Other Things Worthy of Your Time
Untitled Post on Derek Jeter and the Red Sox
7/2/04
July 1, 2004
@ New York
That's heart. That's how you make someone want to take back every homoerotic
comment he ever made about you, and maybe even stop hating you in the least bit
just because you're a Yankee.
Last year when Ken Huckaby covered third and charged into Derek Jeter's
shoulder, I immaturely posted pictures of Jeter's look of agony on my computer
desktop. I printed pictures out and paraded them around. I said he hadn't been
hurt that bad, so it wouldn't hurt to exploit it. He'd be back in a couple
weeks, and play fine.
That was always how I justified hating him, and insulting him. He's the captain
of (sadly) the best team in baseball the last half decade+. He's one of the best
shortstops to ever play the game, regardless of stats, but because of the
success he's enjoyed. I knew, not even deep down, but beyond a shadow of a
doubt, that he was too good for it to matter what I said about him, because he
was the one enjoying fame, success, and being a champion over and over again. I
was an insignificant fan, fittingly, of an insignificant team.
And don't get me wrong, I'll never dislike (cough--hate) any sports franchise
more than I do the New York Yankees, and even though I'm too disheartened right
now to really hate them (too distraught, if you will), I've become a fan,
if only for a time, and maybe only out respect.
Derek Jeter has all my respect in the world.
Like I said, that's heart. That's what Kevin Millar has been running his mouth
about all year, and, as of yet, shown any of. I'm sick of having cheerleaders on
a team, that can't actually go out and lead. "We're dirt bags, we're cowboys,"
and dirt 'dawgs' even. "We'll just come out and play tomorrow, cause that's what
we do." Well I haven't seen it. Not if that's what you were last year. You
haven't even touched the heart of that team that came so close last year. Those
were winners. Those should have been champions. These guys--so far (for
the benefit of the doubt)--are a bunch of losers.
The fact we're 8 1/2 games back doesn't mean anything. If you want to be
positive, you could say it's just an opportunity to make this great and historic
comeback. But, well, there's a reason why teams that go down three games
to none in a playoff series, don't come back.
You know what? I'm sick of anything positive too. I'm convinced teams and people
(especially professionals) have to earn the right to be spoken of positively.
This isn't a little league team for God's sake. If they're going to fall apart
just because they're mixed up in the heat of current failures, then they
shouldn't be Boston Red Sox. And, from now on, regardless of the circumstances,
people need to shut up and let other people speak their mind, even if it's
negative. Especially in an atmosphere like this, where out comments are truly
meaningless outside our little fan-based community we have ourselves, and just
for the point of sharing with the rest of our little community. Just because we
want to be negative, doesn't mean it's going to affect those players. We're
fans, and nothing more. Let us be fans how we want to be.
There was something I was truly disgusted with on another thread, and that was
the notion that because we want to complain, and want to be negative, we're
"fair-weather fans". I want to defend everyone, but, since I can't (and since
I'm probably too selfish and only care about myself anyway), I can only say
where I'm coming from. I'm starting to notice a trend in my approach to the Red
Sox. When they're enjoying good times, I refer to them as 'the Sox' or 'the Red
Sox'. When they're struggling, as they are now--oh are they struggling now--I
include myself for some stupid reason, and say 'we're having hard times'. What
does that say? I think this is the prime time to be a fan actually.
As far as last night went, yeah, I did like the way the team played. I don't
like the fact Nomar sat the whole time, and, actually, at all, but I really
haven't been impressed by a lot of Francona's decisions anyway. Then again, I
wasn't impressed with how one Grady Little handled things in a much similar
situation, but, before that, he seemed to do things just fine.
Oh well, can't change things now...
NOTES
This was a post on the Remy Report Message Board.