went to the bathroom.
Boggs’ “Denial”
Interestingly, when the rumors about his drinking habits first surfaced, he denied the whole thing. People asked him directly whether he drank 60 beers daily and he simply said no. Of course, people being people (especially those on the internet), they weren’t quite satisfied with the answer. Instead, they believe that he actually meant – the number was wrong. So, no, he didn’t drink 60 beers daily, but maybe he drank 107 beers instead. The fact that Boggs reinforced the story by appearing in the show and the fact that he doesn’t deny his love for beer, make this story ever so plausible. Either way, Wade Boggs‘ drinking legend made him a much bigger star than the fact that he had over 3,000 hits during his career. Interestingly, in 2015 interview, Boggs stated that the 100-beer a day legend was true and even offered an explanation to how he managed to do it. He said that he had a hollow leg where all the beer went. This seems to be a joke, but when it comes to Wade Boggs, you never really know.
Have you heard about Wade Boggs legend before? Which story do you believe? Can you beat his record?
