Is There a Psychiatrist in the House?

I don't have a fever. There are no voices in my head. I'm pretty sure there is no inoperable tumor growing inside my noggin. I haven't inhaled, ingested, or imbibed any hallucinogenic substances, at least not recently. And yet, I am beginning to find this man strangely attractive.

Am I insane? I mean, we're talking about a guy whose first impression in a Red Sox uniform was of a crazed maniac clocking Tampa Bay's Joey Gathright in a spring training game. Decked him, right in the kisser. And if that weren't bad enough, Curly Haired Boyfriend is now writing nice things about him.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??? Tavarez doesn't have Tek's thighs, Wake's neck, Dwight Evans' ass, or Mark Loretta's bedroom eyes. Is it really enough for him just to have presided over last night's 7-3 win against the Yankees, allowing only two runs in nearly six innings? That he started his outing by striking out Johnny Damon, and ended it by inducing Jorge Posada to hit into a double play? Have my standards been reduced to what happens between the chalk lines?

There are plenty of other players on this year's team who have legitimate hottie credentials. We have, just for example, the two most attractive Japanese players in the major leagues today in Hideki Okajima and Daisuke Matsuzaka. We have Manny Delcarmen, also known as mini-Manny or, as Beazer calls him, He of the Soft Lips. We just got a fine effort by the fine Kason Gabbard. We have beauty and brains in the University of Virginia's Javier Lopez. We have Tex's favorite Texan, Josh Beckett. And I haven't even gotten to the position players yet.

Any number of other members of the 2007 Red Sox are far sexier than Julian Tavarez. But last night left me with a certain tingly feeling. I can't help it. I guess Yankee-bashing is an aphrodisiac.

I'll get over it. The next time he stinks up the place, I'll have an "EEEWWWWW!" moment and will be back to normal. Until then, perhaps I should get into therapy. Just to be safe.

Welcome Back, Lenny. Come to Mama.

The A's are coming! The A's are coming!

It isn't just that the Sox are home, where they enjoy a slightly better record than they do on the road; or that they have their number one and two starters going for them in Curt Schilling tonight and Josh Beckett tomorrow; or even that they have a chance to improve their already major league best record against a team that is currently a game under .500 and has lost six of their last ten games. In addition to all that, this series is a milestone event:

Lenny DiNardo's triumphant return to Fenway Park.

It doesn't seem possible that it has been more than three years since I took this picture at spring training, showed it to my sistahs, and declared the Rule 5 draftee to be hotter than the southwest Florida sun. Some sistahs never did fully appreciate the Wonder That Is Lenny, but I stuck by him through thick and thin—and even I am a big enough person to admit that there was plenty of thin while he was in Boston. But my loyalty has paid off. Not only is Lenny as adorable as ever, but he's pitching like a man who is desperately trying to impress certain people who have never given him the respect he deserves. Just take a look at his 2007 numbers to date:

5 games, 9.l innings, 8 hits, 1 walk, 2 earned runs, 5 strikeouts
1.93 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, .235 opponents batting average

I'm not the only one who has noticed his renaissance. Lenny earned a shout out from Jeff Horrigan in today's Boston Herald. I don't know if Jeff appreciates the tall, dark, and handsome one in quite the same way I do, but if not, the man love is good too.

So here's my fantasy, so to speak, for the next two games: the Red Sox jump on Oakland starters Joe Blanton and Chad Gaudin early, taking a big lead and knocking them out after, oh, four or five innings. Hot Stuff comes on in relief for the next two to three innings, pitching brilliantly but in vain, as Sox pitchers fail to surrender the lead. Oh, and he occasionally bends down to use the rosin bag or tie his cleats, at which times the NESN camera operators give us nice shots of his backside. Boston wins, Lenny lowers his ERA even further, and there's some eye candy for me and Jeff Horrigan, if he goes that way. It's a win-win.

And maybe tomorrow, certain people will have seen the error of their ways and start being a little nicer to Mr. DiNardo. Not that I'm holding my breath.

