Tuesday, August 03, 2004

NOMAR NO MORE. The Globe's Bob Ryan and the Herald's Steve Buckley (sub. req.) have additional perspective on the Nomar Garciaparra trade today. Ryan professes mystification, while Buckley positions himself about two-thirds of the way toward management, more or less siding with Theo and company while giving Garciaparra his due.

But you know what you want. You want The Commissioner. Media Log delivers! The great thing about Peter Gammons is that he always seems to have the inside story, even on those occasions when subsequent developments leave you scratching your head. Anyway, here's Gammons at ESPN.com:

Garciaparra did not hang out with teammates, and this season became increasingly distant as his body language became despondent. That he didn't play in Yankee Stadium in the July 1 classic when Derek Jeter gave up his body for an out got a little exaggerated, but veteran teammates constantly made private comments like "he is the biggest disappointment of my playing career - I never knew what he was like."

...

Nomar was bitter, he was embarrassed to not play as he wanted because of his heel injury (three teams that do statistical ratings of players had him as the worst defensive shortstop in the game, because of the injury). Then, when the Red Sox got to Minnesota this weekend, Garciaparra told trainers Jim Rowe and Chris Correnti that his heel wasn't right and that not only would he have to skip the weekend, he expected to have to go on the disabled list for most of August to be right in September. But when Epstein told Cubs GM Jim Hendry that there is a medical issue, Hendry said he wasn't concerned - which led the Red Sox to believe that Arn Tellem, Garciaparra's agent, was telling the Cubs he is fine. Translated, as Warren Zevon would say, "Dad, get me out of this."

Nomar was a great, great player, and he may be once again. But for whatever reason - and I'm certainly not holding management blameless - his situation in Boston had become untenable. Keep an eye on the off-season and see what he signs for. I'll bet it's for a lot less than the $60 million he turned down from the Sox - or even the $48 million "market correction" offer they later made.

SUN SHINES ON KELLER. Josh Gerstein of the New York Sun profiles political analyst Jon Keller, of WLVI-TV (Channel 56). Gerstein's focus is on Keller's disdain for John Kerry, and he calls Keller "the reporter he seems to loathe more than any other." I'm quoted as well, although Gerstein is quick to point out that I hold "a more charitable view of the senator."

MEDIA LOG MEETS WONKETTE. Almost! I was on CNN's Reliable Sources on Sunday, as was Ana Marie Cox, of Wonkette.com. Only I was in a dark little studio in Watertown, while she was in Washington (presumably; I haven't seen the tape). Anyway, here's the transcript. Don't get too excited - she watched her language.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Typical Gammons. One anonymous player's anecdote about Nomar in a time of distress is supposed to reveal more to us than everything we've seen with our own eyes for seven years?