Jim Rice's Defining Moment: August 7, 1982

It was 27 years ago today that Jim Rice ran into the stands at Fenway Park, grabbed a 4 year old boy who had been hit in the head by a sharply hit foul ball. Blood was gushing from the boy's head. Rice grabbed him and took the boy, John Keane, through the dugout to an ambulance which rushed him to the hospital.

Rice's instinct helped save Keane's life, but it will not be found in Rice's statistics nor will it be on his plaque at Cooperstown. In all the hoopla over whether or not Rice would make it into The Hall; are his numbers good enough, did he play long enough, etc.; this defining moment in Jim Rice's career should not ever be forgotten, especially in this year, the year that he was finally inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame.

The full story can be read on line from the Providence Journal.