Game 7 was over. So was one of the most memorable World Series ever played. As his Red Sox teammates began to vanish to the clubhouse that cool October night at Shea Stadium, Wade Boggs sat alone in the dugout.

Soon, the tears started rolling down Boggs' face as the Mets celebrated nearby on the field. For someone as focused and disciplined as Boggs was throughout his career, the image of him breaking down that night nearly 20 years ago remains vivid, mostly because it happened with Boggs in uniform.

"That was a tough year for me," Boggs said. "I had to deal with the death of my mother in June." Finally, in those moments right after the Mets' 8-6 win in Game 7, Boggs let his emotions run free.

"I knew I had to go home and I knew my mom wasn't going to be there," Boggs said. "There was no more baseball to keep me busy."

While the reality of that moment understandably overwhelmed Boggs, little else did during his 18-year career that will be celebrated this weekend when Boggs is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

For those who worked or played with Boggs, his methodical dedication to routine is nearly as famous has his batting stroke. They say that's how Boggs continued to put up amazing numbers at the plate -- Boggs hit .357 the season his mother was killed -- no matter the distractions.

"The difference between a good player and a great player is that a great player shows up every day," said Dwight Gooden, a fellow Tampa resident and teammate of Boggs with the Yankees in 1996-97. "I saw that in him. When it was time to work, he went to work."

Growing up in a military family helped Boggs develop into a routine-oriented person whose famous array of superstitions is well-documented. In return, that discipline allowed him to maintain his focus for an entire baseball season, a grinding 162-game odyssey that always has its share of ups and downs.

Looking back, it's difficult to imagine how Boggs was able to maintain such perfection-driven focus when you consider some of the distractions he dealt with, especially in the mid-to-late '80s.

The death of his mother, Sue, on June 17, 1986, was the most difficult to overcome. Boggs came home for "three or four days," then returned to Boston and helped the Red Sox win the AL pennant that fall.

Of course, Boggs was no stranger to controversy during his playing career.

In 1988, his former mistress, Margo Adams, filed a multimillion dollar palimony suit against him. Boggs eventually reached an out-of-court settlement. But during that tumultuous period in his life, Boggs made more headlines by talking about the affair during a Barbara Walters interview. Debbie, his wife, also appeared on the highly publicized interview with Walters. Boggs later discussed his personal life with talk-show host Geraldo Rivera during an episode on sex addictions, resulting in more tabloid drama.

Through it all, Boggs kept performing at the plate as if nothing was wrong, hitting .366 and winning his fifth batting title in 1988.

"A lot of these guys are colorful off the field," Boggs said during a teleconference last week about his off-the-field reputation. "You just live with it and go with it and let it fall where it may."

That's easier said than done, but somehow, Boggs was always able to forget about the distractions once he stepped onto the field. During spring training, Boston legend Johnny Pesky recalled how dedicated Boggs was to the game.

"You could depend on him every day," said Pesky, who would hit Boggs 150 balls a day when he was a Red Sox coach early in Boggs' career. "He could hit line drives in his sleep. He loved to work."

Another former Red Sox coach, Dick Berardino, managed Boggs when he at Single-A Elmira (N.Y.) in 1976 during Boggs' first professional season. While Boggs' .263 average that year did little to suggest he was headed to the Hall of Fame one day, Berardino was impressed by the Tampa kid's attention to detail.

"Wade was so regimented in what he did on a daily basis," Berardino said. "His dedication to the game was unbelievable."

Whether it was going onto the field at the same time every day to take ground balls, or refining his swing over and over until he felt it was right, Boggs maintained a regular intensity few have witnessed on an everyday basis at the ballpark.

Obviously, his ability to block out everything else once he arrived at the ballpark is an important part of him earning his spot in Cooperstown. Where did his unwavering work ethic come from?

"One of my biggest attributes is that I loved to prove people wrong," Boggs said. "I just had the intensity and the drive to say, come hell or high water, I was going to make it to the big leagues."

BOGGS COVERAGE

Today continues the Tribune's coverage of Wade Boggs, who will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

TODAY: Boggs' ability to overcome distractions.

THURSDAY: A look at the quiet town in upstate New York that is home to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

FRIDAY: Boggs and his love of the outdoors.

SATURDAY: Coverage from Cooperstown.

SUNDAY: Coverage from Cooperstown, plus a special section.

MONDAY: Coverage of the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.