Clay Buchholz enters the Boylston Street Bank of America Thursday Morning.
When you’re 6-foot-3 and a lanky 190 pounds, it’s understandable if you go about your day without much notice.
But when you’re 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, a star pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and the author of the only rookie no-hitter in team history, it’s a little harder.
Such was the case on Thursday morning, when pitcher Clay Buchholz made appearances at two Boston Bank of America locations as a part of a cross-promotion for MLB, the Red Sox, and Bank of America.
“Bank of America has had a long relationship with Major League Baseball throughout all the major cities, and Boston of course with the love of the Red Sox,” said Kevin Dolan, a regional executive for Bank of America. “The promotion is really to thank our customers and to really understand their needs and what they want, and understand how they’re passionate about the Red Sox, we’re passionate about the Red Sox, and bringing that together.”
The unsuspecting customers were, needless to say, quite caught off guard as the 2010 All-Star handed out tickets to upcoming games, signed autographs and took pictures with fans.
One overjoyed customer went into the Bolyston Street location to run an errand, and was pleasantly surprised. “I come in for a cashiers check and I get a picture with Buchholz!” she said, looking for high fives from her fellow fans.
Buchholz signs the hard hat of a Boston construction worker Thursday morning.
The right-hander touched on various topics, including whether or not he was faster than teammate Carl Crawford (“God no, God no,” he said) and his newfound guitar hobby (“It’s going good. I’m probably about to indulge in another one.”) before responding to Jerry Remy’s comment on Buchholz’s guitar playing: “I wouldn’t call him Keith Richards, but he’s trying to learn,” Remy said in February.
“Rem can say whatever he wants to say,” Buchholz said laughing. “He don’t play guitar.”
And Buchholz, of course, had to comment on the team’s slow 2-9 start. The Texas native and now-father of an eight-month old – who he said woke him up this morning – insisted the cold start doesn’t change much in the grand scheme of things.
“The record is not what you want it to be, but it’s only two weeks into the season, so we have a long ways to go. Everybody knows how talented this team is and what this team is capable of doing, so I wouldn’t say [there are] any added pressures,” Buchholz said.
He even suggested fans should listen to advice from Charlie Sheen – but just this once. Earlier this week during his visit to Boston, Sheen said, “”I’d tell everybody to shut up, that they’ll bounce back. It’s a long season and there’s a ton of talent there…Relax.”
“I say listen to Charlie Sheen,” Buchholz said. “Listen to Charlie Sheen. Not in everything in life, but maybe this is right.”
As for his own part in a hopeful team turnaround, Buchholz will take to the mound tomorrow night at Fenway Park against the Toronto Blue Jays for a start that he says is no different from any other.
“I take it as any other start,” Buchholz said. “Just keep the team in the game every time I pitch and try to pitch deep into the ball game, and just try to win, basically.”
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