Pedro
06-17-2004, 07:44 AM
From The Herald:
http://redsox.bostonherald.com/redSox/view...articleid=32196 (http://redsox.bostonherald.com/redSox/view.bg?articleid=32196)
DENVER - Just one week into his 2004 season, that is definitely rust you're seeing when Nomar Garciaparra [stats, news] fields his position and swings a bat.
What you should hear is how much resentment he is carrying around.
Garciaparra, who missed the first 57 games with Achilles tendinitis, believes he rushed his return from a six-game minor league rehab stint (21 at-bats), partly to shut up those who questioned the length of his recovery. To add insult to his injury, Garciaparra believes his character and work ethic have been questioned for no good reason, his long list of baseball accomplishments has been ignored, and what people remember about him is the .170 batting average from last September.
Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't, Garciaparra seems to be of the mindset that he simply can't win.
He's all right with that, though. Eligible for free agency after the season, the option of winning somewhere else is always open.
"I've been judged on one month - I've got eight years,'' Garciaparra, bemoaning the ``what have you done for me lately?'' standards of some, said before last night's 7-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies. ``Think about what I've done. What would you rather have: eight great years and one bad month or eight bad months and one good year? I think those eight years count - they will somewhere, to somebody.
Garciaparra plainly is smarting from the dip his stock has taken, if not in the fans' eyes but in the eyes of some in the baseball universe. The entire offseason soap opera that revolved around the Red Sox [stats, schedule]' failed pursuit of Alex Rodriguez, the irrevocable waiver placement of Manny Ramirez [stats, news] and then the spats between Garciaparra's agent and the front office has stopped spinning as violently as it was. But, the eddies and whirlpools left behind still surround Garciaparra.
"Everyone assumes I'm someone different, or I'm trying to do something different, but people have been assuming what I'm like for so long now,'' he said, "so apparently what I've done over the past eight years obviously means nothing. What counts is the end of last year or the offseason. Apparently eight years don't count, but I think they count - they count somewhere.''
The idea that he prolonged his recovery amazes him.
"It's never been in my nature, it's never been. Why would I do that now?'' Garciaparra said. ``You're here for a week, and that's all I hear. I'm playing and I'm still hearing that I'm doing something wrong. And jeez, I haven't even played for a few months.
"I can't win - 21 ABs (for Pawtucket) but no, `You're faking it' and `Cmon, what are you waiting for?' Then I come back, they are still going to say `See - he sucks. He's not good. You were bad last year, you're bad this year.' It's a no-win situation. They should just be glad I'm back.''
Garciaparra being back is what prompted this particular venting opportunity.
On Tuesday night at Coors Field, he looked tentative going for a Vinny Castilla line drive in the eighth inning, when his leap was not as high as usual. Garciaparra said he got a bad jump on the ball, and the sightlines for an infielder here are not particularly helpful.
Garciaparra made an error last night, but looked a bit more comfortable at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a run scored.
When he was asked if this should be considered spring training for him, he said, ``Absolutely. It's still there. I don't know, I've only had four or five games, and I get to figure it out up here against the best - that's great, to stay hot, huh? - right in midseason.''
He said he wouldn't mind if he were still working out his kinks in the minors.
"That would be great, just working out, getting some feel, but I don't have that luxury because then I'm faking it - am I right?'' Garciaparra said. ``Think about it - I get 21 ABs and I'm faking it.''
If only Garciaparra were judged strictly on his results, both from the past and the present, this might all seem a little fairer to him, it was suggested.
``You would think,'' he said, ``but obviously it doesn't because if it was, a lot of the stuff that has been said about me an awful lot of times wouldn't be said. Because if it's based on performance, it's not `what have you done for me lately' but it's `what have you done.' And if that's the case, then a lot of stuff wouldn't be said. Right? Good point, right?''
Good point or not, it's how Garciaparra feels, it's how he is thinking right now. As you watch him work into major league shape the rest of the season, it's something for everyone else to chew on as well.
Uhh... music to my ears. I hope he gets even more pissed off. Especially when Pedro is saying all these great things... re-sign Tek, Petey, Pokey and Swilly and the Sox will be swell. We can use the extra $11.5 or whatever he making as well as Lowe's salary and the $3-4 M dip Pedro will take on his new contract. I'll chew on that, Silverman... and you had better keep defending Pedro.
http://redsox.bostonherald.com/redSox/view...articleid=32196 (http://redsox.bostonherald.com/redSox/view.bg?articleid=32196)
DENVER - Just one week into his 2004 season, that is definitely rust you're seeing when Nomar Garciaparra [stats, news] fields his position and swings a bat.
