By Chris R. Vaccaro
Sometimes the most meaningful moments in sports don’t happen on the field. Sometimes they happen in a crowded bar with just a few seconds to say hello.
I’m in Houston this week for the World Baseball Classic, embedded with Team Italy and the international game that continues to grow stronger every year. But in the middle of that, I experienced a moment that had been years in the making. It involved a Long Island legend.
Downtown Houston is home to Biggio’s Sports Bar, a massive watering hole inside the Marriott Marquis. As the name suggests, it belongs to Baseball Hall of Famer and Kings Park native Craig Biggio. I saw on social media that Biggio would be there doing a Q&A and meet-and-greet.
Normally, I wouldn’t read too much into fan events like that.
I’ve been fortunate in my career to meet many incredible people through storytelling, sports and journalism. Sitting in a bar listening to someone speak to a crowd usually isn’t high on my list of entertainment.
But Craig Biggio is different.
On my personal Long Island “influencer” list, he has long been one of my “white whales,” borrowing a page from Moby-Dick.
The Craig Biggio shrine, ahem, exhibit at Kings Park High School. (Credit: GLI/Mike White)
The other is Bridgehampton native and fellow Baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski. We’ll stick to sports here, but Jerry Seinfeld and Howard Stern aren’t far behind.
When I say I want to meet someone, I don’t mean a quick handshake or autograph. I mean a meaningful conversation. Maybe even the opportunity to work on something together that tells an important story about Long Island history.
I’ve tried for years with Yaz. He has been reluctant to return to his native Island, even after we invited him to the historical marker erected by the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame in his honor next to the field where he played at Bridgehampton High School. He’s getting older now, so I know that window may be closing.
Biggio, though, has always been another name I’ve circled.
As president of the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame, I’ve had the privilege of working with so many remarkable people. Through the Hall, I’ve inducted individuals like Bob Costas, Keith Hernandez, Linda Cohn and Ralph Macchio, among many others who have shaped sports and culture on Long Island.
Biggio was inducted into the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. I took over leadership of the Suffolk Hall in 2017, so I never had the opportunity to coordinate anything with him earlier.
But considering he is one of just two Baseball Hall of Famers from Long Island, he has always remained high on my list of people I hoped to connect with.
Everyone knows the story.
Biggio was a multi-sport standout at Kings Park and won the Hanson Award as Suffolk County’s best high school football player. He went on to play at Seton Hall before being drafted by the Houston Astros, where he spent his entire major league career from 1988 through 2007.
Seven All-Star appearances. Four Gold Gloves. Five Silver Sluggers. More than 3,000 hits. Eventually, his No. 7 was retired by the Astros.
Fun fact: His Suffolk Hall of Fame plaque is front and center in a showcase dedicated to him at Kings Park High School.
Yet somehow, through all these years in sports and media, I had never met him.
I’ve reached out before about bringing him back to Long Island, perhaps to Kings Park High School. I’ve even explored the possibility of a video or podcast conversation we could feature on the Hall of Fame’s platforms. Nothing ever materialized. Whether the Astros didn’t follow through or he simply wasn’t interested, it never came together.
Until this week.
I found myself at Biggio’s Sports Bar waiting patiently for his Q&A to wrap up. Eventually, a line formed for fans to say hello, and I quietly stepped into it. A few minutes later, I was shaking hands with Craig Biggio.
Chris R. Vaccaro and baseball legend Craig Biggio share a moment at Biggio’s Sports Bar in Houston. (courtesy photos)
Now, to be clear, I don’t get starstruck. But I am always grateful to be in the presence of someone who has represented Long Island at the highest level of the game we all love.
In many ways, I see myself as an ambassador of Long Island sports history. Through storytelling, projects and the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame, I try to help bridge generations while preserving the legacy of the players, coaches and teams who have shaped sports on this island since the late 1800s.
(If you’re wondering, organized sports here date back to 1884 with football at the now-defunct St. Paul’s School in Garden City.)
So when I stepped up to Biggio, I introduced myself simply.
“Hey, nice to meet you, I’m Chris from Long Island.”
His eyes lit up.
“Long Island!” he said. “You know the toughest thing about Long Island is getting off Long Island.”
I’ve had a couple of days to think about that statement.
Maybe he meant the traffic. Anyone who has sat on the Long Island Expressway knows that struggle.
Maybe he meant something deeper — how difficult it can be to leave a place that shapes your identity so strongly. Long Island has its own pace, its own personality, its own culture.
Or maybe he was just being sarcastic.
I didn’t ask. There were a lot of people behind me waiting for their turn.
Instead, I replied with something simple.
“I run the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame — you’re one of our inductees. I just wanted to say how proud we are of you and everything you’ve done representing Long Island at the highest level.”
His eyes lit up again.
“Wow, that’s really nice,” he said. “I appreciate that. And I appreciate all the work you do to keep the Hall of Fame alive with true meaning. Thanks for your hard work.”
Meaningful.
Check.
It was a brief interaction, but one that meant something.
Of course, I still hope someday we’ll find a way to bring Craig back to Long Island for a project, an event or a conversation about the incredible sports history of this island that helped shape him.
But for now, I’m grateful for the moment.
One white whale down.
Yaz, you’re up next.
Chris R. Vaccaro is president of the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame.
Top: Houston Astros special adviser Craig Biggio talks with former teammate New York Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus before a baseball game, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
Your Long Island news, delivered.
Subscribe to the GLI Newsletter — its free
Subscribe