I have a dream... that Boston fans would have better perspective

Last night was a great tribute to Nomar Garciaparra... someone whom I have already saluted on the blog.



It was wonderful to see whatever ill will existed 5 or 6 years ago between management and Nomar has been put aside to remember what a terrific Red Sox player he was.



But of course it is Boston... the city of my youth... and these are Red Sox fans... and I am one of them... and someone HAS to say something nuts.





And that person would be this lady, who appears in a Boston Globe video posted by Dirt Dog guru Steve Silva.



She compares the night that Nomar got traded to one of those days you all remember like "when Martin Luther King got shot."



I'm just glad they cut away before she took the analogy further. "And you know Dr. King died defending racial justice and Nomar was traded and it lead to the Sox winning the 2004 World Series... so he sacrificed himself for a greater good. I just can't figure out who was more noble."



It's one of those moments where I can't figure out if I am proud or ashamed to be a Sox fan. I guess a funny combination.



Here's her clip... it's right after the band plays up top.

Fare thee well, Nomar

So Nomar did indeed call it quits, and I am glad he did it in someways on his terms.

Sure I bet he still wants to play... but at least he doesn't spend the rest of 2010 and 2011 going from team to team, breaking down more and more.

So he gets to retire as a member of the Red Sox... which is how he should be remembered.

I saluted Nomar this offseason and I stand by praise.

So good luck No-Mah! The memories of the great years should overshadow any negative episodes towards the end.

Now good luck on ESPN.

Sully Baseball Salutes NOMAR GARCIAPARRA

I have a hunch that Nomar Garciaparra has probably played his last game in the big leagues.

He hit for a decent average last year in Oakland, but with very little power and he of course got hurt. And he can't play the field.

I can't speak for every GM, but I can't imagine too many wish lists include "A punchless injury prone DH... who is right handed."

So his 13+ year career is probably kaput... his final game was on October 4 (my anniversary) in a 5-3 A's loss to the Angels.

Nomar went 2-3 with a run scored and struck out in the 8th in his final at bat.

Kind of anti climactic, huh?

Every year the free agent market plays a very cruel trick on a number of players. Their contract runs out and they see other players sign with other teams... and like a brutal game of musical chairs, spring training rolls along without an invitation.

And they find out their career has ended because nobody wanted to sign them. No farewell tour. No bows. Just a phone that doesn't ring.

Last year players like Ray Durham found themselves scrambling for a seat.

The year before Kenny Lofton and others saw productive careers unceremoniously end.

Even Hall of Famers like Rickey Henderson and Steve Carlton saw their careers just fade away, and not on their terms.

And now it seems like Nomar is the latest player whose career will probably end because nobody wanted him.

But let's not forget how great Nomar was...
For 6 out of his 7 full seasons in Boston he looked like he was going to be one of the great figures in Red Sox history.

He came out of the gates blasting, hitting a homer in his first at bat as a call up in 1996.
He was the 1997 AL Rookie of the Year and with Mo Vaughn put together an MVP caliber 1-2 punch that looked like it was the foundation of a potential World Series winner.

In 1998 he was the runner up to Juan Gonzalez for MVP. His power blossomed. His OPS soared to .946. His average finished off at .323 and was a 35 homer 122 RBI guy.

And in the playoffs, he homered 3 times in 4 games,driving in 11 and posted a slugging percentage of 1.000 in the Sox loss to the Tribe.

In 1999 the Sox were supposed to take a big step back when Mo Vaughn left for the Angels. But Nomar (and Pedro) carried the team on their backs. Nomar became a batting champ and continued to put up power and run producing numbers. His OPS rose to 1.022 and again he produced big in the Division Series and also the ALCS against the Yankees.

In 2000 he won another batting title and was intentionally walked a league leading 20 times.

At that point he was approaching legend status.
His first name was a rallying call for Red Sox fans. Just scream "No-MAH!" and you knew you were amongst friends.

As if his first name wasn't enough of a challenge for Native New Englanders, try Gah-Cee-Ah-Pah-Rah!

He was the heart throb before Johnny Damon (and the pink hats) started showing up.