A Perfect Ending

Sunday night I finally had a chance to actually watch an entire Red Sox game without falling asleep and I find myself yelling at the TV in the eighth inning as I watch the bull pen let Schilling's great outing start slip sliding away. Then Jonathan Papelbon runs to the mound and seeing his display of confidence makes it impossible not to believe that he will deliver us from evil. Fifteen pitches later and Paps has stopped the bleeding and the Sox have taken one from those pesky Rangers.

Jonathan has been able to wipe away my pent up frustration at ESPN airing the game later than I like and having to listen to Joe Morgan with such an economy of pitches, it has made me absolutely giddy. I live for this.

The first weeks schedule of so many day games and then late games has been less than ideal. Now the weather looks like it will not be very cooperative in the opening week at Fenway but I can live with it all now that I've seen that Jonathan is back as our closer and better than ever. He is a force to be reckoned with and I'm so happy he is one of the Red Sox 25.

Also to be noted is that this is the 40th anniversary of the 1967 team also known as the "cardiac kids". That was the year I fell head over heals over the Red Sox and have been hooked ever since. It would be cool if our 2007 team can bring us some of that same excitement that we had in 1967. I only hope my aging heart can take it. I'm more than willing to give it a shot.

It's a Strong Man's Game

Leave it to Big Papi to come up with the ultimate t-shirt. Alot of people I know think baseball is boring....plain boring they say. Many innings go by without anything happening. But I say that is where Papi's tshirt saying comes in. Baseball takes patience...something not alot of men (no offense) have. SO baseball IS a Strong Man's Game...takes alot of patience and strong willed attitudes to get through men batting just to ground or fly out. Knowing that one of those hits will result in a grand slam, inside the park homer or a walk-off....is worth the wait. Big Papi has the right idea...he understands...it just takes patience.

Well I've been waiting since October....and I'm ready for baseball. I'm ready for the boys to play. I'm ready for Opening Day in Texas where Wake will take the ball. I'm ready for a new season....I think Dice-K was asked about the upcoming season...

His Response? "I'm Ready..."

nuff said....Let the Games Begin!

Top Ten Reasons Why Manny will be Late to Spring Training

Courtesy of good friend and honorary-sistah-for-the-day, TruBluSoxFan. (NOTE: For those who don't already know, Tru is actually a brothah.)

10. Manny doesn't use the Gregorian calendar.

9. Julian said it would be funny.

8. Manny fell asleep inside his Green Monster repro.

7. Manny hyper-extended his index finger practicing "the point."

6. "Petey called and got me all confused. Again."

5. He strained his right hammy on his left knee.

4. Manny can't decide what hair style to wear this season.

3. "I don't know how to program my new Tom Tom for Ft. Myers."

2. "I'm getting a note from Genske; he said it worked before."

1. "No way the new Japanese dude upsets my entrance."

If Beazer Writes a Phone Call about This, I'm Gonna Smack Her

Farewell, Lenny.

Dear Lenny, sexy Lenny, guitar playing Lenny, "Do Me Lenny."

Rule 5 Lenny, lefty out of the 'pen Lenny, 7.85 ERA in '06 Lenny, still has a World Series ring Lenny.

Favorite of the sistahs Lenny, gets no respect from Beazer Lenny, just friends with Bronson Lenny.

A haiku for Lenny:

Though heading westward
Lenny will forever be
Object of my lust

It just won't be the same without him.

But Who's That Other Guy?

(I posted this earlier on the Triumphant Red Sox Blog but thought it would fit over here, too.

It's a warm Tuesday in Fort Myers. All eyes (and cameras) are on Daisuke Matsuzaka as the new multi-billion-yen pitcher arrives at the Red Sox' training complex for the first time. The frenzied media capture his every move, his every gesture. Here's Daisuke, Nike duffel in hand, walking from his black Cadillac to the clubhouse. Here's Daisuke talking to some of the staff. Daisuke stretching his arm. Daisuke stretching his hammy. Daisuke running, throwing, smiling, laughing. It's The Daisuke Show, the 26-year-old righty and an audience of a hundred or so of his closest media buddies.

