---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Friends of mine said later that they had…"
description: "\"Friends of mine said later that they had been riveted by a postgame television close-up of Wade Boggs, sitting alone in the dugout with tears streaming..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/roger-angell-18160_bad-thing_friends-of-mine-said-later-that-they-had_651128.jpg"
---

#  Friends of mine said later that they had been riveted by a…

![“Friends of mine said later that they had been riveted by a postgame television close-up of Wade Boggs, sitting alone in the dugout with tears streaming down his face …. I suppose we should all try to find something better or worse to shed tears for than a game, no matter how hard it has been…” quote by Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/roger-angell-18160_bad-thing_friends-of-mine-said-later-that-they-had_651128.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/roger-angell-18160_bad-thing_friends-of-mine-said-later-that-they-had_651128.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/roger-angell-18160_bad-thing_friends-of-mine-said-later-that-they-had_651128.jpg)

> “Friends of mine said later that they had been riveted by a postgame television close-up of Wade Boggs, sitting alone in the dugout with tears streaming down his face …. I suppose we should all try to find something better or worse to shed tears for than a game, no matter how hard it has been played, but perhaps it is not such a bad thing to see that men can cry at all.”

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote reflects on how emotional displays in sports reveal humanity, suggesting that tears in competition can be a healthy release rather than weakness.

**In simple terms:** Sports can show deep emotion, not just competition.

Key Takeaway

Accept vulnerability as strength.

Themes

emotions humanity sports

Mood

reflective empathetic

Type

observational philosophical

When to use this quote

- watching games
- team bonding
- personal reflection
- mental health discussions

Key Concepts

masculinity emotional expression athletic culture

Questions to Reflect On

- How does public vulnerability affect team dynamics?
- What role do emotions play in personal resilience?

A Different Perspective

Some may view crying in sports as a sign of weakness, undermining perceived toughness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Sitting alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting-alone/) [Something better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something-better/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/)

## Related quotes

> [I put my heart, soul and tears into the game and this is what I get. I don't know what to do. My wife…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-dev/i-put-my-heart-soul-and-tears-into-the-game-and-this-is-what-i-get-i/)

[Kapil Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-dev/)

> [“Closing my eyes, I find green mountains and pure water within my own heart. Silently sitting alone and drinking tea, I feel these become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soshitsu-sen-xv/closing-my-eyes-i-find-green-mountains-and-pure-water-within-my-own/)

Soshitsu Sen XV

> [It is kind of lovely to be sitting alone, just thinking, very quiet, no one around. I don't feel alone or left out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-scully/it-is-kind-of-lovely-to-be-sitting-alone-just-thinking-very-quiet-no/)

[Vin Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-scully/)

> [“...the restaurant itself is weird especially because of a big raunch mad thicklipped sloppy young Fillipino woman sitting alone at the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-restaurant-itself-is-weird-especially-because-of-a-big-raunch-mad/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“I ordered a beer, opened the newspaper, and realized the light was all wrong for reading. Still, if you're a woman sitting alone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lutz/i-ordered-a-beer-opened-the-newspaper-and-realized-the-light-was-all/)

[Lisa Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lutz/)

> [“Who is happy sitting alone at home, reading a book, smiling like a lunatic? A WRITER.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-anske/who-is-happy-sitting-alone-at-home-reading-a-book-smiling-like-a/)

[Ksenia Anske](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-anske/)

> [ \[My father\] advised me to sit every few months in my reading chair for an entire evening, close my eyes and try to think… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-walter-alvarez/my-father-advised-me-to-sit-every-few-months-in-my-reading-chair-for/)

[Luis Walter Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-walter-alvarez/)

> [Pressure, to me, was creating a 'Star Wars' film, then sitting alone in a theater with George Lucas and showing it to him, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-filoni/pressure-to-me-was-creating-a-star-wars-film-then-sitting-alone-in-a/)

[Dave Filoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-filoni/)