He was the Red Sox answer to the shortstop debate of the late 1990s/early 2000s. Jeter was the winner, A-Rod the best all around player, Vizquel the best defender... but Nomar was the best hitter.

And he got what it meant to play for the Red Sox. He got close with Ted Williams, knowing that if all went well, number 5 would hang on the right field facade.

When he came back from a injury plagued 2001 season to regain his All Star stroke in 2002, it looked like he was going to lead the Sox to the promise land... especially after the Yawkey family finally gave up control of the team. In fact going into the last month of 2003, Nomar seemed like as good a choice as any for AL MVP... and the team looked destined to win the AL Pennant.

If you stopped time right there in September of 2003 and I told you the Red Sox were going to win the World Series in 2004 and 2007, you would only assume that Nomar was not only going to be on the team... but be one of the heroes.

If I told you that the trading away of Nomar was going to be the turning point of the 2004 season for the better because injuries, the botched trade of Nomar in the off season and his souring attitude made dealing him imperative, you'd commit me to an insane asylum.

If I told you then that he had only one All Star caliber year left in him... and that would be as a first baseman for the Dodgers in 2006, you would say "Yeah right. And Johnny Damon is going to the Yankees!"

Alas Nomar won't be among Yaz, Williams or Rice.

His legacy will be more like Fred Lynn or his teammate Mo Vaughn... an MVP while with the Red Sox but whose post Boston career literally limped along with injuries.

His timing is along the lines of Don Mattingly, who missed one Yankee World Series run by a year at the start of his career and missed another by a year at the end of his career.

So let's forget all of that now.

Let's just go back and remember Nomar right up until his slump at the end of 2003...
Let's freeze him in time and remember the charismatic player who wanted to win in Boston so badly.

If his career is over, I hope Francona hires him as a coach. If the Sox ever win another World Series, it would be nice for him to be on the field as a champion.

And maybe he and Mia can have a boy one of these days that the Sox could sign.

But don't think of him sulking in the dugout while Jeter flew into the stands in 2004.

Think about the post season homers and the clutch hits.

And think of those crazy tics and rituals in the batters box, tapping his feet and pulling at his gloves.

Come on... you used to imitate him. Admit it.

The Red Sox need an identity for the new decade

As some one who grew up reading Dan Shaughnessy's columns in The Boston Globe and who has gained what little popularity I have from the HBO Series loosely based on Shaughnessy's book, I probably shouldn't disagree with the red headed one too often.

But I take issue with HIS taking issue with this being a bridge season for the Red Sox.

IT IS A BRIDGE SEASON!

Why not admit it?

The Red Sox are in a transition... not a major rebuilding plan, but in a transition where they are more than just one big signing away from winning the whole kit and the kaboodle as well.

I do not want to see them just plugging holes with too many veterans that don't fit, chasing after their tail like the Yankees did from 2005-2008.

But I've said that before.

I do know what I want the Red Sox to do, and it has NOTHING to do with Jason Bay... or Adrian Gonzalez... or even Roy Halladay.

The Red Sox have lost their identity offensively.

They were the Papi and Manny show. Well Papi is a shell of his former self and even though Theo seems hell bent on acquiring everyone ELSE named Ramirez, Manny is long gone and his replacement Bay looks gone too.

Now Pedroia, Youk and Victor Martinez all make for an OK lineup... and maybe even one that could win another wild card. But they need a new identity.

And I do not know the names of the guys who will be that new identity.

One is a terrific left handed hitter.
The other is a fearsome right handed hitter.

And preferably they are two guys will either be a product of the Red Sox farm system or be plucked from another organization and use up their rookie eligibility in a Sox uniform.

Think about the great combinations the Red Sox have had since the franchise was revived in 1967.

Tony Conigliaro and Carl Yastrzemski...
This would have been the most beloved 1-2 punch in Red Sox history had Jack Hamilton's pitch not hit Tony C in the face.

As it was, the two had a few terrific years together with Yaz providing the all around offense and Tony C smacking the home runs and making the hearts flutter.




Fred Lynn and Jim Rice...

Both could have been the MVP in 1975 or in 1979 (Lynn won it in 1975.)
Rice WAS the MVP in 1978.

