Tony Conigliaro Goes on The Dating Game

Tony Conigliaro, or "Tony C.", as he was known, was a Boston-area, hometown boy, made good. The youngest player in baseball history to hit one hundred home runs, Conigliaro was destined for greatness. In 1967, as the Red Sox contended all summer for the pennant (eventually winning it, but losing to the Cardinals in a seven-game World Series), he was hit square in the eye by an unintentional Jack Hamilton fastball. It nearly killed Tony. He didn't play the rest of 1967 or 1968, but he did return to have two more terrific years, in 1969 and 1970.

Always very popular with the ladies, Tony appeared on the popular 1960s game show, The Dating Game, hosted by Jim Lang. This letter is from the person coordinating Tony's appearance on the show. (Five days after taking his "date" out, he was traded by the Red Sox to the California Angels.) Tony Conigliaro was one of those ballplayers in the "what might have been", category. But those that saw him in his prime remember the excitement that "Tony C." created when he stepped up to the plate. P.S.: I wonder who he chose for his date and what they did on their date. E-mail me if you know.