> [Do you know what writing a book is? It's sitting alone in a room for weeks without making contact with another human. I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/do-you-know-what-writing-a-book-is-it-s-sitting-alone-in-a-room-for/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [Writing music and lyrics, you tend to become a control freak - sitting alone in your room with a bare light bulb over your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-robert-brown/writing-music-and-lyrics-you-tend-to-become-a-control-freak-sitting/)

[Jason Robert Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-robert-brown/)

> [If your heart takes more pleasure in reading novels, or watching TV, or going to the movies, or talking to friends, rather than just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-green/if-your-heart-takes-more-pleasure-in-reading-novels-or-watching-tv-or/)

[Keith Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-green/)

> [“She remembered when Will had died, her agony, the long nights alone, reaching across the bed every morning when she woke up, for eighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/she-remembered-when-will-had-died-her-agony-the-long-nights-alone/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [My overcoat is worn out my shirts also are worn out. And I ask to be allowed to have a lamp in the evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tyndale/my-overcoat-is-worn-out-my-shirts-also-are-worn-out-and-i-ask-to-be/)

[William Tyndale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tyndale/)

> [I enjoy writing rhymes and sitting alone in a room listening to beats. It's pretty amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-enjoy-writing-rhymes-and-sitting-alone-in-a-room-listening-to-beats/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [Sometimes I might go too far with the pretentious references, which I might not do again. But when you're writing, you're sitting alone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-michael-mcdonagh/sometimes-i-might-go-too-far-with-the-pretentious-references-which-i/)

[John Michael McDonagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-michael-mcdonagh/)

## More by Roger Angell

> [Losing is the bane and bugbear of every professional athlete's existence, but in baseball the monster seems to hang closer than in other sports,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/losing-is-the-bane-and-bugbear-of-every-professional-athlete-s/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [We are all writers and readers as well as communicators with the need at times to please and satisfy ourselves with the clear and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/we-are-all-writers-and-readers-as-well-as-communicators-with-the-need/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Life is tough and brimming with loss, and the most we can do about it is to glimpse ourselves clear now and then, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/life-is-tough-and-brimming-with-loss-and-the-most-we-can-do-about-it/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Our stories about our own lives are a form of fiction, I began to see and become more insistent as we grow older, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/our-stories-about-our-own-lives-are-a-form-of-fiction-i-began-to-see/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [“my favorite urban flower, the baseball box score”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/my-favorite-urban-flower-the-baseball-box-score/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Baseball’s absolute unpredictability makes amateurs of us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/baseball-s-absolute-unpredictability-makes-amateurs-of-us-all/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [This was a new recognition that perfection is admirable but a trifle inhuman, and that a stumbling kind of semi-success can be much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/this-was-a-new-recognition-that-perfection-is-admirable-but-a-trifle/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Baseball's time is seamless and invisible, a bubble within which players move at exactly the same pace and rhythms as all their predecessors. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/baseball-s-time-is-seamless-and-invisible-a-bubble-within-which/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [I felt what I almost always feel when I am watching a ballgame: Just for those two or three hours, there is really no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/i-felt-what-i-almost-always-feel-when-i-am-watching-a-ballgame-just/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [I don’t read Scripture and cling to no life precepts, except perhaps to Walter Cronkite’s rules for old men, which he did not deliver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/i-don-t-read-scripture-and-cling-to-no-life-precepts-except-perhaps/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Sports are too much with us. Late and soon, sitting and watching - mostly watching on television - we lay waste our powers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/sports-are-too-much-with-us-late-and-soon-sitting-and-watching-mostly/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [The press box at Wrigley Field in Chicago is an extended narrow shed, two rows deep, that is precariously bolted to the iron rafters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/the-press-box-at-wrigley-field-in-chicago-is-an-extended-narrow-shed/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [The great thing about catchers is that they do a lot of different things, and they're basically overlooked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/the-great-thing-about-catchers-is-that-they-do-a-lot-of-different/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Any baseball is beautiful. No other small package comes as close to the ideal design and utility. It is a perfect object for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/any-baseball-is-beautiful-no-other-small-package-comes-as-close-to/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Infield practice is more mystic ritual than preparation, encouraging the big-leaguer, no less than the duffer in the stands, to believe in spite of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/infield-practice-is-more-mystic-ritual-than-preparation-encouraging/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