I can not recall a better 1-2 tandem of home grown players who emerged at the same time as these two. A new Lynn-Rice for the 2010s would be the greatest thing to happen to Red Sox Nation since Dave Roberts' steal.

(Isn't it odd that the Red Sox amidst the Yawkey years held onto RICE and not Lynn?)



Wade Boggs and Jim Rice...

It's funny. I originally felt apologetic about including these two. But why? They are both Hall of Famers... and they gave the Red Sox a righty-lefty threat that was quite unique. Twice when Jim Rice was a top 5 finisher for the MVP, Boggs won the batting title and led the league in on base percentage in the same year.

Plus had Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell, Ray Knight or Mookie Wilson made an out in the 10th inning of Game 6, then THEY would have been the ones to have lifted the Curse!



Mike Greenwell and Ellis Burks...

Granted the least sexy of the lefty-righty tandems. But Burks was a solid all around offensive player who continued to produce long after the Red Sox dumped him. (He came back to earn a ring with the 2004 squad.) And Mike Greenwell may not have been a Hall of Famer like Williams, Yaz or Rice... but he gave the Red Sox 9 full seasons in left, hitting .295 or better in 8 of those seasons, had some decent pop and was runner up to Jose Canseco in the 1988 MVP vote.


Mo Vaughn and Nomar Garciaparra

Doesn't it seem like they had more than 2 full seasons together? They were a perfect duo. Vaughn, the big lovable lug from Connecticut who was beloved by the fans and helped ease the Red Sox terrible reputation with African American players... but also could launch homers that just towered into the bullpen and be a .300 hitter and a top 5 MVP finisher 3 times. (Yeah he won the MVP in 1995... but Albert Belle should have won it.)

And Nomar, whose name became a rallying cry, was the 1997 Rookie of the Year his first full season with Vaughn and the MVP runner up his second and final year with Vaughn. When Vaughn left it broke up the tandem that seemed destined to break the curse.


David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez

Ahhh the ones who DID break The Curse. And we now know they weren't just eating Wheaties either.

But for those magical 5 1/2 seasons, there was no middle of the order that spelled doom faster than Papi and Manny. Papi brought the best out of Manny and Manny made sure Papi saw some fast balls to hit!

Papi had 5 straight top 5 MVP finishes in that run and Manny had 3 top 10 MVP finishes in the same 5 year run.



And you will note that with the exception of Papi and Manny, they were all products of the Sox farm system. And only Manny was a player of note before coming over.

These were hitters who played either their whole career as a Red Sox hitter or at least played their prime years in Fenway.

I am not talking about importing Adrian Gonzalez or Matt Holliday and seeing them break down in a Red Sox uniform or not fit in to the crazy Boston sports culture.

We need to develop our own... and then use the Red Sox resources to keep them around. They way that Pedroia, Youkilis, Lester, Ellsbury, Papelbon and hopefully Buchholz, Bard and Bowden will be Red Sox for a long long time.

The time has come for the next great 1-2 punch in Red Sox history... and until then we are on a bridge.

Let's hope this bridge is built quicker than the Big Dig!

THAT'S ENOUGH, NOMAR!

Hey Nomar...

I asked Red Sox fans to give you a standing ovation... and they did.

And I'm you expressed a sadness that you never got to say good bye to the fans of New England.

But NOBODY asked you to get an RBI single and help the A's beat the Red Sox.

Seriously... knock it off.

Red Sox fans... let's see a very long ovation for Nomar

Seriously... I want a very long standing overation.

Yeah I know it didn't end well... but he played his guts out for the Red Sox (OK, except for that game in Yankee Stadium.)

He loved being a part of the Red Sox.
He got it.

He just never got a ring.

Get on your feet, Sox fans.

Nomar's name was a rallying cry.
Do it again!

NO-MAHHHHHH!

Dodgers addition through subtraction

There are so many factors to why the Dodgers are off to such an amazing start and could have this division sewn up by the All Star Break.

There is the Manny Ramirez factor.

There is Joe Torre's steady guiding hand.

There is the line up filled with solid young players and veterans like Casey Blake and Orlando Hudson.

