Goodbye Nomar
Originally written 8/1/04
Losing Nomar hurts. Nomar is a Red Sox and should be a Red Sox forever. Derek Jeter mentioned yesterday that when you think of the Red Sox you think of Nomar first. Johnny Damon said that they just traded Mr. Boston. It’s gonna be tough today when I watch him make his first appearance in a Cubs uniform. And I WILL see it whether I want to or not because it will be all over the place around here.
Nomar’s been a part of this organization for 10 years with this being his 8th in the big leagues. As recently as last season I figured we had him for good. He loved playing here, he loved the fans, and he loved the team. I know he wasn’t happy with the previous ownership team (who was?) but until that A-Rod fiasco last winter he was happy with the new regime and I figured they would have no problem re-signing him when the time came.
Somehow we always seem to fuck it up with a guy like this and end up losing him.
I don’t blame the current ownership entirely for it. They had a chance to improve their team by getting one of the greatest players ever (A-Rod) and getting rid of a guy who just didn’t seem to get it (Manny). An unfortunate sidebar would be that we would have to replace the current shortstop with the better one. Of course in hindsight I now wonder why we never asked A-Rod to move to 3rd and just hold onto Nomar. Who knows, he may have only been really willing to move to 3rd with the Yankees but we should have asked.
In a way you can almost blame losing Nomar on the Duquette/Harrington regime anyway. If they hadn’t saddled the current ownership team with Manny’s contract we never would have had to try to get rid of it which in turn means never having to try to get rid of Nomar and having him feel so slighted about it that he couldn’t stay.
We also have to put some of the onus on Nomar here. I understand his feelings were hurt by what ownership tried to do and I understand him feeling like he wasn’t wanted here, but at some point he has to look at it from their perspective and see what they were trying to do. He also has to realize that baseball is a business, that these things happen sometimes and he’s not the only player it’s ever happened to and then sooner or later get over it and start playing baseball for the fans again. Nomar is the ONLY superstar to play here who’s never been booed. Even Teddy Ballgame and Yaz were booed here at one time or another.
Obviously Nomar just couldn’t get past this and probably never will. One of his comments yesterday was that he was very happy to be going to a team that wants him. That tells me he’s not only not over it but that he wants to stick it to the owners as well.
It’s a sad day here in Red Sox Nation. I can honestly say that I haven’t felt like this since the Sox let Pudge walk in 1980. I was so mad then I actually stopped watching the team for a few seasons.
Nomar is a special player. No one works or plays harder, has more fun playing, or loves playing the game more. It’s obvious that he may have lost a little of that love and fun this year but he never stopped playing the game as hard as he could. It pisses me off when I hear idiots suggest that maybe he sat out a little longer or skipped an occasional game just to stick it to the owners and not because he was hurt. I don’t believe he is even capable of doing something like that. All he wants to do is play baseball and until recently all he wanted to do was play baseball for the Sox.
It’s a shame that these unfortunate circumstances had to occur and had to result in the inevitable loss of one of the most loved and best players we ever had.
Things that come to mind in no particular order when I think about #5:
Ted Williams comparing him to Joe D and saying right from the get go that the kid was special.
Hearing baseball people marvel about how when they look at one of his bats all the ball marks are right around the sweet spot, you never saw many near either end of the bat.
Watching him make that play in the hole that only he seemed to be able to make and how effortless he made it look and how he always seemed to be able to make it.
Hearing the Nomah chants at Fenway (and hell just about every other park they were playing in as well) and all the standing O’s the guy got throughout his career.
Being at that last playoff game in 98 when we lost to the Indians to end our season and Nomar came out onto the field after the game and gave US, the fans, a standing ovation because of the support we showed for the team.
Taking my daughter to Fenway last year and buying her a Nomar baseball and how of the many Sox shirts she already has the only one that has a name on the back says “Garciaparra”.
I (and everyone else) knew there was a good chance he was gonna swing at the first pitch but that there was also a good chance that he was gonna hit it where they ain’t.
During his career he batted everywhere from 1-5 in the order and no matter where you put him the results were the same and he didn’t seem to care as long as he got to bat.
As I’m sitting here writing this, for some reason my daughter has decided that today she was going to put on one of her Sox shirts and Sox hat and is now walking around saying she’s a Red Sox.
He was not only one of the greatest Red Sox but also one of the greatest Boston sports figures ranking right up there with the likes of Bird and Orr.
All the guy ever wanted to do was help this team win a World Series Championship and now when it finally happens it’s not gonna feel quite the same.
Reading a story in The Globe earlier this year about a group of homeless men who got together nightly at the Pine Street Inn to watch the games on a crappy little 19” TV and how when Nomar heard the same story he showed up at the place with a bran new big screen TV for them to watch.
How much he did for this town and this community that we knew of and how much we probably don’t and never will know of.
Nomar has been the heart and soul of this team for the last 7 ½ years and it is that same heart and soul that eventually forced him out of here.
Even though I believe this trade has improved this team it’s just not gonna be the same around here without him and it will be a long time before we’re used to the fact that he’s gone.
Now that #5 will never be up in the right field grandstands between 4 and 8.