What you should hear is how much resentment he is carrying around.
Garciaparra, who missed the first 57 games with Achilles tendinitis, believes he rushed his return from a six-game minor league rehab stint (21 at-bats), partly to shut up those who questioned the length of his recovery. To add insult to his injury, Garciaparra believes his character and work ethic have been questioned for no good reason, his long list of baseball accomplishments has been ignored, and what people remember about him is the .170 batting average from last September.
Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't, Garciaparra seems to be of the mindset that he simply can't win.
He's all right with that, though. Eligible for free agency after the season, the option of winning somewhere else is always open.
"I've been judged on one month - I've got eight years,'' Garciaparra, bemoaning the ``what have you done for me lately?'' standards of some, said before last night's 7-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies. ``Think about what I've done. What would you rather have: eight great years and one bad month or eight bad months and one good year? I think those eight years count - they will somewhere, to somebody.
Garciaparra plainly is smarting from the dip his stock has taken, if not in the fans' eyes but in the eyes of some in the baseball universe. The entire offseason soap opera that revolved around the Red Sox [stats, schedule]' failed pursuit of Alex Rodriguez, the irrevocable waiver placement of Manny Ramirez [stats, news] and then the spats between Garciaparra's agent and the front office has stopped spinning as violently as it was. But, the eddies and whirlpools left behind still surround Garciaparra.
"Everyone assumes I'm someone different, or I'm trying to do something different, but people have been assuming what I'm like for so long now,'' he said, "so apparently what I've done over the past eight years obviously means nothing. What counts is the end of last year or the offseason. Apparently eight years don't count, but I think they count - they count somewhere.''
The idea that he prolonged his recovery amazes him.
"It's never been in my nature, it's never been. Why would I do that now?'' Garciaparra said. ``You're here for a week, and that's all I hear. I'm playing and I'm still hearing that I'm doing something wrong. And jeez, I haven't even played for a few months.
"I can't win - 21 ABs (for Pawtucket) but no, `You're faking it' and `Cmon, what are you waiting for?' Then I come back, they are still going to say `See - he sucks. He's not good. You were bad last year, you're bad this year.' It's a no-win situation. They should just be glad I'm back.''
Garciaparra being back is what prompted this particular venting opportunity.
On Tuesday night at Coors Field, he looked tentative going for a Vinny Castilla line drive in the eighth inning, when his leap was not as high as usual. Garciaparra said he got a bad jump on the ball, and the sightlines for an infielder here are not particularly helpful.
Garciaparra made an error last night, but looked a bit more comfortable at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a run scored.
When he was asked if this should be considered spring training for him, he said, ``Absolutely. It's still there. I don't know, I've only had four or five games, and I get to figure it out up here against the best - that's great, to stay hot, huh? - right in midseason.''
He said he wouldn't mind if he were still working out his kinks in the minors.
"That would be great, just working out, getting some feel, but I don't have that luxury because then I'm faking it - am I right?'' Garciaparra said. ``Think about it - I get 21 ABs and I'm faking it.''
If only Garciaparra were judged strictly on his results, both from the past and the present, this might all seem a little fairer to him, it was suggested.
``You would think,'' he said, ``but obviously it doesn't because if it was, a lot of the stuff that has been said about me an awful lot of times wouldn't be said. Because if it's based on performance, it's not `what have you done for me lately' but it's `what have you done.' And if that's the case, then a lot of stuff wouldn't be said. Right? Good point, right?''
Good point or not, it's how Garciaparra feels, it's how he is thinking right now. As you watch him work into major league shape the rest of the season, it's something for everyone else to chew on as well.
Uhh... music to my ears. I hope he gets even more pissed off. Especially when Pedro is saying all these great things... re-sign Tek, Petey, Pokey and Swilly and the Sox will be swell. We can use the extra $11.5 or whatever he making as well as Lowe's salary and the $3-4 M dip Pedro will take on his new contract. I'll chew on that, Silverman... and you had better keep defending Pedro.