There are the dynamic young pitchers.

But I also wonder how much the purging of some veterans may have helped too.

Nobody on the planet seems to like Jeff Kent and the team played so much better last year when he was hurt.  

It pains me to say it because he played his butt off for the Red Sox, but Nomar Garciaparra had become dead weight on the Dodgers team. 

And Brad Penny didn't seem to be worth more than his last name in the clubhouse.

And, along with Luis Gonzalez, were evidently the main veteran players, who created the us versus them mentality with the young players during the 2007 season... with Grady Little in charge.

Now all of the veterans who brought tension to the clubhouse have been purged and the result is baseball's first 20 win team, the best home start since the 1911 Detroit Tigers and what could be a waltz to the NL West title.

Hmmm.

The Red Sox dump Nomar and they win the World Series.

The Dodgers don't resign Nomar and they get off to a blistering start.

Maybe the A's should dump Nomar.

No Way for No-Mah

The other day Nomar Garciaparra signed with the A’s… before the Yankees found out they needed a third baseman.

Fellow Red Sox fans, don’t think for a nanosecond that the Yankees wouldn’t have made overtures to Nomar to fill in. They like former Red Sox icons and Nomar would only have to be a place filler.

I would like to thank the big Red Sox fan in the sky for sparing us the sight of Nomar in pinstripes and hearing him talk about how he's always loved the tradition of the Yankees.

Reunions? There are lots of ex Red Sox out there... should any come back?

I had used The Godfather reference when saying Theo Epstein is as sentimental as Michael Corleone during the baptism.

Well, referring to the Corleones, I guess I am more like Vito.
Remember when he said to The Turk "I have a sentimental weakness for my children and I spoil them as you can see"?

That's how I feel about the Red Sox and their players.

I tend to be sentimental and want them to return... even if letting some go turned out to be the best in the long run.

Well this year's free agent class has a lot of old friends available.
Let's see who should come back...

PEDRO MARTINEZ
You'll find no bigger Pedro fan than me.
Lest we forget for 7 seasons how much excitement there was every time he took the mound.
Remember how he pitched with such a fun cockiness and a flair for the dramatic.
Yeah he was a prima donna... but he was OUR prima donna! And guys like that are fun when they are winning games for your team!
Nobody wanted him signed to a long term contract more than me (and I think that cost the Red Sox a division title in 2005.)

But in the end after 4 seasons, he gave the Mets 1 good one.
And this past season he was worthless for the Mets... finishing 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA lasting 5 1/3 innings a start.

I love Pedro, but I also love that the last image we have of him pitching in a Red Sox uniform is throwing 7 shutout innings in game 3 of the 2004 World Series and not being lit up and released.

VERDICT: DON'T BRING HIM BACK



DEREK LOWE

Remember at the end of Annie Hall when Alvy remembers all the good times with Annie? That's all he can recall. And he doesn't remember the arguing, the break ups and the misery.

That's the Red Sox fan relationship with Derek Lowe.
Yeah we remember him being an All Star reliever in 2000 and throwing a no hitter and starting the 2002 All Star Game.
We remember him coming out of the bullpen and closing out the 2003 Division Series against the A's.
We remember his heroic 2004 playoffs where we won all 3 clinching games, including 6 innings of 1 hit ball on two days rest in Yankee Stadium and then winning the World Series clincher in St. Louis.

What we forget is his pitching so badly in 2001 it took the Red Sox out of the playoff chase and essentially got Jimy (sic) Williams fired.

We forget his going 0-2 in the 2003 ALCS against the Yankees.
We forget his pitching so badly down the stretch for the 2004 Red Sox that Francona took him out of the rotation.
We forget what Bill Simmons dubbed "Derek Lowe face"... that psychotic meltdown expression that gave Red Sox fans as much confidence in Lowe as Lex Luthor had for Otis.

Let's keep the memories good ones.
LA DEE DA.

VERDICT: DON'T BRING HIM BACK


KEVIN MILLAR

Innnnnteresting.
The stupid frat boy spirit of the Red Sox hasn't been the same since Millar was sent packing after the 2005 playoffs.
I know... boo hoo. We Red Sox fans had only a World Series title and another trip to the ALCS to comfort us.