Wait a minute, there is one picture that shows someone else. Clearly, there is some mistake. That guy isn't famous. No one recognizes him. Is he a player? He looks about 16. A clubhouse boy, maybe? The guy who sweeps the sunflower shells out of the dugout after everyone is gone?

No, it's Matsuzaka's unlikely co-star in the spectacle, catcher George Kottaras, who according to the Boston Globe's Gordon Edes was tapped with no notice or fanfare to play catch with the newcomer. Timing is everything, and today Kottaras is the guy who walks into a Hollywood coffee shop and gets discovered by a television director looking for just the right face. The guy who stops at the convenience store on the way home to pick up a gallon of milk and, hey, while he's there, buys a lottery quick-pick that comes up a winner the next day. The guy who, in too much of a rush coming out of the hotel elevator, bumps into the woman of his dreams.

Yesterday, Kottaras had been working all morning on catching drills with Gary Tuck, the new Sox bullpen coach, when Edward "Pookie" Jackson, one of the Sox clubhouse men, stuck in his head and said Matsuzaka was looking for someone to play catch with.

"'OK,' I said," Kottaras said. "'It doesn't matter. I'll do it.'"

Way to play it cool, George.

They stretched, Matsuzaka did some light jogging and twists, and then he grabbed a ball and trotted 20 yards or so from Kottaras. Originally, that was supposed to be the media's cue to depart; Matsuzaka had conveyed to the Sox that he wanted his first game of catch to be private. But, evidently, he relented, because for the next 10 minutes or so, a ball passed back and forth between the two rookies — the catcher making the big league minimum, the pitcher with a $103 million price tag hanging from his sleeve. Kottaras said the sound of whirring cameras never stopped.

And that is the beauty of spring training. The superstar works alongside the guy with "upside" (translation: the hope that great potential will someday be fulfilled). It hardly matters that the gulf between them is millions of dollars, the difference between every media member knowing your name versus having to ask the security guy who that skinny dark-haired kid with the glove is. At spring training, none of that matters. They're just two players, less than three years apart in age, having a catch. Maybe later, they'll throw back a couple beers together.

The photographers don't get that. To them, there is The Next Big Thing and then there's the guy who got into the picture by accident. But to those of us who go to spring training to see the players, all the players, the chance to check out the young unknowns is almost as big a deal as the chance to see Daisuke's gyroball. It's the younger guys who will be signing autographs, posing for pictures with school kids who are thrilled to meet a real-life professional ballplayer. It's the younger guys who we'll remember five years down the road when we're flipping through an old scorebook saying, Remember when we saw so-and-so in his first major league camp and now he's an all-star? Or even, Remember so-and-so who had so much promise? I wonder if he's still in baseball.

Maybe Kottaras will become the target of the cameras, a franchise player, someone whose jersey is popular at the souvenir stands. But if not, he has had something most young prospects will never enjoy: a moment in the spotlight. No matter where his career goes from here, I'm sure he'll look back on this experience and smile.

No Words, Just Tears

Free-agent outfielder Trot Nixon has agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with the Cleveland Indians, ESPN.com's Peter Gammons reports.

There are a thousand reasons not to want Trot back, not the least of which is the unfulfilled potential of Trot as a top farm prospect, right alongside Nomar Garciaparra. In so many ways, he never really panned out. But that doesn't make me feel any better.

Sometimes I'm just a sentimental sap.

Good luck, Gabe!

I haven't met many players in person, but I had the chance to meet Gabe in December of 2005 (the picture above is from that meeting). He was well-(and soft) spoken and so obviously happy to be there. That season ended poorly for him. He ruptured his Achilles' tendon and some of us were sure he wouldn't play in 2006.

I asked him that day how he felt and he told me he felt great. He also told me he'd be back playing soon. He thanked me and my friend for coming out and he signed a dvd and a photo for me. I always liked Gabe but I was never taken with him the way many women in Red Sox Nation seem to be taken.

That changed after I met him. :-)

Gabe Kapler will never be a Hall of Famer. He'll probably only be remembered by fans of the 2004 Red Sox (as one of "The 25"). But he was so much more to the team.

