BY HERB CREHAN
When the Red Sox spring training camp opened in Winter Haven,
Florida, in late February of 1975, it was a different era. The team’s
equipment truck headed south in the middle of the month and
hardly anyone noticed.
The married players brought their families to training camp and
almost all of the players stayed at the Holiday Inn, the team’s
official headquarters. Chain of Lakes Park, the team’s home field
for exhibition games, was less than a mile from their hotel so
many of the players walked to the training facility. Most evenings
the players organized a Wiffle ball game by the hotel pool, and any
youngster was welcome to play.
Chain of Lakes Park was an old-fashioned facility that seated less
than 3,900 fans. Since the Red Sox averaged 2,200 fans for their
home games that spring—compared to the 11,000 average for 2019
exhibition games at JetBlue—the ballpark was more than adequate
for most games. Only the Yankees’ annual visit to Winter Haven
was sure to be a sellout.
The salaries for the 1975 players were far different from today
because the era of free agency was still a year away. Pitcher Luis
Tiant ($185,000) and first baseman-outfielder Carl Yastrzemski
($175,000) were the team’s highest-paid players, and the only
players making six figures. Only nine other players were paid
$50,000 or more.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
Second-year Red Sox manager Darrell Johnson officially opened
training camp with a press conference in late February. Johnson’s
remarks and responses to questions were every bit as low-key as
the mood of the training camp.
In his opening remarks Johnson told the crowd that, “If we stay
healthy we can do it all. We had so much bad luck last year, maybe
things will turn around for us this year.”
In 1974, rookie Red Sox manager Johnson had the team in first place
in the AL East, leading by as many as seven games late in August. But
the team went 11-18 in September and finished a disappointing third
in the AL East, seven games behind the AL-winning Baltimore Orioles.
Close observers of the 1974 Red Sox season felt the team’s fade
down the stretch had more to do with the lack of depth in the
pitching corps and not enough timely hitting rather than luck. But
spring training provides a clean slate for players and managers.
“Last year was my first year managing a big league club and I made
a number of rookie mistakes,” Johnson said. “I’m confident I will do
a better job this 1975 season.”
Asked about his approach to dealing with players, Johnson said,
“I may be a little tougher, but I’m not going to change who I am.”
Most of the Red Sox players shared Johnson’s guarded optimism.
Bernie Carbo told me, “I thought we would be a lot better, but I
50
Remembering
Spring Training
1975
THE American League Champion Boston Red Sox
Carlton Fisk.