He still loves us!

Forget the way it ended. Forget the pouting, the injuries, and the most shocking midseason trade in my lifetime.

And for god's sake, forget this cover ever happened...

For all the drama leading up to his 2004 departure, Nomar Garciaparra still loves us.

I was at the gym today when ESPN's Baseball Tonight came on the television, and to my delight they had our old friend Nomar as a guest. Mostly they talked about Brandon Webb's rehab, the remaining free agents (Johnny Damon is still out there), and the imminent start of Spring Training, but they did a quick question and answer session at the end of the program.

The first question posed to the former Sox shortstop was this: "What has been your favorite park to play in?"

Nomar smiled. The captions were a little behind on the gym's TV, but I was pretty sure I knew what he was going to say, so I smiled, too. Sure enough, a split second later the verdict flashed on the screen: "FENWAY." He went on to give props to Wrigley for its history, but returned again and again to the effect the fans have on the atmosphere at Fenway Park. "There's nothing like it," he said, and in my limited experience of other parks, he's quite correct. Other stadiums (I'm looking at you, New York) have scoreboards that tell fans when to cheer and clap... you'll see a lot of things at Fenway Park, but that's not one of them.

Red Sox fans are, for better or for worse, some of the most knowledgeable and passionate in the game, and Nomar is just the latest player to recognize us as such. I don't know about the rest of you, but I was extremely pleased to see Nomar reiterate his love for us (because, let's be fair, things were a little tense by the end of his tenure here). Since #5 left us, we've had a literal parade of shortstops, some good, some bad, but none with the same ties to the fans that Nomar had.


I hope Garciaparra finds a team this season. I hope he comes to Fenway (in anything but pinstripes, not that they have use for him) so we can show him the love once more... and because he loves Fenway as much as Fenway loves him.

Truck Day > Superbowl

I'm sure you've all figured this out by now, but I'm not the world's biggest football fan. Sure, I watched the Superbowl, and because I'm required by virtue of my New England birth to hate Peyton Manning, I was happy that the Saints won (and just a little jealous of the party in New Orleans that's sure to carry through Mardi Gras next week).

Approximately 10% of this crowd loves the Saints, 2o% are casual fans, 55% are just looking for a good time, 13% hate Peyton Manning, and 2% are simply confused.

To be honest, my favorite part of the Superbowl is that it marks the end of football season (though the beginning of Brett Favre speculation on SportsCenter). To me, the Superbowl means that it's almost time for Spring Training: indeed, Truck Day is this week, pitchers and catchers report the week after, and from there it's a hop, skip, and a jump to Opening Day [night?] on April 4.

Not just a truck, but a cause for jubilation in baseball-starved New England.

This winter has been even more difficult than most, with the Bruins underachieving, the Celtics battling scores of injuries, and the Patriots bowing out of the playoffs in the first round. If you're anything like me, baseball is arriving just in time to save your sanity... so rejoice! Because baseball is nearly here.

Blueberry Muffins for Everyone!

There's been some speculation lately that the Twins are about to come to terms with catcher Joe Mauer on a record setting contract extension. When and if that happens I plan to go out and buy myself a celebratory Mauer jersey. Why? Because that's what I do: I buy baseball paraphernalia.

Also, I'm too young to go out and have a celebratory drink.

As a baseball fan, I'll be thrilled to see Mauer stay in Minnesota. The game needs more players like Joe Mauer: talented, hardworking, and loyal. Now, I'm not saying that players who take a big payday shouldn't do so - they've worked hard to get to that level, and if they're going to play for the money, that's their prerogative.

On the other hand, as a Red Sox fan, I'm a little torn about this. If Mauer had made it to free agency, Theo would have gone after him, and hard. Unfortunately, we all know who would have gotten him in the end, especially if he was simply looking for the biggest payday:

"Why yes, we did offer Mauer a gold plated locker... And we promised him that A*Rod would never talk to him, or touch him."

Players looking to follow the money inevitably end up in pinstripes, and since Posada's not getting any younger, I would bet my first born child that Mauer would end up in the Bronx if he made it to free agency. For these selfish reasons, and because I genuinely think it's the best choice for this player and the game at large, I'm happy that all signs point to a long stay in Minnesota for Joe Mauer.

[For those of you confused by the title of this post, the official state muffin of Minnesota is the blueberry muffin. I'm sure this was an important aspect of Mauer's decision-making process.]

My Secret Shame

We all have one. A dirty little secret that, for whatever reason, we just can't quit. Some people are secret smokers. Others cheat on their significant others. Most of us have more innocent transgressions: we're chocoholics or impulse buyers, pack rats or compulsive cleaners.

I have a hunch that I share a secret shame with a lot of you, but the crux of the matter is that it's not a secret at all. My compulsion is as plain as the shirt on my back, because, well... it is the shirt on my back. I have next to no willpower when it comes to baseball merchandise, and even as a nearly broke college student, I find myself spending most of my meager income on Red Sox attire.

This picture is six months old, and only includes shirts that were at school with me at the time.

I get most of my stuff from Chowdaheadz and the Red Sox Team Store on Yawkey Way, but I have a few from places like Hadlock Field (home of the Double-A Seadogs) or even other Major League ballparks like CitiField. I'm on the email lists for the aforementioned vendors (and the MLB.com shop) and every time they send me something advertising discounted merchandise I just have to browse.