But there is something to be said for Millar's prescience on the team.
AND if Lowell is hurt and slow to come back, why not move Youk over to third, recall Lars Anderson and have him platoon with Millar.

Let's face it, Millar will have a career at NESN and get standing ovations for the rest of his life in Boston.
He might be like Remy in terms of being a beloved funny figure in Red Sox history.

Why not take a flier?
The worst thing that happens is you have him in the clubhouse.

VERDICT: SIGN HIM TO A ONE YEAR DEAL





DOUG MIENTKIEWICZ

The guy did what everyone in New England wait their whole lives for:
He recorded the putout that won a World Series for the Red Sox.

And then inexplicably was given sh-- from Red Sox fans for not giving the ball back right away. No wonder people hate Red Sox fans.

The potential slow recovery of Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis' ability to play third makes a player like Mientkiewicz interesting.
He still has a solid glove at first and his .277 average each of the last two seasons shows he isn't a 100% automatic out.

If the Sox decide against Millar, what would be the harm of having a solid glove off the bench?

VERDICT: INVITE HIM TO SPRING TRAINING. MAKE HIM RETURN THE BALLS USED DURING INFIELD PRACTICE



ORLANDO CABRERA

There's something we don't know about Orlando Cabrera.
He came to the Red Sox in the Nomar trade... played great defense, fit in perfectly in the clubhouse, had a terrific playoff, seemed to love Boston... and they let him go.

I refuse to believe it was just because Theo was enamored with Edgar Renteria. He must have done something or said something.

Either way, the contract that he should have signed with the Red Sox is up... and for what the Red Sox spent on Renteria and Lugo, they could have had Cabrera this whole time.

Oh well. Either way, the shortstop job is Jed Lowie's now.
Cabrera will have to be content with standing ovations the rest of his life.

VERDICT: DON'T BRING HIM BACK



NOMAR GARCIAPARRA

Remember him?
The guy who was the face of the franchise from 1997 until the middle of the 2004 season?

Remember his 6 MVP caliber seasons?

Remember how his very name (plus the accent) became a rallying cry?

Man he had Don Mattingly's luck in terms of getting to the World Series.

Like Fred Lynn, his Hall of Fame career has been derailed by injuries while on the West Coast.
He can play first, however.
And while I prefer Millar as a part timer, it might be nice to see Nomar's saga in Boston have a happier ending.

VERDICT: WAIT AND SEE... KEEP HIS NUMBER HANDY





GABE KAPLER

The Red Sox made Kapler manager of the Greenville Drive in 2007 only to see him return as a player in 2008 with Milwaukee.
I was as surprised as anyone.

From all accounts he is a great teammate and managerial material.
Not sure what he offers as a player anymore.


VERDICT: THE MANAGER OF YOUR LOWELL SPINNERS!


TROT NIXON

Trot has expressed interest in returning to Boston after a year in Cleveland and a kind of sad cameo with the Mets.

I'm sure he might come back but at this point, he isn't worth much in the field and his bat has slowed down.
(Funny... another power hitter from the late 1990s/early 2000s whose bat has slowed down... I wonder why).

I guess the Red Sox could use a left handed bat off of the bench.
Even if he makes the team, I don't see him making it through the year.
Maybe he just wants to retire as a Red Sox.

VERDICT: SIGN HIM TO A MINOR LEAGUE CONTRACT AND INVITE HIM TO SPRING TRAINING



ERIC GAGNE

Ha!
Just checking to see if you were reading.

Tom Doyle sang is best with the Eric Gagne Song.


VERDICT: FORCE HIM TO GIVE HIS RING TO YAZ



ALAN EMBREE

The man who got the last out against the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS is out there...
A man who has worn 9 uniforms and played in the post season for 5 different franchises in his 15 year career.

It didn't end well in Boston for Embree as he was cut midway through a dreadful 2005 campaign and was picked up by the Yankees.

There's water under the bridge and a bullpen to shore up, and you never know which set up man is going to be effective.

