Ducks, fans honor Bud Harrelson with night to remember

The magic number for the Long Island Ducks is 3. That is the numeral Bud Harrelson wore as a Miracle Met and still wears as a Ducks coach. His jersey was officially retired Friday night in a moving ceremony that honored a man who, his daughter Kassie said, “would take the shirt off his back for almost anyone.”

It was all one huge “thank you” for the fellow who moved to Suffolk County on Opening Day 1969 and has remained ever since. Every Ducks player wore a purple uniform top with No. 3 and each shirt will be auctioned to help fight Alzheimer’s disease, with which Harrelson was diagnosed in 2016.

“I never thought I’d get something like that,” he said in an interview on the field with the “3” permanently affixed to a scoreboard stanchion in left-centerfield. “It’s usually for somebody big in baseball.”

What family, friends, elected officials and fans said by their cheers and presence was that the little former shortstop is as big a guy as you will find at a ballpark. They acknowledged the condition that is steadily eroding his memory, and assured him that he has created enough memories for a lifetime.

“Buddy is that guy who is as advertised. He has got that smile,” said Frank Boulton, the Ducks’ principal owner and Atlantic League founder. “He represents the game of baseball as well as any player who has ever put a uniform on.”

Harrelson, 74, walked to the middle of the infield — his home turf — arm in arm with his five children: Kimberly, Tim, Alexandra, Kassie and T.J. There, they joined a group including his ex-wife (and key caregiver) Kim, Congressman Peter King, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter, New Jersey Devils star Kyle Palmieri (Harrelson’s godson), Maxine Agee (widow of Mets teammate Tommie), Ducks manager Kevin Baez and the entire team.

Emcee Chris King listed Harrelson’s achievements: 16 major-league seasons, two All-Star Game appearances, a Gold Glove, and the distinction of having been the only one in uniform on both the 1969 and 1986 Mets championship teams.

Baez choked back tears as he recalled making his debut as a big-league player with the 1990 Mets and being welcomed “with open arms” by Harrelson, then his manager — and experiencing the same welcome from the same man when he joined the Ducks 12 years later. “Without Buddy, the face of the Long Island Ducks, I don’t know where this place would be,” Baez said.

This occasion was both very public and intensely personal. Harrelson, getting out the words as best he could after the ceremony, recalled urging politicians to build the ballpark for the Ducks. When he was asked to name the favorite part of this night, he said: “My kids. Oh, God, yes. All of them.”

Kassie, speaking on behalf of the family, told the crowd: “The man has signed so many baseballs, hats, tickets, programs, napkins that his autograph is worth about 7 cents. His generosity is beyond measure. Watching him go through this and seeing some of those parts of him start to disappear has been heartbreaking.”

Fans roared when she mentioned her dad’s famous scuffle with Pete Rose in the 1973 National League Championship Series, adding, “Alzheimer’s may be bigger than my dad and it may fight dirty, but he will never give up the fight.”

She and T.J. live with Harrelson in Hauppauge, helping him with simple functions such as tying his shoes. “I take it as a gift because with this disease, you never know how long you have with the people that you love,” she said in an interview later. “So every day that we get to spend with him is treasured.”

Harrelson treasured this night, even as he insisted he never considered himself big enough to have a “night.” Someone pointed out that he is big enough now to have something in common with another No. 3, Babe Ruth. Harrelson laughed and laughed, then said, “I’ve got to remember that one.”