Normally, I detest shopping, but there's something about baseball that makes me rediscover my natural female shopping instinct. I even turn to baseball attire when shopping for my considerably less obsessed family. This Christmas, I bought my sister and brother-in-law matching sweatshirts, though I had my doubts about them matching in public...

My sister and I often end up matching inadvertently, but I think it's weird when married couples dress alike on purpose.

I've already told them that I'm going to buy their eventual child a bunch of Red Sox attire, teach him or her the entire roster, and take him or her to Fenway and use them to shamelessly beg for autographs. They interpreted this promise as free babysitting and clothes that they wouldn't need to buy.

So I guess my secret shame isn't secret at all, or even really that shameful, depending on who you ask. My bank account, however, might disagree.

Demonic No More

I have a locker in my dorm room. That might seem weird at first glance, but rest assured it's a Red Sox locker, and it's the envy of my Sox fan classmates. It's nothing too special, just a blue plastic locker with the team logo on it, with spaces for a favorite player's name and number. I got the locker when I was a little kid, and the name and number stayed blank for a long time, waiting for the right player to come along. Then came Johnny Damon, with his crazy hair, broad grin, and fun-loving demeanor; I loved him almost on sight, and so he went on the locker.

You can imagine my torment when, in the winter of 2005, Johnny Damon did what he swore he'd never do: he signed with the Evil Empire. Jesus had turned to Judas, and in a fit of temper I ripped his name and number from the locker. [I had a friend in high school try to put Pedey on there my senior year, but I took him down... I'm not taking any chances!]

Just like all of you, I swore to never root for the traitor, and it stung every time he complimented the Yankees. He seemingly erased his time in Boston from his memory, and I tried to do the same, but every day the locker was there.

Now that Damon is no longer with New York (what a stupid move on both sides), I feel free to remember the good times again. I've heard some speculation that the A's have the money to spend, and at first I felt gleeful: let Damon play with a noncontender after being spoiled by buckets of money in the Bronx. However, after some consideration I came to a different conclusion.


Johnny Damon would perform best in that Wiffle Ball Park in New York, but the carefree culture of Oakland might be somewhere he could have the most fun. The man is the proud owner of two World Series rings, and the A's could be a good fit for him. I'm not saying he wouldn't want to be competitive, but I for one would like to see that hair, beard, and idiot-mentality come back; the corporate New York style just didn't fit Johnny Damon.

Letting Damon go over a few million dollars was a stupid move by the Yankees' front office, and as a Red Sox fan, I applaud it. Now I can go back to remembering the good times, before he was "Johnny Demon"... and I can look at my locker without flinching.

Fan-FAIL

Today's a really busy day for me, so since I'll have very little time, here's a series of photos documenting some failures on the part of the sports' fan.

We'll start off with a college hoops game... How do you spell O-H-I-O?

More spelling problems from the good people of New York... Unless they meant "JEST," as in, "Our entire fandom is a joke."

You knew those NASCAR fans wouldn't disappoint. Dude, if your back is hairy enough to allow this, please keep it covered up.

I know those Wrigley Field bleachers get a lot of sun, but seriously? You're wearing a baseball cap with a brim designed for just this purpose. Turn it around, you look like an idiot.

I sincerely hope this was a one game thing... I mean, it shows a lot of dedication. But let's be honest: A*Rod never deserves to be mentioned with Jeter... You just can't compare them. And to immortalize A*Rod on your shaved head? TACKY.

And in case you thought I was being biased, here's some of Red Sox Nation's very own... Work on that depth perception, kids: you'll get-em next time.

The Inanity of ESPN

I was watching ESPN's Baseball Tonight the other day, and they mentioned Brett Favre. By itself this wouldn't be particularly surprising, as it's ALWAYS appropriate to work the 40-year-old quarterback into media coverage of any kind. No, what was shocking to me was the context of the mention, when they implied that the impact Jim Thome would have on the Twins would be comparable to the impact Favre had on the Vikings.

Lull in the conversation? Let's talk about Brett Favre!

There are so many things wrong with this that I hardly know where to begin, so let's start with the obvious: comparing baseball to football is like comparing apples to tires. Take the sport with by far the most games, and compare it to the one with the fewest, and then take it one step further and take a DH and compare him to a quarterback. If you had to choose the position on the diamond to dub the "quarterback" it would be catcher, and maybe pitcher, center fielder, or shortstop, but never designated hitter.

Then there's the sheer inanity of the idea that one [aging] hitter could have a season-changing effect on a team. In 2008, Thome had a WARP of 2.9. To put that in perspective, his new teammate Joe Mauer had a WARP of 7.1. Bill James predicts that Thome's 2010 line will look something like this: .245 BA, .374 OBP, 29 HR, 81 RBI. I'm not trying to belittle a line like that, since it would be rather impressive, but (as much as it pains me to say it) what Favre did for the Vikings was pretty special, leading them to a 12-4 record and the playoffs. If Thome can have that kind of impact on the Twins season, expect them to finish some where around 122-40.


I actually hope Thome does well with the Twins: I like them (unless they're playing us), and I'm always impressed with their ability to field such a good team for reasonable cash. However, the ESPN analysts need to do some work on their comparison skills, and here's a special tip: I never turn on Baseball Tonight to hear about Brett Favre.