Nomar Returns to Fenway

The last time Nomar Garciaparra was in Fenway he played against the hated rival New York Yankees. 5 years later, he was greeted as if he never left. Since then, this is Garciaparra's 3rd different team & he has never come close to recapturing the magic he enjoyed as a Red Sox.

In 2004, GM Theo Epstein shocked the baseball world & Sox fans, by trading the popular SS. Back then, Garciaparra was arguably the best SS in baseball. We all had the discussion, "who would you take at SS? Nomar, Jeter, or Alex." Even Alex was quoted as saying, "Jeter is the richest, I am the youngest, Nomar is the best." & armed with a Rookie of the Year in 1997 along with a Silver Slugger Award that year, 2 batting titles, & 5 all star appearances all before 2004, he had the credentials & was recognized as one of the best SS to ever play in the history of the game. Likely the worst fielder of the 3, it was Nomar's ability to come through in Late Inning Pressure Situations (check out the numbers yourself by clicking on the hyperlinks provided) that set him apart from Rodriguez & was even better than Jeter "in the clutch." The last 5 years however, weren't as kind to him, & I can point to 1 game, the turning point of when & where it was over for Nomar in Boston.

The Sox front office & Nomar couldn't agree on a contract in 04 & you know what happened next. The Sox follow the standard operating procedure, leak to the media Nomar turned down a 4 year $60M offer, Nomar denies it, relationship turns sour, later on is traded, some of the fans of course turned on him, while others were heartbroken. But more than that, it was Garciaparra's body language that year that led to his subsequent trade. He looked like he was finally fed up of the fans, the team, & the whole RSN environment filled with angst (& who wouldn't be). This was noticeable & on display on the July 1, 2004 game at Yankee stadium.

Most of you might remember that game for the Derek Jeter dive into the stands going for a pop up. I remember that game, as the day I finally answered Jeter to the "what SS I would take" discussion (since Alex was at 3B). Not because of the play, but because in a huge series, the at the time leader of the Red Sox, was pouting in the dugout because he was benched that game. While Ortiz, Ramirez, Nixon, & Varitek, & Pokey Reese were all at the top of the dugout steps watching each play anxiously...Nomar just sat, practically abandoning the team.

Sometimes when it's time to go, it truly is time to go. But his return last night was a touching moment, from a fan base that usually chews up players & spits them out. Nomar will never be a Hall of Fame player he was once thought of. Hell he might not even get his number retired. But very few former Red Sox players will be greeted like he was last night. It was a historic moment that might never happen again.