He started the 2005 season in Japan and I remember watching him on "Extra Innings" when he came back to the team. Tom Caron told him that everyone in the clubhouse talked constantly about how much they missed him. This seemed to truly surprise Gabe.
When the Red Sox clinched the Wild Card in 2005, Gabe already had his surgery. He wasn't playing with the team, but showed up that day to celebrate in the clubhouse with his teammates. Many players remarked on how much it meant to them that he was there. It meant a lot to the fans too. Remember, Gabe is the guy who took less money to come back to the team in 2004, because he wanted to play in Boston.

Gabe Kapler is one of those rare people who seems to be a genuinely good guy. Even though he was never quite a superstar, he took his success and began his own foundation - dedicated to promoting awareness about domestic violence. In a field where powerful men who dominate all those around them are revered, Gabe chooses to be the man who admits that you don't have to flaunt your strength to be a real man.

I had great hopes for this post. But the truth is, writing about Gabe made me a little more emotional than I expected. When I read about his retirement, I immediately decided to write this brilliant account of his career. Something to convey how special he is to Red Sox Nation, because there are many fans outside the Nation who just won't get it. Instead, I find myself very sad and it's difficult for me to find the proper words to write a brilliant farewell for Gabe.

Luckily for us, Gabe is not going far. He's staying on with the team as the manager for the Greenville Drive, in South Carolina. Gabe's feelings on his new assignment? Predictably humble:

"A place where I'm going to be rewarded emotionally and spiritually to have an extreme impact on somebody's life can be much more powerful than hitting a home run in a clutch situation. "It feels right inside of my body."

It feels right inside of his body.

Reading those words gives me chills.

It isn't often you can say you're proud of someone like a professional athlete. Gabe Kapler is the type of person who makes that possible.

I'm so proud he continues on with the team and I'm proud that we in "The Nation" will always be able to say he's ours.

My apologies for the rambling post...but Gabe deserves more than just a brief mention.

Thanks for it all, Gabe!

Number Twenty-Four*

When you get older losing your swing
many years from now,
will you still be pointing to the fans you love
waving, smiling, losing your glove?

If you sit out a month and a half,
would you sit for more?
Come on, don't tease us. Please dude don't leave us.
Number twenty-four.

You'll be lonely too!

And if you say the word,
we will cheer for you!

Papi will be there, taking the heat,
when you want a rest.
You can carry water when you play the field.
Wily Mo can act as your shield.

Hitting a double, taking the lead,
who could ask for more?
Come on, don't tease us. Please dude don't leave us.
Number twenty-four.

Every summer we will watch you hit behind you friend David,
Big Papi Ortiz.

We shall scream and cheer!

You get to pick your days,
to sit against the Jays.

We'll send you postcards and drop you a line
stating we love you!
Write letters to CHB and Steve Buckley.
All they do is help kill some trees.

Give us your answer, tell us the score.
Be ours forever more!

Come on, don't tease us. Please dude don't leave us.
Number twenty-four.

*With apologies to Lennon (who didn't really co-write "When I'm Sixty-Four" but gets the credit), McCartney and any of the 'sistahs' who don't agree with the sentiment!

I Like Mike

But do I really want him in the bullpen for another season?

That is the question on many Red Sox fans' lips following the announcement that the Red Sox have signed Mike Timlin to a one-year contract for 2007. To understand the reluctance, consider that Timlin's 2006 ERA was 4.36, significantly higher than his 3.55 career ERA; his strikeouts-to-walks ratio was down to 1.88 compared to 3.75 for his previous three years in a Red Sox uniform; and he blew almost half (8 of 17) of his save opportunities. It's hard to know if his sub-par season was more a function of his age (40) or the fact that he began the season not tuning up in spring training but rather playing full bore in the World Baseball Classic.

On the up side, Timlin is evidently a positive veteran influence on the younger pitchers coming up (and there are so very many of those young pitchers who need shepherding). He forever endeared himself to many fans back in 2003, when he was part of the postseason lights-out bullpen combo of Embree, Timlin, and Williamson.

