The Legend and The Rook

For years, Nomar Garciaparra was not only a staple in the lineup but the cornerstone of the Red Sox Franchise. When the Sox were bad he was good. When the Sox were good He was great. His name was synonymous with what Red Sox Nation is and always will be. Although he and the media didn't always see eye to eye, (the Nomar Red Line comes to mind), He was a demi-god to the Red Sox and Baseball community and to put it in even more perspective; He is who Tom Brady strives to be.

He lead off an inning (pretty sure the baseball gods helped out on that one), and got a 1-minute 10-second long Standing ovation. In a "For Love of The Game" like moment he acknowledged his fans with multiple tips of the cap and after about 45 seconds even applauded them for their love, loyalty, and faith. It was quite a sight to behold considering I was at the game when Trot Nixon came back to his standing-O and it was only half as long as this uber-All-Star.

Only fitting that he aided in his team's victory going 2-4 with a Ribby. Also he said, "I had this dream that I started and finished my career in a Red Sox uniform, actually I still have that dream." Very strange we may be looking for replacement 3-bagger with 1B versatility. That could be a VERY interesting scenario.

Now, the story that SOMEHOW overshadowed the return of the Legend to Yawkey Way. Brett Anderson. Yes those two words, that name, was the story. That South Paw flat out abused, pillaged, and dominated the Red Sox on a night where they could only muster 2 hits. 2 hits? There are 6 goddamn All-Stars on this team and we get two hits against the Oakland A's? Yes because this kid is the real deal.

Like some sort of space vortex that continues to churn out pitching prospect after pitching prospect, the Athletics have struck gold AGAIN with their youthful rotation this year, and have set themselves up for years to come. Anderson, on Monday, was dotting the corners with his 96 mph fastball, buckling knees with his TWO breaking balls (slide-piece and yakker) and then laughing at Red Sox hitters when he threw his almost unhittable change up. This kid is GOOD.

When looking at this 10 game homestand that goes up to the ASB you would think a minimum of 7 wins would be acceptable now we're gonna need to bust our ass to try to get to .500. And for a team that's playing .700 ball at home, that's not going to get the job done.

Stay Tuned

Ryan