Losing Nomar hurts. Nomar is a Red Sox and should be a Red Sox forever. Derek Jeter mentioned yesterday that when you think of the Red Sox you think of Nomar first. Johnny Damon said that they just traded Mr. Boston. It’s gonna be tough today when I watch him make his first appearance in a Cubs uniform. And I WILL see it whether I want to or not because it will be all over the place around here.
Nomar’s been a part of this organization for 10 years with this being his 8th in the big leagues. As recently as last season I figured we had him for good. He loved playing here, he loved the fans, and he loved the team. I know he wasn’t happy with the previous ownership team (who was?) but until that A-Rod fiasco last winter he was happy with the new regime and I figured they would have no problem re-signing him when the time came.
Somehow we always seem to fuck it up with a guy like this and end up losing him.
I don’t blame the current ownership entirely for it. They had a chance to improve their team by getting one of the greatest players ever (A-Rod) and getting rid of a guy who just didn’t seem to get it (Manny). An unfortunate sidebar would be that we would have to replace the current shortstop with the better one. Of course in hindsight I now wonder why we never asked A-Rod to move to 3rd and just hold onto Nomar. Who knows, he may have only been really willing to move to 3rd with the Yankees but we should have asked.
In a way you can almost blame losing Nomar on the Duquette/Harrington regime anyway. If they hadn’t saddled the current ownership team with Manny’s contract we never would have had to try to get rid of it which in turn means never having to try to get rid of Nomar and having him feel so slighted about it that he couldn’t stay.
We also have to put some of the onus on Nomar here. I understand his feelings were hurt by what ownership tried to do and I understand him feeling like he wasn’t wanted here, but at some point he has to look at it from their perspective and see what they were trying to do. He also has to realize that baseball is a business, that these things happen sometimes and he’s not the only player it’s ever happened to and then sooner or later get over it and start playing baseball for the fans again. Nomar is the ONLY superstar to play here who’s never been booed. Even Teddy Ballgame and Yaz were booed here at one time or another.
Obviously Nomar just couldn’t get past this and probably never will. One of his comments yesterday was that he was very happy to be going to a team that wants him. That tells me he’s not only not over it but that he wants to stick it to the owners as well.
It’s a sad day here in Red Sox Nation. I can honestly say that I haven’t felt like this since the Sox let Pudge walk in 1980. I was so mad then I actually stopped watching the team for a few seasons.
Nomar is a special player. No one works or plays harder, has more fun playing, or loves playing the game more. It’s obvious that he may have lost a little of that love and fun this year but he never stopped playing the game as hard as he could. It pisses me off when I hear idiots suggest that maybe he sat out a little longer or skipped an occasional game just to stick it to the owners and not because he was hurt. I don’t believe he is even capable of doing something like that. All he wants to do is play baseball and until recently all he wanted to do was play baseball for the Sox.
It’s a shame that these unfortunate circumstances had to occur and had to result in the inevitable loss of one of the most loved and best players we ever had.
Things that come to mind in no particular order when I think about #5:
Ted Williams comparing him to Joe D and saying right from the get go that the kid was special.
Hearing baseball people marvel about how when they look at one of his bats all the ball marks are right around the sweet spot, you never saw many near either end of the bat.
Watching him make that play in the hole that only he seemed to be able to make and how effortless he made it look and how he always seemed to be able to make it.
Hearing the Nomah chants at Fenway (and hell just about every other park they were playing in as well) and all the standing O’s the guy got throughout his career.
Being at that last playoff game in 98 when we lost to the Indians to end our season and Nomar came out onto the field after the game and gave US, the fans, a standing ovation because of the support we showed for the team.
Taking my daughter to Fenway last year and buying her a Nomar baseball and how of the many Sox shirts she already has the only one that has a name on the back says “Garciaparra”.
I (and everyone else) knew there was a good chance he was gonna swing at the first pitch but that there was also a good chance that he was gonna hit it where they ain’t.
During his career he batted everywhere from 1-5 in the order and no matter where you put him the results were the same and he didn’t seem to care as long as he got to bat.
As I’m sitting here writing this, for some reason my daughter has decided that today she was going to put on one of her Sox shirts and Sox hat and is now walking around saying she’s a Red Sox.
He was not only one of the greatest Red Sox but also one of the greatest Boston sports figures ranking right up there with the likes of Bird and Orr.
All the guy ever wanted to do was help this team win a World Series Championship and now when it finally happens it’s not gonna feel quite the same.
Reading a story in The Globe earlier this year about a group of homeless men who got together nightly at the Pine Street Inn to watch the games on a crappy little 19” TV and how when Nomar heard the same story he showed up at the place with a bran new big screen TV for them to watch.
How much he did for this town and this community that we knew of and how much we probably don’t and never will know of.
Nomar has been the heart and soul of this team for the last 7 ½ years and it is that same heart and soul that eventually forced him out of here.
Even though I believe this trade has improved this team it’s just not gonna be the same around here without him and it will be a long time before we’re used to the fact that he’s gone.
Now that #5 will never be up in the right field grandstands between 4 and 8.
posted by Bob at 11/11/2004 05:57:00 PM
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