Besides, I like his entrance music. I happen to know that Beazer harbors certain, um, thoughts about him from time to time. And he's a Texan, as our newest posting sistah, Tex, will tell you as often as she can.

So maybe it will work out after all.

For Jon

On September 1st, Red Sox Nation received terrible news. Our rookie pitcher, Jon Lester, was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of blood cancer, and will have to begin treatment almost immediately.

Along with being one of the best young arms the Red Sox have in their system, Jon is a good guy and only 22 years old. The news came as a shock to his family, friends and fans, and as one of those fans I decided I needed to show my support for young Mr. Lester.

So on September 2nd, my friend Kay and I went to the Souvenir Store on Yawkey Way and purchased Jon Lester t-shirts. As I wore my shirt, people asked me about Jon. I then received an email from someone who knows Jon who suggested it would be "awesome" if we "could designate one day for all of Red Sox Nation to wear Lester T-shirts at one of the games at Fenway."

So I got to thinking, 'why not?". Why can't we at least try something like this? So here I am.
This coming Sunday is September 10th. It is the last game in a 10-day homestand for the Red Sox, that started with this news about Jon. I think it would be the perfect day for this kind of show of support.

So here I am, asking you all to wear your Jon Lester shirts or jerseys (which you can get at many places, but you can probably get them the quickest from the Souvenir Store in Boston)...and if you can't get a shirt, make a sign for Jon and bring it to Fenway on September 10th. Show Jon the love and support he deserves.

They say that Jon's cancer is treatable, and that is a blessing. So, with that in mind, in the upcoming days, I will be creating links here to make donating to the cause easy. I don't know where Jon will be treated yet, but Dana-Farber does wonderful work (including having the Jimmy Fund as part of their institute) and they are a deserving recipient, and will be my charity of choice. Any donation, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated. I won't have them in time for next Sunday, but if we get a big enough response, there will be t-shirts available for purchase soon (with all that money going to Dana-Farber as well) to mark next Sunday and your support for Jon. If you plan on being part of the "Support Jon Lester Day", please email me at supportjon@gmail.com. I'm hoping to arrange it so we can all meet before the game. The Triumphant Red Sox fan will be there with me. We'd love to meet you!

Please pass the word along about next Sunday! Let's show Jon how much Red Sox Nation is behind him!

Suddenly, wins and losses don't seem all that important.

The thoughts and prayers of all the sistahs are with David Ortiz. Here's hoping all he needs is a little rest!

Get well and come back soon, Papi!

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Rudy Seañez?

His name is Rudy Caballero Seañez. The middle name means "cowboy" (an anonymous reader gives the meaning as "knight"; Google translator gives "horseman") and the last name is pronounced "Say-AHN-yez" even though most people pronounce it "SEE-uh-nez." I pronounce it "the bane of my existence." In 40 games this season, he has allowed at least a hit or a walk in all but eight. His ERA is 4.17, but that doesn't reflect the inherited runners he has allowed to score. His WHIP is 1.54, better than only teammates Jon Lester (very shaky in recent starts), David Wells (on the DL most of the season), Julian Tavarez, Matt Clement, Jason Johnson, and several others now relegated to the minors.

So what do we do with this guy? He is taking up a roster spot, so it isn't reasonable to not use him. As a veteran major leaguer, he is out of minor league options. Trading him would require him to go through waivers, from where he would likely be claimed with no compensation for the Sox.

In pondering the situation, I came up with a few alternatives. Cast your vote now. The top three will be sent to Theo Epstein as suggestions.

The Seanez Conundrum

What should the Red Sox do with Rudy Seanez? Use him only when either team leads by 10+ runs Force him to sit quietly and ponder his sins Send him to Single-A Lowell to torture the newbies Trade him and Dan Shaughnessy for a six-pack of beer Make him clean the team's cleats with his tongue Send him out for pizza and don't let him back in Hang him from the monster as a warning to Julian Tavarez Take him out back and smack him VIEW RESULTS poll by freepolls.com

The Cure for What Ails Them?

