FALMOUTH — Derek Lowe was answering a question about playing in the Drive Fore Kids golf event when he stopped midway through his answer.
There was a reason. A young fan needed his attention, first with a signature on one Red Sox team photo, and then on a second.
“You’ve got more? Atta boy!” said Lowe, the former Boston All-Star pitcher. “Do you know where I’m at in this one? I don’t either. Don’t feel bad.”
The boy left, but the line of fans had already built. Such is the nature of charity events like Thursday’s celeb-am at the Drive Fore Kids golf event at Falmouth Country Club. There are fans lining the holes, tee boxes and practice greens, eager to get a slice of a celebrity’s time.
And Lowe, for one, loves it.
Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Derek Lowe signs autographs Thursday at the Drive Fore Kids charity golf event at Falmouth Country Club. Drew Bonifant photo
“If I was a young kid (and) there was an event like this, if I was an 8- or 9-year-old kid, to go see some of the people that I looked up to, it would be amazing,” Lowe said. “It’s always such an honor that people still want your autograph. I’m 50 years old now and people still know who you are.”
That experience is at the heart of the Drive Fore Kids tournament, which continues through Saturday. The celeb-am Thursday gave sponsors and people making a $6,500 donation to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital an opportunity to play a round with one of the celebrities. Fans get the chance to interact with stars they’ve watched play or perform, and the celebrities are happy to indulge them.
“You get to know people you wouldn’t otherwise know,” said Ronde Barber, a former All-Pro cornerback and a 2023 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “I think that’s one of the best things about pro-ams and events like this leading up to a bigger event. The people that put the money behind this get to hang out with somebody that maybe they admired when we were in our playing days, and the networking aspect of it is also very good.”
Kathryn Tappen, a sportscaster for NBC Sports, has covered the NHL, Olympics and Notre Dame football, but also became a familiar face regionally when she worked for NESN.
“When I’m at these events, I really do enjoy talking to people. I love that people are interested in what I do,” she said. “I’ve only been here for about half an hour, and I’ve already gotten asked four times about the Boston Bruins. I can tell that’s going to be a hot topic. … They’ll ask ‘What’s this person like in person?’ “What’s Big Papi like in person?’
“There’s just so much positive energy at these events. I love it.”
Sometimes, the questions from fans are just what one would expect.
“(I get) ‘Do you mind if I still call you Frisco?’ ‘What were bed scenes like on Melrose Place?'” said actor Jack Wagner. “‘Do you color your hair, because you look like you really haven’t aged.’ Just those simple things.”
Sometimes they aren’t. Sterling Sharpe, for instance, wasn’t asked about his five Pro Bowls, or setting the NFL single-season receptions record, or being inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
“(There were) no football questions, which was really fun. We just talked about golf, the golf course, a lot of the guys I played with are members here,” Sharpe said. “I had a great group of guys. We enjoyed ourselves. I don’t know what we shot or where we finished, but it was a good time.”
Some fans didn’t have to ask for the stories. Rod Grant, a 67-year-old former FedEx employee from Brewer, played with Olympic hockey hero Mike Eruzione in the morning. Did he have to ask him about playing for Herb Brooks or stunning the Soviets?
“I didn’t have to ask him. He told us,” Grant said. “He’s very good that way, he’s very open. It was like we were hanging out with one of our buddies at the golf course, it was very surreal. … It’s very humbling, for a guy like me. It was a blast. And he’s an ordinary guy, too.”
For the celebrities, telling the stories fans want to hear are often their favorite ones to tell.
“(The) ’04 (season), ’04, ’04, ’04 and more ’04. That sums it up,” Lowe said with a laugh when asked about his conversations with fans. “It goes to show you how much that team meant to a lot of people. We’re 19 years removed from that, and people still want to talk about it. I understand why.”
The celebrities played to the fans they weren’t playing with as well. Roger Clemens signed autographs and took pictures between holes. Lowe chatted with fans walking up to the first tee box. Eric Weddle pulled up his shirt sleeve, showing the scar from surgery on his torn pectoral after the Super Bowl in 2022.
Kevin Millar was just as lively with the crowd, many of whom likely cheered him on during his days not only with the Red Sox, but with the Portland Sea Dogs.
“He immediately walked in, shook our hands, talked to us. Just a fun guy to play with, cracking jokes,” said Alex Runser, 27, of Portland. “You meet a celebrity sometimes, you expect them to be a little hesitant. He immediately walked right up to us, greeted us and honestly had more energy than we did. … The man really brought it.”
It’s a commitment. But for many celebrities, engaging with the fans is something they’ve come to enjoy.
“It’s so fun to talk to people about the stories,” Lowe said. “It’s a great event, great cause. We’re lucky to be here.”
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