[Explore all 35 Roger Angell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

## More Bad thing quotes

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/)

[Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/)

> [I think the people I talk about are generally so stupid that they don't even know I'm saying bad things about them. I've run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/i-think-the-people-i-talk-about-are-generally-so-stupid-that-they-don/)

[Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/)

> [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/)

[Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/)

> [I'm not going to pretend that bad things don't happen. I just hope my daughter has enough understanding that when they do, just give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/i-m-not-going-to-pretend-that-bad-things-don-t-happen-i-just-hope-my/)

[John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/)

> [I've heard some pretty bad things in my life. I'm just one of those people I've gotten to a point where I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-bush/i-ve-heard-some-pretty-bad-things-in-my-life-i-m-just-one-of-those/)

[Sophia Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-bush/)

> [Like everybody, you get nights where you feel completely depressed. You start thinking about all the bad things and think about the glass half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/like-everybody-you-get-nights-where-you-feel-completely-depressed-you/)

[Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/)

> [Be Thankful for all things in life. Even for the bad things. SOMETIMES the worst situations in life turn out to be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-thankful-for-all-things-in-life-even-for-the-bad-things-sometimes/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In my business, you should be very strong in mind. You have to be sure about yourself and about your work and your career,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irina-shayk/in-my-business-you-should-be-very-strong-in-mind-you-have-to-be-sure/)

[Irina Shayk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irina-shayk/)

> [“I don’t know why I latched onto the idea of being friends, but it sits right with my gut. I want Hartley in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-watt/i-don-t-know-why-i-latched-onto-the-idea-of-being-friends-but-it-sits/)

[Erin Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-watt/)

> [I'm just grateful to people who are willing to admit how bad things feel for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-m-just-grateful-to-people-who-are-willing-to-admit-how-bad-things/)

[Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/)

> [I love it when television is shot in a cinematic way and I think to aspire to that is no bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-rhys/i-love-it-when-television-is-shot-in-a-cinematic-way-and-i-think-to/)

[Matthew Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-rhys/)

> [“Dear Delphine, When you are older I want you to find Chinua Achebe. I want you to read Things Fall Apart. Don't be hardheaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-williams-garcia/dear-delphine-when-you-are-older-i-want-you-to-find-chinua-achebe-i/)

[Rita Williams-Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-williams-garcia/)

> [Lobbying is not a bad thing. I'm not trying to say that we shouldn't have lobbyists or we shouldn't have lobbying to petition our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/lobbying-is-not-a-bad-thing-i-m-not-trying-to-say-that-we-shouldn-t/)

[Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/)

> [In life, we don't know why things happen. I believe God is not responsible for the bad things that happen to you. Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-brannaman/in-life-we-don-t-know-why-things-happen-i-believe-god-is-not/)

[Buck Brannaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-brannaman/)

Browse all 2,889 Bad thing quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Friends of mine said later that they had been riveted by a postgame television close-up of Wade Boggs, sitting alone in the dugout with tears streaming down his face …. I suppose we should all try to find something better or worse to shed tears for than a game, no matter how hard it has been played, but perhaps it is not such a bad thing to see that men can cry at all.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roger Angell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/friends-of-mine-said-later-that-they-had-been-riveted-by-a-postgame/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bad thing"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/friends-of-mine-said-later-that-they-had-been-riveted-by-a-postgame/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/roger-angell-18160_bad-thing_friends-of-mine-said-later-that-they-had_651128.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/roger-angell-18160_bad-thing_friends-of-mine-said-later-that-they-had_651128.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/roger-angell-18160_bad-thing_friends-of-mine-said-later-that-they-had_651128.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Friends of mine said later that they had been riveted by a postgame television close-up of Wade Boggs…” — Roger Angell",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Roger Angell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Friends of mine said later that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/friends-of-mine-said-later-that-they-had-been-riveted-by-a-postgame/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/friends-of-mine-said-later-that-they-had-been-riveted-by-a-postgame/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