Granted, yesterday's 9-8 loss to the Seattle Mariners was a menagerie of "how not to play baseball" moments, but most troubling for me were the implosions of relievers Manny Delcarmen and Mike Timlin. In my efforts to make sense of what happened, I could reach only one logical conclusion.

These men desperately need some Beazer lovin'.

It was way back in January that Little Manny got the thrill of his life


and it is clear that he needs another.

As for Mr. Timlin, I don't think he has ever had the Beazer lovin' experience, which could very well explain his contribution to yesterday's debacle.

It's time for our Beazer to take one (or two) for the team and get these guys back on track. I'm sure it's a sacrifice she would willingly make.

Coco Gets Props on MLB.com

And he deserves it.

Fans: Make Yourselves Useful

This guy


desperately needs us. What can we do to help him?

Three seasons ago, a group of women from the Red Sox Fan Forum (self-nicknamed the BOSTONS* and including the sistahs) started a tradition of "showering" a struggling Red Sox player with postcards carrying encouraging messages. The idea was to try to counteract the booing that slumping players receive at the ballpark by producing a wave of postcards over a short span of time. Each recipient was chosen, carefully and selectively, to receive ten postcards from each BOSTONS lady. Red Sox Chick has more background.

We haven't yet done a postcard shower this season, and I suggested to the sistahs earlier today that Matt Clement's current situation is the very sort the postcard showers were designed to address. Clement has had a rough season, with his last two starts being especially difficult as detailed in these two recent columns by Boston area sportswriters.

As readers of this blog, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join us in sending 10 postcards to

Matt Clement
c/o Boston Red Sox
4 Yawkey Way
Boston, MA 02215
and to get them in the mail no later than Tuesday, June 6. That will get the postcards to the ballpark in time for the team's brief homestand against Texas on June 9, 10, and 11. They can be picture postcards, funny postcards, whatever you like. The message should be simple. Don't ask for anything in return; you don't even have to sign your name. I sign my postcards simply, "One of the BOSTONS" and leave it at that.

Right now, the Red Sox need pitching help. Roger Clemens isn't coming back. David Wells' future is uncertain at best. A double-A pitcher is slated to start tomorrow night. Matt Clement's success is the team's success. If you love this team, do your part to help him.

(*BOSTONS = Babes Offering Support To Our Needed Sox)

David Ortiz and the All-Star Game

I love David Ortiz!
I’m happy he wears a Red Sox uniform.
I’m overjoyed that the Red Sox signed him to a new, long contract.
He deserved to win the 2005 MVP trophy.
He deserved to play on the 2005 All-Star team as the DH.
He does NOT deserve to be elected to the 2006 All-Star team as a first baseman.

Ortiz played first base Friday night and he did a fine job at that position and hit a home run. It was the first time he’d played first base since July 16, 2005. By the time the All-Star game is played he may play first base another 10 times. This, alone, should not qualify someone to be elected to that position on an All-Star team.

Let’s look at the other numbers.
I looked up these numbers before the game last night so they do not take into account any stats from Friday’s games. Ortiz was tied with Travis Hafner for the most home runs by all first basemen. He was second behind Travis Hafner in RBI’s. Hafner’s batting average is .331 and Ortiz is batting .268.
In my mind, that puts Hafner over Ortiz when I mark my All-Star ballot.

I wait to vote for my All-Star picks until the middle of June and then I look at and compare all the stats of the players to make my choices. The stats do not tell me how this player fields his position or if they play this position on a regular basis. When I look up Travis Hafner who plays for the Cleveland Indians, guess what I find? He’s their designated hitter also! Let’s see, who plays first base for the Indians? Why it’s Ben Broussard with a .388 batting average this year. Why isn’t he good enough to be considered for the All-Star team?

Each team is only allowed to submit one name per position to be on the All-Star ballot. Kevin Youkilis and Ben Broussard deserve to have their names put on the ballot this year. Kevin Youkilis is hitting .309 and has done a very nice job in the field for the Red Sox. It’s too bad this is a year that the DH won’t be used during the All-Star game but I don’t think their names should be on the ballot if that is not the position they play on a regular basis.