VERDICT: INVITE HIM TO SPRING TRAINING



KEITH FOULKE

Seriously, of all the heroes of the 2004 post season, Foulke is by far the most underrated.
The guy basically risked his career by giving the Red Sox everything he had and then some.

With the Red Sox on a verge of being swept, he saved the day in game 4, throwing 2 2/3 shut out innings allowing the Sox to go to extra innings where they won it on Papi's homer.

The next day he pitched another 1 1/3 shut out ball, setting up the 14 inning win. The day after that, he threw a shut out ninth to send the series to game 7. Without his heroics, there is no Roberts slide, there is no Papi homers, there is no bloody sock, there is no A-Rod slap.

And then gave Red Sox fans the highlight we all imagined but were never sure if it was going to come true: A World Series clincher.

The fact that it ended bitterly at all is disgraceful.

That being said, he had a mediocre year in Oakland and doesn't look like he has much left.

VERDICT: DON'T SIGN HIM... BUT SOX FANS NEED TO GIVE HIM A STANDING OVATION ANY TIME HE COMES TO FENWAY



MANNY RAMIREZ

Oh, was I supposed to ignore Manny?
Remember him?

Yeah I know it ended really badly.
Like REALLY badly.

But call me a sentimental old fluff... but I'd still have him back.
I know it isn't happening, but I'd hate to see the MVP of the 2004 World Series as a villain.

Maybe he can play first!
(Come on... that would be fun!)

VERDICT: OH COME ON! IT'S MANNY!!!! LET'S BRING HIM BACK!

So there you have it...
Maybe some of them will be back, or maybe Theo will continue to have ice water in his veins.
Heck.
It's worked so far.

I'm sorry dad... but GO DODGERS!

My dad is as big and passionate Giants fan as you will ever meet.
How passionate is he? When we were reading the sports section this weekend, he was breaking down why he still thinks the Giants have a shot.

THIS YEAR!!!

It is late August, the Giants are 19 games back in the loss column, and my dad is not prepared to wave the white flag.

Well it pains me to tell me dad… and my many other Giant fan friends… that the entire staff of Sully Baseball has unanimously decided to root for the Dodgers in the NL West.

And I would argue that all Red Sox fans should do the same.
Let me count the ways

1. Nomar deserves our love.

Yeah it ended badly, but he played his butt off when he was with the Red Sox and carried the offense alone some years. He was the Fred Lynn of the 1990s and 2000s… a Hall of Fame caliber player derailed by injuries who saw only flashes of brilliance when sent off to his native Southern California.

It would be nice to see Nomar back in the playoffs.



2. Manny deserves our love.


Yeah it ended REALLY badly and maybe there isn’t enough distance from the nasty split. But come on! He was a great player for 7 and a ½ seasons in Boston and lest we forget he was the 2004 World Series MVP! That should buy a lot of love.

Plus it would be worth seeing him in the playoffs if for no other reason than to see if he tries to take a leak in the bullpen during pitchers warm ups.

3. Derek Lowe deserves our love

Yeah it ended badly… no wait it didn’t! It ended wonderfully!
It ended with Lowe winning the clinching game of the Division Series, ALCS and World Series in 2004.

He should be worshipped (and the fact that he blew tons of games as a reliever and pitched himself out of the regular season rotation in 2004 should be long forgotten)

4. The Grady factor

There are still people who think Grady Little got a raw deal in Boston. Last year’s Dodger club house which resembled Lord of the Flies should have put that to rest. But seeing them go to the post season AFTER Grady left should finally put that
nonsense to bed.

Speaking of the manager…



5. Yankee schadenfreude

Come on Yankee haters!

What would be more glorious than seeing the Yankees miss the playoffs all together? How about Joe Torre leading the Dodgers TO the playoffs! Get the Yankee second guessing machine going. Get Hank Steinbrenner to think they made a huge mistake.

And know Joe would be laughing his classy ass off.

Instability in Yankee land gave us the 1980s and early 1990s when the Yankees spent every October playing golf from 1982 to 1993.

6. You can’t POSSIBLY want to see Arizona

For Christsake, even the people of Arizona don’t want to see Arizona in the playoffs!










