So, instead of a healthy Dustin Pedroia coming off the DL in
time for the Yankees series, we have a stubborn Pedroia going on the DL in time
for the Yankees series. Not only that, but we had to suffer through him
clogging a roster spot as he gritted it out and acted tough while he performed
like garbage in the games he could play in. When is everyone else going to get
tired of Laser Show’s act?
Probably never, because the media loves the guy. I actually
heard a radio idiot wonder this afternoon if the Red Sox were looking past
Seattle to the weekend series with the Yanks. Was that the reason they got
swept? Was it another example of the poor character of this team? Was it lack
of focus? It certainly wasn’t because Pedroia was awful while he was playing,
and robbing Bobby Valentine of flexibility when he wasn’t. Did anyone see the
line-up the Sox had to use in the last game against Seattle? Would focus have
really helped?
On the first day of Jere’s Anti-Boston Media Weekend, I
think it’s telling that one of the biggest crimes of the media comes to the
forefront. The fact that things that make their jobs easier are examples of
good players. Who are some players that have been well liked in Boston?
Pedroia? Ortiz? Millar? What do they all have in common? They give the media
great quotes. Who are some players who have been constantly dogged? Dice-K? JD
Drew? Adrian Gonzalez? What do they all have in common? They’re dull.
What’s the biggest crime a player can commit after a poor
performance? Not “owning up to it.” Not talking to the media. Josh Beckett got
shelled…and then WASN’T AVAILABLE IN THE LOCKER ROOM! So, it’s a major
character flaw, apparently, if a player doesn’t make the media’s job easier?
What exactly does talking to the media prove? That you’re talkative. Other than
that? I can’t think of anything. Are you more sorry if you tell the Herald that
you played poorly? I’m fairly certain that every player dislikes playing poorly
whether they say it in print, or not.
So gritty (quotable) Pedroia will continue to get a free
pass. He had nothing to do with the horrible west coast trip. He was busting
his butt, after all. Not like that slacker Crawford who is waiting until he can
actually play before he plays. If only more players were like gutsy (quotable)
Pedroia, last September might not have happened. Despite his superior numbers
in every meaningful category, it was Adrian Gonzalez wilting (not giving
quotes) that killed the team down the stretch.
Drives me crazy.
I love the way he plays hard every night but I would hate to play with the guy. I can't stand people that talk about themselves and I would have a hard time not telling him to shut his yap. When they talk about Boston's clubhouse cancer I gotta beleive Pedroia is the problem. Youkilis may have been mad when he didn't get a hit but at least his teammates didn't have to hear about every time he did.
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