Boggs felt like Tom Hanks in 'Cast Away' at Red Sox reunion

Wade Boggs may never become an Oscar winner, but that doesn't mean he can't feel like one.

The Boston Red Sox great, who's set to have his No. 26 retired by the club on May 26, compared his reunion with the franchise where he spent 11 seasons of his storied career to a certain celebrity's famous role.

"Right now I sort of feel like Tom Hanks in the movie 'Cast Away,'" Boggs told reporters Friday evening at the club's second annual Winter Weekend. "It's like I've been on an island for 20 years and they found me. So now I get to come home and enjoy the lobster, and I'm back in the Red Sox family. I'm back. It's great to be back. It's been nothing but huge, positive feedback all along."

An emotional Boggs told the crowd how much the day meant to him.

"Having a person's number retired is not a right, it's a privilege," he explained. "This is, other than the birth of my children and marriage to my wife, Debbie, the greatest day of my life."

Boggs, a five-time batting champion, believes the delay in retiring his number was a result of his bolting for the rival New York Yankees in 1993, which may have caused a rift between Boggs and the Red Sox.

"I'm sure that going to New York, and riding the horse, had something to do with it," Boggs said. "I never gave up hope."

The 12-time All-Star finished his career with an exceptional slash line of .328/.415/.443, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.