No More Nomar :(
Yesterday was the traditional Major League Baseball trading deadline. July 31st is always one of the most exciting days in the long baseball season. For the past week, rumors have run rampant which adds to the excitement and antipication. However, I was not happy one bit when I heard after 4p.m. yesterday that Nomar Garciappara got traded from the Red Sox. I was in shock and upset. Just a few days earlier I had read that most likely he wouldn't be traded and Derek Lowe was on the trading block to San Diego for Brian Lawrence and Jay Payton. I was all for that. Lowe has not pitched like himself at all this year since he's a free agent after this season and he would like some job security. Then when his name surfaced in trade rumors he blew up against the media this past week and wasn't a teammate that you wanted to be around. But the trading deadline came and went and as I turned on the game last night, there he was pitching against the Twins and pitching pretty damn well. I have a feeling now that he knows he'll at least remain with Boston for the rest of the season, he'll pitch better. But not seeing Nomar at shortshop just didn't seem right. Granted Boston played well while Nomar was out with an archilles heal injury and missed the first 57 games of this season, but he started playing like his usual self upon his return. His batting average was over .300 and he was just playing well.
I've followed Nomar for his entire career. I remember when he first started with Boston as a late August call up back in 1996. I remember watching him adjust his wrist band a certain number of times, swing the bat a certain number of times, and doing his superstious ritual batting ritual before every pitch. He probably has one of the most unique batting sequences in baseball. I remember hearing how superstious he was and seeing him bat. There was something about him right away that I noticed. I had this feeling that he was going to be one hell of a baseball player and he instantly became my favorite baseball player. I never really had much of a favorite player before as I liked everyone equal, but I took a liking to Nomar. I like Johnny Damon cause he's a real class act and seeing him with his 4 year old daughter during last year's division playoff series against Oakland, really touched my heart and I have a lot of respect for Damon. He's probably my favorite player on the Sox right now, but I've always considered Nomar my absolute favorite. Nomar never cared about his own personal statistics and constantly shied away from the media. He liked his privacy but he always put the team ahead of his own stats. He's no doubt a future Hall of Famer and he has the stats to back it up. But hearing that he was traded, was a major shock. Nomar was Boston. People chanting "No-mahhh" was infamous in Boston. Seeing Orlando Cabrera (former of the Expos) at shortstop doesn't look or feel right. Seeing Nomar taking a curtain call at Fenway on June 22nd after a game winning grand slam, in today's Hartford Courant was sad to see. I undertand Nomar was going to be a free agent after this season and there was fear that Boston would lose him and get nothing in return. I understand that aspect. The one thing I don't understand is on Nomar's part. He constantly said over and over again that he wanted to stay in Boston, that he wanted to finish his career in Boston. That the fans were the best fans in baseball and he loved playing at Fenway. Well why in the world did he reject a contract extension offer that Boston made to him last year? A 4 year deal worth $60 million. If he wanted to stay that bad, why didn't he accept the damn deal? People can't say Boston didn't try to re-sign him, because they did. They put a fair offer on the table and it shouldn't be about the money. God sakes, I would settle for $100,000 instead of a million. People wonder why Boston was trying to obtain A-Rod. That's because Nomar rejected their contract extension.
I'm not bitter against Nomar and I wish him well with the Cubs, but he'll never be Chicago. Everyone will always associate him with Boston. He's Boston for life. He'll still be my overall favorite player, but I can't bring myself to buying a Cubs Nomar jersey if I see one. There's still a chance when he become a free agent after this season that he can re-sign with Boston. But the chances are slim, because Boston doesn't want to dish out the contract Nomar is seeking. I shouldn't even say it's Nomar because it's all about the stupid agents that represent players. I think if you get rid of all the damn sports agents, you wouldn't have so many contract issues. It's a sad day for Boston fans and I'm sure Yankee fans all over the world are re-joicing in Boston fans' misery. The only comfort was the trading deadline came and went and the Yankees didn't get Randy Johnson. It's funny that they don't have much of a farm system. That will happen when you trade all your good prospects for what seems like every damn All-Star player in baseball. Maybe Boston will do fine without Nomar, but even if they do it's still going to be bittersweet. I guess this is just another example of change being in the air.
I've followed Nomar for his entire career. I remember when he first started with Boston as a late August call up back in 1996. I remember watching him adjust his wrist band a certain number of times, swing the bat a certain number of times, and doing his superstious ritual batting ritual before every pitch. He probably has one of the most unique batting sequences in baseball. I remember hearing how superstious he was and seeing him bat. There was something about him right away that I noticed. I had this feeling that he was going to be one hell of a baseball player and he instantly became my favorite baseball player. I never really had much of a favorite player before as I liked everyone equal, but I took a liking to Nomar. I like Johnny Damon cause he's a real class act and seeing him with his 4 year old daughter during last year's division playoff series against Oakland, really touched my heart and I have a lot of respect for Damon. He's probably my favorite player on the Sox right now, but I've always considered Nomar my absolute favorite. Nomar never cared about his own personal statistics and constantly shied away from the media. He liked his privacy but he always put the team ahead of his own stats. He's no doubt a future Hall of Famer and he has the stats to back it up. But hearing that he was traded, was a major shock. Nomar was Boston. People chanting "No-mahhh" was infamous in Boston. Seeing Orlando Cabrera (former of the Expos) at shortstop doesn't look or feel right. Seeing Nomar taking a curtain call at Fenway on June 22nd after a game winning grand slam, in today's Hartford Courant was sad to see. I undertand Nomar was going to be a free agent after this season and there was fear that Boston would lose him and get nothing in return. I understand that aspect. The one thing I don't understand is on Nomar's part. He constantly said over and over again that he wanted to stay in Boston, that he wanted to finish his career in Boston. That the fans were the best fans in baseball and he loved playing at Fenway. Well why in the world did he reject a contract extension offer that Boston made to him last year? A 4 year deal worth $60 million. If he wanted to stay that bad, why didn't he accept the damn deal? People can't say Boston didn't try to re-sign him, because they did. They put a fair offer on the table and it shouldn't be about the money. God sakes, I would settle for $100,000 instead of a million. People wonder why Boston was trying to obtain A-Rod. That's because Nomar rejected their contract extension.
I'm not bitter against Nomar and I wish him well with the Cubs, but he'll never be Chicago. Everyone will always associate him with Boston. He's Boston for life. He'll still be my overall favorite player, but I can't bring myself to buying a Cubs Nomar jersey if I see one. There's still a chance when he become a free agent after this season that he can re-sign with Boston. But the chances are slim, because Boston doesn't want to dish out the contract Nomar is seeking. I shouldn't even say it's Nomar because it's all about the stupid agents that represent players. I think if you get rid of all the damn sports agents, you wouldn't have so many contract issues. It's a sad day for Boston fans and I'm sure Yankee fans all over the world are re-joicing in Boston fans' misery. The only comfort was the trading deadline came and went and the Yankees didn't get Randy Johnson. It's funny that they don't have much of a farm system. That will happen when you trade all your good prospects for what seems like every damn All-Star player in baseball. Maybe Boston will do fine without Nomar, but even if they do it's still going to be bittersweet. I guess this is just another example of change being in the air.