Fred Lynn was a second-round pick of the Red Sox in 1973. The team allowed him to delay his pro career for a few weeks so he could play for Team USA against a team from Japan.
Lynn joined the Double A Bristol (Conn.) Red Sox in July and met the team’s 1971 first-round pick, fellow outfielder Jim Rice. They played together that summer at 4,500-seat Muzzy Field.
“We’ve been friends ever since,” Lynn, who was in Boston this past week to receive the Baseball Legacy Award at The Tradition, said. It was Rice who presented the award.
Read Peter Abraham has more from Lynn in the Sunday Baseball Notes at Globe.com/Sports. | 