7. More Awkward Celebrity Sightings

Besides John McCain, who the hell are you going to see at a Diamondbacks game? And I think he is going to be a smidge busy this October. Plus with all of his houses, who knows where he is actually staying these days.

Fox can send their entire fall line up to sit in Dodger Stadium. Awkward to be sure… but what if you saw the dude from Hell’s Kitchen hit by a foul ball? Come on that would be good TV!





8. It’s more convienent for me!

I just got a place which is a 10 minute drive to Dodger Stadium.
I want to be able to see some playoff games live!

(OK, I confess, that one was more for me.)

That sound you heard was Jason Varitek gulping

Why is the captain gulping?

Because he knows his contract is up...
And, despite an insane All Star selection, he is having a rotten year at the plate.

He wants a contract extension.
He wants to come back and remain being the captain of the Red Sox.

And he knows he has a GM who is as sentimental as Michael Corleone at the Baptism.

Manny Ramirez... 2004 World Series MVP... Hall of Famer... minute it helped the team for him to be gone, off he goes.

Johnny Damon... the face and the sex symbol of the 2004 champs... gone.
Pedro Martinez... the maestro ace whose acquisition in 1998 changed the face and direction of the team... gone.
Nomar Garciaparra... whose very name became a Massachusetts accented rallying cry... gone.

And the Red Sox won a World Series without Damon, Pedro and Nomar...


No doubt the negotiations will unfold like Tessio's last moments with Tom Hagen.
"Theo... can't you let me off the hook? For old time's sake."
"Can't do it Tek."

Take a good look at him, Sox fans.
He's as good as gone.

And the Sox will do fine.

I'm no GM

Hey Red Sox fans…
You should be very happy that your friend Sully is NOT the GM of the Boston Red Sox.

That thought crossed my head when I saw Jacoby Ellsbury make a diving catch to preserve Jon Lester’s no hitter.

Had I been in charge, Ellsbury and Lester would be playing for the Minnesota Twins in the Johan Santana trade.

And I also thought back remembering that I would have signed Nomar Garciaparra to a long term deal…

Same with Pedro Martinez…

Same with Johnny Damon…

Same with Orlando Cabrera…

Now granted, I STILL think the Cabrera signing would have been solid.
Having him at short instead of Renteria in 2005, Alex Gonzalez in 2006 and Julio Lugo last year and this year would have been as good and less expensive… but I digress.

We’d be saddled with long term contracts with broken down untradable talent while sacrificing the future.

In other words, the Red Sox would look a lot like the Yankees wondering what the hell they are going to do with the Artists formerly known as Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Mike Mussina.

Thank God I only blog.

In honor of Nomar Garciaparra...

...a man who seemed to be destined to join the pantheon of Boston sports heroes

... a two time batting champ with a potent bat who electrified New England for 6 seasons

... a consistent MVP candidate and part of the best "whose the best?" debate since Willie/Mickey and The Duke along with Jeter and A-Rod.

... a man whose name could never be pronounced in New England (No-Mah Gah-Cee-A-Pah-Rah) but whose first name became a rallying cry

... sadly, like Fred Lynn, a man who could not out run injury and had the horrible misfortune of being too hurt to contribute in 2004, setting the stage for the gutsiest deadline deal in baseball history (sending the great "No-Mah" to the Cubs and getting Cabrera and Mientkiewicz to the eventual World Champions

... a man who should always be remembered as a great Red Sox and like Lynn, Fisk, Pedro and Mo Vaughn, a former Red Sox that I will always root for

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 5!

In honor of John Valentin...

... a Silver Slugger award winner at shortstop who hit .298 with 27 HRs and 102 RBI for the 1995 AL Eastern Champs

... the ONLY player in baseball history to both complete an unassisted triple play and hit for the cycle.

... a team player who moved from short to second to make room for Nomar and from second to third to fill in for Naehring

... redeemed an error in a potential elimination game 3 in 1999 against Cleveland with a big home run


... the next night, also a potential elimination game, went 4-5 with 2 HRs and SEVEN RUNS BATTED IN

... and the owner of Julia's Restaurant in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey.

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 13!