I have absolutely had it with this Red Sox team.  The lack of respect from the top down, starting with the owners "respect" for the fan base to the most blatant sign of disrespect from the players that thought it was more important to go to Josh Beckett's charity drink-fest instead of going to Johnny Pesky's funeral, is down right disgusting.  I never thought I would say this, EVER, but I am rooting for every other team the Red Sox play this year, including the New York Yankees.  I hope these overpaid, under-achieving assholes lose every single game the rest of the year.  In fact, I wish they would have left the Lowell Spinners in the Boston clubhouse after Futures at Fenway to finish the season.  At least you would have a collection of players, managers and owners who seem to care about the game of baseball and be proud to put on that uniform day in and day out and represent their team with pride and dignity.

I wanna touch on the Pesky funeral for a minute.  To quote Dr. Phil, "WHAT WE'RE YOU THINKING?"  I cannot believe the players, manager or owners didn't step up and make this a mandatory team "event".  Johnny Pesky, arguably, the most important person to the Red Sox franchise since Ted Williams, had only four members of the 25-man roster show up for his funeral.  Four??  FOUR!!!!!  Are you shittin' me?  Mr. Pesky, over his 70+ years of service to the Red Sox, meant more to the team then probably anybody else involved with the organization.  He was the Red Sox!!  And for the players to disrespect him, his family, the organization, the fans and themselves in this matter in inexcusable.  But I'll be damned if those players weren't getting their drink (and maybe fried chicken) on at the annual Beckett Bowl that night.  Apparently, they couldn't take an hour out of their morning/afternoon to attend the funeral of a Red Sox legend.  They had to get their rest so they could "John Lackey" (double fist drinks) for the evening.

And where were the owners in all this?  Weren't they the one's who, with open arms, welcomed Johnny Pesky back into the Red Sox clubhouse after MLB and the previous owners kick him out of the dugout?  Weren't they also the one's who made sure he was there in St. Louis when the Sox finally broke the Curse of the Bambino in 2004?  And now the "Three Amigos" decide not to honor the man, so beloved by Red Sox fans everywhere, by telling the players it's optional to show up?!?!  To that I say... SCREW YOU!!  To this entire organization!  From the owners, to the managers, to the players, to the training staff.  Hell, even the peanut, hot dog and beer vendors.  Ok, maybe NOT the beer vendors - they're cool.  But you get my point.

From here on out, I am root, root, rooting for the other teams.

And somewhere, Ted Williams is shaking his head in disapproval.

My Moment with Greatness

 

It was around 5pm on August 11, 2008.  I was heading to pick up my mom and head to the Square One Mall, in Saugus, MA, to meet the legendary Johnny Pesky.  My mom had told me a few weeks prior he would be signing autographs and asked me if I would be interested in going. (Like the question actually needed an answer.)

So we drive up to Saugus, not knowing how long the lines would be and if we would even be able to get to see him.  To our surprise, when we got to the store he was signing at, there was nobody waiting in line.  There was nobody there asking him questions about what it was like to play with Ted Williams or even what it was like to serve in the Navy.  Normally, you might have felt sad for an aged ballplayer sitting, waiting for somebody, anybody, to come talk to him.  But not Johnny, he was holding court with the store personnel, talking baseball of all things.

After I purchased a bat and World Series ball for him to sign, I walked over to the table he was sitting at.  He finished up his story with the staff and addressed me with a "Hello, young fella".  I introduced myself and told him what a huge fan I was of his.  I was wearing a Red Sox jersey at the time and he asked me who's number was on the back as he was tugging on the jersey to get me to turn around.  As I turned, his eyes lit up.  I was wearing his favorite player, and friend, a #9 Ted Williams' jersey.  He then started telling me stories about Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio some of the other Red Sox greats.

I was fascinated and started hanging on every word he spoke.  He told me about what is was like watching Ted hit batting practice at Fenway Park and how he used to hit baseballs off the Green Monster to help Jim Rice become a better left fielder.  I was mesmerized by this man's recall memory; every detail in every story he described made you feel like you were there with him.  I told him my dad was from Lynn, MA and we started talking about Tony Conigliaro and how much pure talent he had.  He missed Tony C. and sat back in his chair, shaking his head, wondering what might have been.  We talked for a few minutes more as he signed my bat and ball and thanked me multiple times for coming to see him.  He also signed my mom's 2004 World Series hat (which I made her promise never to wear!) and thanked her as well.  I shook the man's hand and thanked him for all the years he has been with the Red Sox and told him what a pleasure and honor it was to meet him.  He smiled and said I'll see you at the ballpark.

I probably spent no more than five to seven minutes with this man, this legend, but he made it seem like we spent a lifetime together.

I never did run into him at the ballpark, but I never forgot the time I had my moment with greatness.

RIP Johnny Pesky.  You will be missed!!