Section 10 Podcast Episode 105: Andrew Frates
On Episode 105 of the Section 10 Podcast, we’ve got loyal Stoolie and the brother of the legend himself, Pete Frates. In our interview with Andrew, he confirms that Pete is in fact still alive, and how his sense of humor is still as great as it’s always been. From there we get into how much the Bruins, Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics have been so supportive of Pete from the jump.
Then we get into how fucked up the Mike Barnicle report of Pete’s death was, how Barnicle has a history of sketchy sourcing and making shit up, how Andrew’s met so many media members since Pete’s diagnosis but that he’s never met Barnicle and couldn’t even pick him out of a lineup, how Pete has used the false report as motivation to fight even harder, how the false report has helped generate more awareness and funds for ALS research, and how Pete got to see how some of his close friends reacted to thinking that he was gone.
We discuss the origin of the Ice Bucket Challenge, how the Bruins helped it go viral, how Julian Edelman and David Ortiz got on board early, how crazy it was to watch it blow up as quickly as it did, and which of those athletes and celebrities who did the Ice Bucket Challenge actually reached out to Pete personally.
Andrew describes how this all began, the night that Pete came home after his diagnosis and what he said to his family, and how each member of his family took on a specific role to help with Pete’s battle with ALS. He also shares that the the funds raised from the Ice Bucket Challenge helped develop a new drug to fight ALS, which is something the medical field hadn’t seen in over twenty years. Andrew reveals that Pete’s story is going to be released in book form in September, and the movie adaptation of Pete’s story isn’t far behind.
Then we get into how Pete’s relationship with Barstool started, how Pete started reading Barstool back in the newspaper days, how the owner of the Blue Ox in Lynn originally connected Pete to El Pres, how Dave’s friendship with Pete has humanized an otherwise polarizing figure, and Barstool’s involvement with events like the Plunge 4 Pete and Pints 4 Pete.
We talk about how the BC Baseball team has been supporting Pete since day one throughout the entire process, how well the team has been doing and how a new stadium is in the works. Andrew shares a story about how Pete discovered Chris Shaw, who was then recruited by BC and later drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the 2015 MLB Draft. Andrew also talks about how Curt Schilling was at the forefront of the fight against ALS and his relationship with Pete.
If you’d like to donate to help Pete’s fight against ALS, you can donate by clicking here. You can also pick out some gear on his online store and the proceeds go towards the same great cause.
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