Memories of Tim Wakefield and his 49 remain strong at the Tahoe Golf Tournament

A fan accosted former Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Millar on the golf course this week. Like many others on this celebrity tour, he had a memory of Tim Wakefield to share.

The junior pitcher told Millar he took the same course last year as the All-Star Knuckleballer.

The fan told her: “It was the best day I’ve ever had. I need to talk to a major league pitcher. And he told me some things that I took into my season last year that I think really helped me.”

Millar paused.

“And immediately I get chills right here on No. 9,” the former outfielder said. “That’s how Tim touched lives. Here’s a young man chasing his dream and Tim tells him something about the mechanics he took into his season and had a great year. Those things are wonderful.”

As if the memories weren’t enough, there are reminders of Wakefield everywhere at the American Century Championship in Stateline, Nev.

Each player wore a no. 49 on the hat as a nod to Wakefield’s jersey number. Number 49 was stenciled on the fairway 49 yards from the 18th tee box. Flag no. 18 had the logo no. 49 on him. NBC’s coverage of Sunday’s final round will include a feature by Jimmy Roberts about Tim and Stacy Wakefield, who both tragically died of cancer in the past year.

Every player at the American Century Classic wore a hat with Tim Wakefield’s jersey number during the ACC Celebrity Golf Championship. (David Calvert/Getty Images)

The couple has been a beloved staple here for 11 consecutive years. So in honor of the first tour since their deaths, the organizers made sure they would not be forgotten.

“I don’t know if you guys have ever been to a press conference and seen three grown men cry, but you might have the opportunity to do so in a few minutes here,” Gary Quinn, NBC executive, who he was friends with The Wakefields, he said during a media briefing on Wednesday.

NBC has pledged to honor the Wakefields by donating $10,000 annually to the South Lake Tahoe Aquatic and Recreation Center. Fittingly, the first donation will go toward two launchers for the center, which is slated to open in 2026.

“Obviously, you can imagine during this week how many hands are out, people are asking for things, and the usual first instinct is, ‘What’s in it for me?’ Quinn said. “With Tim and Stacy, it was always, ‘What can I do for you?’ That’s the kind of people they were.

“I think the best thing is that Tim and Stacy can smile knowing that (the rec center) is going to be the centerpiece for the community. It will be a gathering point for people to come and enjoy themselves, and their name will be emblazoned in the lobby on a plaque there for as long as that center is there.”

Tim Wakefield died of brain cancer at the age of 57 on October 1st. The popular two-time World Series champion won 200 games in the majors, including 186 for Boston. Only Cy Young and Roger Clemens, who both had 192, had more wins for the Red Sox.

Stacy Wakefield died five months later of pancreatic cancer. She was 53 years old. They had been married since 2002 and had two children, Trevor and Brianna.

“For everyone who has had a chance to be around Timmy, the first question is ‘why?'” Millar said during the press conference at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. “How does a high school senior, his daughter, Brianna, lose her mom and dad within six months? Then Trevor, severely autistic, a wonderful child, loses his mother and father. What’s next?”

Former Red Sox shortstop Kevin Millar recalled Tim Wakefield’s all-around talent during the ACC Celebrity Golf Championship. (David Calvert/Getty Images)

Millar, who played for the Red Sox from 2003 to 2006, said the pain remains fresh. He recalled the emotional experience of attending the 2004 World Series Champions reunion at Fenway Park in April.

Millar said Brianna and Trevor attended what was otherwise a players-only meeting. In that setting, former outfielder Trot Nixon stood up and gave “an incredible speech.”

“He basically said this: ‘You have 17 to 20 fathers and uncles in this room. call me If they don’t answer, you call Mike Timlin, David Ortiz, Kevin Millar’ – it went down the list,” Millar said. “That’s the only way we can look at and deal with this kind of stuff when you’re talking about the children’s side and the family side, what’s next for them.”

Millar has played in the American Century Classic several times with Wakefield, who finished 24th in last year’s tournament. The first baseman/outfielder said the pitcher was good at everything, to an annoying degree.

“He dominated life,” Millar, 52, said. “He was a scratch golfer. He would go over that ball, hit it right up the middle, about 275 yards, with a little bit of par. Chips and putts. He always dressed perfectly. He read this book which I am still trying to read. … He taught me to play the guitar. Every night on the road, we’d bring our guitars—Bronson Arroyo, Tim, and me. I would learn D and C and G and A minor, and they play great stuff by the fire, from Metallica to Toby Keith to Alice in Chains.

“He was a great human being, a great man. He was more than a friend, he was family. Definitely a hard punch in the stomach.”

Mark Killen, senior vice president for American Century Investments, has become close to Wakefield over the years. During the announcement of the donation in their honor, he read from a note Stacy found after Tim’s death:

“Never forget where you came from. Be a mentor to others. You didn’t get to where you are today alone and no matter what status you achieve in life, you should take it upon yourself to help those who are less luckier than you.”

“This is Tim and Stacy Wakefield,” Killen said. “Just wonderful, caring and loving people.”

(Top photo: Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)