Famous godfather remained favorite subject for Foley
With all the power he amassed as a six-term congressman about to evaporate in a salacious scandal, US Representative Mark Foley wasted no time returning a reporter's phone call last week to conduct one of his last interviews before he resigned in disgrace.
The subject: Foley's godfather, former Red Sox star Jimmy Piersall.
It was 2:31 p.m. last Thursday, 35 minutes before ABC News posted a story on its website that signaled the Florida lawmaker's imminent demise: ``Sixteen-Year-Old Who Worked as Capitol Hill Page Concerned About E-Mail Exchange with Congressman."
The story indicated Foley knew trouble was coming, quoting his chief of staff portraying the allegation as part of ``an ugly smear campaign." But Foley betrayed no hint of anxiety as he reflected on his relationship with Piersall.
A Newton native, Foley, 52, is the son of a former Newton police officer, Edward Foley, who befriended Piersall during his stormy career with the Sox from 1950-58. Piersall, 76, suffered a psychiatric breakdown in 1952 that was immortalized in his biography and subsequent movie, ``Fear Strikes Out." And Piersall apparently needed the elder Foley's help on occasion.
``The story, as I remember it, is that they met in one of Jimmy's scrapes," Foley said in the interview. ``Dad would help him out of his little legal jams."
Piersall returned the friendship by becoming Foley's godfather. And Foley thanked Piersall in part by inviting him to the White House when the Sox were honored after they won the 2004 World Series. Foley met Piersall at a Washington airport and put him up at his home there overnight.
``It was a tremendous thrill for me," Piersall said of the White House visit.
When Foley introduced Piersall to President Bush, the president joked that he might one day ask Foley for a return favor.
``He said, `Now I know who I can go to for a vote,' " Foley recalled.
But after Bush told Piersall how much he once enjoyed watching him play, Piersall, as blunt and irreverent as ever, stunned Foley with his response.
``I like you, too," Piersall told the president, ``but I didn't vote for you."
``I was like, `Oh, God, please help me,' " Foley recalled.
Yet Foley publicly cited his relationship with Piersall as recently as four days before his resignation during a debate on the House floor over naming a post office in Wyoming for late Sox broadcaster Curt Gowdy.
In addition, Foley praised Piersall in the Globe interview for helping to ease the stigma of mental illness.
``He really contributed to society's understanding of mental illness and treatment, back in the day when mental illness was a real hush-hush situation," Foley said.
The congressman, who resigned the day after the interview, announced Monday he had checked into a rehab center ``for immediate treatment for alcoholism and other behavioral problems."
``I couldn't believe it," Piersall said. ``His mother, it must be killing her."
