What A Wonderful World

"I see trees of green, red roses too,
I see them bloom for me and you..."

No one could have expected what would happen. Some quirky kid who played in a few games at the end of the previous season was now to be the starting shortstop for one of the most storied franchises in all of professional baseball; a team that played with a towering Green Monster in left field and donned uniforms, with the emphasis on their socks of red.

This kid had good range at his position that had been previously held by John Valentin, yet was now his. This kid had Jim Rice, a Hall of Famer many years later, as his hitting coach. This kid had comfort within the organization, knowing that a college teammate was on his way to the big show, arriving the very next year.

And, by God, this kid was good.

Nomar Garciaparra became an immediate threat at the plate, in the field, and a fan favorite among everyone who watched Sox games. He soon drew comparisons to historic Beantown figures such as Williams, Yastrzemski, and his predecessors, Peskey and Doerr. He seemed to be a shoo-in for Cooperstown, and it was only a matter of time before the Sox had all the pieces before he was hoisting the World Series Trophy, as well as the Series' MVP Trophy. There were the debates that ensued on who was better: Nomar, Derek Jeter, or Alex Rodriguez?

"I see skies of blue and clouds of white,
The bright blessed day and the dark sacred night..."

It seemed as though nothing but blue skies laid before him. Day games and night games, he played to the utmost of his ability and performed like a 10 year veteran. He batted .357 in 1999 and posted a .417 postseason batting average. He appeared as the starting shortstop earlier in the year during the '99 Midsummer Classic, as he greeted one of the greatest hitters ever at the pitchers mound, Teddy Ballgame Williams. He hit .372 the next season and earned another All-Star game appearance. He had it all.

He seemed to be doing it all, as well. He was in one of the hardest cities to compete in professionally, with one of the most dedicated fan bases, who loved their players very much.

But he was also in a very media driven city, and as much as the fans loved the people who played for their team, they loved the team more.

"I hear babies cry, I watch them grow,
They'll know much more than I'll ever know..."

On July 26, 2004, Nomar Garciaparra was traded away from the Boston Red Sox to the Chicago Cubs, the Sox got Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkievich, and the rest became history. The Boys from Beantown went on a tremendous August run, went on to become the first team to ever overcome a 0-3 deficit in a 7-game series, as they banished all visions Babe Ruth had haunted them with, then won the Series for the first time in 86 years.

Soon after this, Nomar's career been to slide and quickly. After signing a one year contract to remain with the Cubs, Nomar pulled his left groin muscle mere weeks into the 2005 season. He signed in the offseason with the Los Angeles Dodgers, his hometown team, for a two year deal. In 2006, he made his final All-Star game appearance, winning the Final Ballot for the National League. At the end of '06, he was awarded the NL's Comeback Player of the Year, finishing the season with 20 HR's, 93 RBI and a .303 batting average. The rest of his career was a seemingly quick decline from switching positions (3B to 1B to bench), to losing his power and bat speed, and ultimately found solace in Oakland last season as a DH/1B/3B/role player off the bench.

Many people, media and fans alike, began to question Nomar for many reasons towards the end of his run in Boston. And for every question (every single one), I have an answer. Let's go back as far as we possibly can to clear the air on Nomar, before another false accusation is said.

Question: Did Nomar use Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs)?
Answer: An excellent question that I have heard either asked or answered. But my answer has yet to be heard. So let us take a trip down memory lane. A early March Sports Illustrated issue in 2001 showed Nomar posing topless, flexing, and looking absolutely ripped. Whether this was the lighting, camera angle, or Nomar made sure he did Eight Minute Abs before the shoot, this definitely became fodder for any person obsessed with accusing anyone of using steriods. Next, were the injuries; multiple calf injuries and his groin pull in Chi-town also became fuel for the fire in the argument that Nomar was a juicer. Yet, I still don't believe it. For beginners, acne is a huge side effect of 'roids. In Nomar's SI cover photo (which I still believe forever jinxed him) he has no acne. But there is more too. A lot of Nomar's pop at the plate came from his bat speed. As a huge Nomar fan, I try to imitate his batting tics myself, and find myself with more bat speed, much more than what a "usual" or "generic" swing would allow me to have. When Nomar hurt his wrist after being hit by a pitch in early 2001, he lost some of that speed. So, to compensate for the lost speed, one could say he hit the gym to add muscle to make up for it. Yet there is no proof that he used PEDs.

Question: Why did Nomar come to hate Beantown?
Answer: In the words of Terry Francona, Nomar was "all Bostoned out." He couldn't deal with the media anymore. It became too much, especially after reporters began to follow him home to try and continue an interview. As a Boston fan, I too, found myself wanting my questions answered as to why we could never win a Series. Yet one man doesn't have the answers, and yet we kept expecting him to have them. He was the face of the franchise, so we came to him for help. And sometimes, if he didn't have an answer, we would think that it wasn't good enough until he gave us one. Also, I'm sure you'd be a little pee-owed if you found out on your honeymoon that the team you loved to play for was attempting to trade you away. Yes, Nomar was out in Hawaii when he caught wind of the trade rumors. And Nomar was OK with the money the Sox offered him initially that offseason; his agent, Arn Tellem, kept arguing for more.

Question: Was the Nomar coming back to the Sox press conference truthful and meaningful?
Answer: Yes and no.

No because Theo shopped Nomar back in 04, knowing that Nomar would most likely leave willingly at the end of the season if the Sox didn't win a ring, and he wanted something in return. No because Larry and John didn't want to give Nomar $60 million (excuse me, I'm once again blaming the wrong person; they didn't give Arn $60 million). And no because there have been several rumors that this was solely for making profits off of redsox.com.

But on the other hand, yes. It most certainly was truthful and meaningful...for Nomar. The man loved playing for the city of Boston and yes, although there were differences towards the end of his stay, he still enjoyed the love from the fans. And we in turn loved him. To say as a Sox fan that you didn't enjoy watching his batting routine is like Cookie Monster saying he despises cookies; you just don't hear it. To say he didn't lay the foundation for the 2004 World Champion Sox is like saying George Washington didn't lay the foundation for the United States. Nomar was the heart of the Sox for many years (Pedro, the soul, of course) and his coming back to the team was healing for all; healing for Nomar, who has dreamed of retiring as a member of the Sox ever since he left, healing for the shops outside Fenway, who will now rake in the millions in selling retired player merchandise, and for me, one fan who will truly miss what Nomar brought to the game; a hot bat, a quick glove, his own uniqueness, and a love of the game. And you can't ask for much more than that.

"...and I think to myself,
What a wonderful world."