SEATTLE -- In 1978, veteran shortstop Frank Duffy joined the Red Sox and was immediately struck by the lack of camaraderie he witnessed among his new teammates.
"Twenty-five guys, twenty-five cabs,'' was how Duffy famously summarized the lack of togetherness away from the ballpark.
The quote dogged the franchise for decades, as it suggested a selfish, me-first sensibility had infected the organization.
Not long after, outfielder Jim Rice took issue with the very use of the word "teammates," preferring to refer to the man with whom he shared the Sox clubhouse as "associates."
But times -- and the Red Sox -- have changed. No longer do they go their own way.
In the last week, two incidents demonstrate how much has changed.
While the Red Sox enjoyed an off-day in the Phoenix area prior to their two exhibition games with the Cubs, the Red Sox gathered at the home of Dustin Pedroia in Chandler, Az. The catered event was a fun evening.
Then, two nights later, the Sox gathered for what has become, under Alex Cora, an on-the-eve of the season opener tradition: a team dinner. This was held in downtown Seattle, and not only did it involve the players on the 25-man roster, but the coaching staff, trainers, support staff and anyone in the team's traveling party.
What began in the early evening after the team's charter arrived from Arizona, according to one player, lasted past 11:30 p.m.
Not only is this sort of closeness unique for the Red Sox as a franchise, it's unique for any team.
"It is unique,'' confirmed bench coach Ron Roenicke, who played eight years in the big leagues, managed for five and has been in the game for the better part of 40 years in some capacity or another. "We had a couple of teams when I was with the Angels that were similar to that. But it's hard to have that, because of all the different personalities and different backgrounds. But these guys are tight.''
Sometimes, that's obvious on the field. It's evident when four starting pitchers gather on a back field to watch the fifth throw a live BP or side session. It's shown in the clubhouse when most of the team watches a ping pong match, with the playful trash talk flowing.
But mostly it's obvious when the players choose to spend some rare off-time with one another.
"It's definitely something that's rare,'' said Rick Porcello, who spent his first handful of seasons with the Detroit Tigers. "First and foremost, you don't build a relationship and then stop building. We have to continue to build and maintain that connection among all of us. And I think that pays off during the ups and downs of the season. It can help you weather a storm.
"If we have one guy -- or us collectively, as a whole -- struggling, we have to lean on each other for whatever it is to get back on track emotionally or mentally. We've got be able to police ourselves as far as keeping that even-keel focus and doing the things that make a good ballclub.''
David Price made stops in Tampa Bay, Detroit and Toronto and acknowledges the atmosphere that exists in and around the Red Sox clubhouse is different. It helps, too, as Price noted, that the core of the current roster has been around for a number of seasons.
In fact, this spring, Colten Brewer was the only addition from outside the organization to be part of the 25-man Opening Day roster.
So that familiarity breeds more togetherness.
"This is rare,'' said Price. "I think this is the first time I've spent time at a teammate's house in-season. And then at our dinner (in Seattle), it was coaches, staff, everybody. That creates comfort. If you're comfortable, you're going to do more for everybody else and I think that's kind of the definition of our team -- everybody will do anything for anybody. We care for one another.''
That dynamic can largely be attributed to Cora, who has preached the virtues of togetherness while encouraging the players to enjoy themselves.
"Alex likes the laughter and the relaxed atmosphere,'' said Roenicke. "I know some people don't think that's the way to go about it. But I know from experience, when you're more relaxed, you're going to play better. You're going to be more confident in what you do versus when you're uptight and worried about doing something wrong, you're not going to play as well.''
It's difficult, if not impossible, to quantify how this translates -- if at all -- to on-field performance. But even if he can't provide empirical evidence to support his point, Roenicke has no doubt whatsoever that there's a positive impact from the closeness the players enjoy.
"There's no doubt you win more games. There's no question,'' said Roenicke. "The guys here aren't selfish about stuff. They love it when somebody new comes up with a big hit. That's what great about it. Who knows how many wins it means? It could be ten wins a year. I don't know. I think every year that number would change every year, so it's hard to say what it actually is.
"But it means something (on the field). That I know.''
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