When Wade Boggs was plagued by allegations of getting monetary compensation for wearing Devil Rays cap on his HOF plaque

Wade Boggs is a 12-time All-Star third baseman. He had 3,010 hits, a.328 batting average, and a .415 on-base percentage by the end of his 18-year (1982–1999) major league career.

In 2,432 games, Boggs touched base safely in 85% of them. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

Boggs decided to wear a Boston Red Sox cap on his Cooperstown plaque in 2005 because he was drafted by Boston and stayed there for more than 16 years. Prior to playing his final two seasons with the expansion Devil Rays, he spent five seasons with the New York Yankees.

As such, rumors were rife that Boggs was getting monetary compensation from the Devil Rays owner in exchange for wearing the team's cap on his HOF plaque. Boggs, however, shot down these claims in a 2017 interview with CBS News:

"I think it came from when Jose Canseco said, 'If I get in the Hall of Fame, I'm going in as a Devil Ray,'" Boggs said. "And someone probably misconstrued that I said that and that Mr. (Vincent) Naimoli offered me a million dollars to be the first Devil Ray to go into the Hall of Fame, and that conversation never took place."

"I didn’t go in the HOF with the Devil Rays," he tweeted.

"That’s the thing you miss when you retire, the crowd. Great Red Sox alumni game." - Wade Boggs

Wade Boggs was known by many as "Chicken Man"

Boggs was called the "Chicken Man" by many due to his habit of eating chicken before every game. He admitted that this was one of many superstitions that he connected to his performances on game days.

Colorado Rockies v Boston Red Sox

Every day, Boggs would get up at the same time, practice hitting at exactly 5:17 p.m., and run sprints at precisely 7:17 p.m.

Boggs spent 11 seasons with the Red Sox, winning five batting titles. He spent five seasons with the Yankees, where he hit brilliantly (.313) and won two Gold Glove Awards in 1994 and 1995 at third base, making him the oldest non-pitcher to do so at 36.