I’m not saying Youkilis or Broussard should be elected to the All-Star team but vote responsibly and write in their names at the bottom of the ballot if you think they are deserving of the recognition. Remember, the All-Star game now means something so we want the best team on the field to win home field advantage for the American League.

Nomar, Mr. Nice Guy

In the Boston Globe story linked in the subject line, Nomar talks about being comfortable playing in L.A. and playing for his former manager, Grady Little. It's a nice piece, bound to make any of Nomar's Boston fans feel happy that the former All Star finally seems to have some peace.

It's no secret that the Boston media hounded Nomar relentlessly while he was in Boston. And when he wouldn't give them that pound of flesh they demanded, many of them turned on him. They wrote stories about his attitude and about how he didn't want to play in Boston any more. None of which ever proved to be factual - not that the media in Boston cares about being factual.

Early in 2004, or maybe late in 2003, I had a discussion with one of my 'sistahs' about Nomar and the Boston sports media. We were both convinced that if Nomar left Boston, it would be because the press pushed him out.

Little did we know what Theo had planned for the 2004 trade deadline.

I often wonder if Nomar really knows how the fans were affected by that trade. In 2004, the trade deadline was on a Saturday. There had been rumblings about Derek Lowe being traded for Matt Clement...a few people speculated that Nomar would be traded, but no one really believed it. I spent that morning and afternoon online at the Red Sox Fan Forum message board, discussing possible trades while watching ESPN News.

When the news came that Nomar was traded, no one could believe it. And then the tears flowed and people were angry. My mother, my sister and I pretty much cried all weekend long. We didn't care about the guys we were getting and we didn't buy Theo's explanation of 'improving the defense'. We felt like Nomar was the scapegoat for a struggling team.

Eventually we got over it to the extent that we embraced the guys who came to the team. Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz ended up making sizeable contributions to the team. (Dave Roberts, although acquired at the trade deadline, is usually, incorrectly connected with this trade. Dave's acquisition was totally unrelated to 'The Trade' as it's still known in Red Sox Nation.) What a lot of us never got over was losing Nomar.

Contrary to what you might hear from the likes of Johnny Damon, Nomar was the last true face of the Red Sox. He was active in the community, he was in commercials, his one word name was a household word. You'd be hard-pressed to find a home in Boston that didn't have something Nomar-related in it.

SO what makes me so happy about this article in the Boston Globe today? This paragraph:

One of Garciaparra's ex-teammates in Boston said the Dodgers and Yankees made the same offer, but Garciaparra chose LA because, ''He always considers himself a Red Sox. That's one thing people don't understand about Nomar. He would have never signed with the Yankees because he always thought of himself as a Red Sox player."

That last line says it all. At least for me it does. I follow many ex-Red Sox players, but never Nomar. Some people think it's because I didn't like him, but it is quite the opposite. Nomar was such a huge part of my life, I can't imagine him anywhere else. I couldn't watch him as a Cub and I have a difficult time watching him as a Dodger. I'll always believe that "The Trade" was a major reason that the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, but I'll also always be sad that Nomar, although he has a ring, wasn't a bigger part of that season.

And now I know that Nomar feels the same way. I can't wait until he comes back to Fenway (whether with a visiting team or, by some stroke of luck, as a Red Sox player once again!).

Johnny Damon could learn a lesson or two.

Greatest Trade That Ever Wasn't

It's fun to do this every so often, and last night's game provides the perfect opportunity.

0-for-3. Two fielding errors. A .259 batting average. One "fan" on the Yankees MLB message board called him "so freaking unclutch it isnt funny." A column headline in the New York Post calls him "E-Rod" and even the team's owner is p*ssed.

Such are the life and times of Alex Rodriguez against the Red Sox, the team that almost got him. In the meantime, the player we would have traded to get him went 2-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBI. The man playing the position Rodriguez would have had with the Sox went was 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI. And A-Rod's counterpart at his current position was 2-for-6 and is currently batting .339.

He may be the best five-tool player alive, but we continue to be glad that trade fell apart. And we don't need his purple lips either.