Of all the opinions, emotions and hyperbole that bombarded Bruce Hurst around the time of his departure from the Red Sox, one incident sticks out in his mind.
"I got a real funny letter from a lady who said I was too sanctimonious, that I put myself above people," Hurst said. "I never did that. I never set myself up to be judge and jury."So, no, Bruce Hurst, a devoutly religious man, did not bolt by way of free agency, as is somewhat commonly believed, because he felt Boston had become a modern version of Sodom and Gomorrah in the wake of the Wade Boggs-Margo Adams scandal.
"I'm not going to move my family and make a decision based on someone else's lifestyle," Hurst said with an incredulous smile. "Besides, I know things go on in this world and that there's not a perfect place on this earth, anyway."
So, another Bruce Hurst myth crumbles, proving as feeble as so many others he's left in the ruins.
You remember the fallacies.
The quiet, mild-mannered man from St. George didn't have enough heart to succeed. Hurst, a left-hander, would never win in the little park with the big, reachable green wall. Hurst would not win once he left the comforting draft created by Roger Clemens.
No heart? Last year, Hurst followed 13 Red Sox losses and was 11-2. No Fenway victories? From 1986 to 1988, Hurst was 33-9 at Fenway; last season, he was 13-2 there. As for being overwhelmed by the leading role, Hurst is 4-2 with two complete games and a 3.58 ERA in San Diego. He's pitched into the seventh inning in seven of his eight starts, has held the league to a .218 batting average.
Those are numbers the pitching-thin Red Sox would welcome back in an instant. While they miss Wes Gardner and Oil Can Boyd, guaranteed, they miss Bruce Hurst more.
Hurst, of course, believes he could be doing better. He winces at the eight home runs he's allowed, five at home. "Jack Murphy (Stadium) is no day at the beach," Hurst said with a smile. "Some days I wish that wall were there."
Last season was full of good things. Hurst, bothered by a virus the first half, was 9-4 with a 4.60 ERA on July 27. From that point, Hurst was almost invincible, going 9-2 in 14 starts.
The poise, the skill seemed to mandate that Boston re-sign Hurst. The Red Sox did not, though. Undoubtedly, those with a rooting interest in the Red Sox still wonder why.
Hurst, a private man, says he honestly doesn't know if he could explain to Red Sox fans. It was hard enough to try to do with his close friends on the Sox team, conversations he said were accompanied by no small amount of tears. He still cares to this day, he insists.
Still, he left. And, still, revealing all the whys remains difficult. So Hurst keeps it simple, saying the decision was just a "culmination of a lot of things."
Some had to do with family. Hurst, his wife, Holly, and their three kids live in San Diego. And his family is in St. George, about 450 miles away. How important are his Utah roots? When Hurst said there's no perfect place on this earth, he quickly added that St. George comes close.
Money was important but not the deciding factor. The Red Sox and Angels both topped the three-year, $5.25 million Padres offer. But timing played a role. Hurst became increasingly uncomfortable with the soap opera surrounding his free agency.
Hurst enjoyed Boston, the city, the people. It's just that his outlook was a little different. "My perception of sports is that it's blown out of proportion. On every pitch, every game. Sports pages have bigger headlines than front pages."
So maybe one too many leather-lunged Fenway fans, one too many headlines screamed. There was a tenseness everywhere, from the press box, through the stands, down to the clubhouse. It never overwhelmed Hurst. "I could work there," he said. "I survived. I could have continued to survive."
But, after months of deliberation, he chose not to. When the pros favoring San Diego finally outweighed those for Boston, it was time to go.
"I'm happy," said Hurst. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I wasn't. But I did the right thing. I have no regrets."