Actually getting an email back from Eric Wilbur earlier today reminded me about the last time I wrote an email to a Globe sportswriter. It's not DiNardo-related, but Sox-related...and b/c this is my space, I thought I'd hash it out here.
Back in late 2001, the always-angry Dan Shaughnessy had a problem with the sale of the Boston Red Sox to those "carpetbaggers" John Henry and Tom Werner. Shaughnessy has had a problem with just about every Sox player, manager, and front office guy that I can remember. Of his most unprofessional columns (and there are TONS), I'm reminded of the time he called Jose Offerman a "piece of junk." (May 26, 2002;
BUNT NOT DOWN BUT FANS ARE POOR EXECUTION FROM OFFERMAN):
There was actually too much good news for all of us to handle. Red Sox
and Celtics success on the heels of the Patriot magic carpet ride
brought national attention to New England for Memorial Day weekend.
Toss in some rare sunshine and Beantown was finally feeling like the
true Hub of the Universe.
But then Jose Offerman couldn't get a bunt down and the Sox' world crumbled.
Let us consider for a moment the piece of junk
that is Offerman. He gets paid $6.5 million per year, hits .250 with
zero speed and power, can't get a bunt down in a crucial situation,
then won't talk about his failure after a 3-2 loss to the Yankees.
Really,
would it be that tough for Offerman to tell Red Sox fans what happened
up there?
That was just a fun flashback. Anyway, here's the article that I was responding to back in 2001.
Shaughnessy Column (12/21/2001; "SOLD TOWNE TEAM HARRINGTON HAD GOLDEN CHANCE TO HIT HOME RUN FOR SOX FANS, BUT HE WHIFFS HE BLEW A GREAT CHANCE"):
"The Red Sox are a public trust. They are the heart and soul of New
England. They are as important as any local institution. And last night
they changed hands for the first time in 68 years.
Michigan-born,
Yale grad Tom Yawkey rescued the franchise in 1933, and now we have
unknown men named Henry and Werner taking charge of this most-cherished
local team.
I wish I felt good about
this and I hope I'm wrong. I wish I could get on the bandwagon and
believe good things will come of this. Maybe John Henry
and Tom Werner will be the best Boston sports owners since Walter
Brown. Maybe they will build a new jewel of a ballpark in South Boston
and reward us with a string of championship teams in the next decade.
But
forgive me if I don't trust these guys. Any of them ever been to Durgin
Park? Any of 'em know that the L Street Brownies swim in the ocean on
New Year's Day? Any of them know the meaning of Curt Gowdy and "Hi,
neighbor, have a 'Gansett?" Any of them know who hit Tony Conigliaro
with that spitball in 1967? And that the pitch was thrown Aug. 18, a
Friday night?
Shame on John Harrington.
The cowardly little accountant had a chance to do something great and
important here. This is the man who befriended Mrs. Yawkey all those
years ago and - on that relationship alone - became CEO of the Red Sox
and a Big Player in Major League Baseball. The record will show that
when it came time to step up, Harrington caved to commissioner Bud
Selig and the Lords of the Sport. He chose to serve the Boys in the
Club rather than loyal, long-suffering, top-dollar-paying citizens of
Red Sox Nation.
John Harrington and the Yawkey Trust win. You lose.
Joe O'Donnell and Steve Karp should be the new owners
of the Boston Red Sox. They were the answer to every question. They
have money. They have great reputations in the business community. They
can get things built. They love New England. They grew up as Red Sox
fans and share the blood type that flows through the veins of Red Sox
Nation.
But Harrington didn't want the
local guys. He was no doubt worried that O'Donnell and Karp would make
him look bad. On Monday, he extended Aramark's concession deal for
eight years, totally neutralizing O'Donnell's alliance with the limited
partners from Aramark. This was downright dishonest. You don't make
that kind of side deal when you are selling a team in an open bid.
So
now we have this band of carpetbaggers, taking charge of our most
cherished institution. Your Red Sox have been used as a pawn in the big
league chess match between Major League Baseball and the Players
Association. In the end, Bud Selig decided that putting a "team player"
in Boston was more important than letting the Red Sox fall into the
hands of a reputable local group.
Me: (Originally an email to Shaughnessy, ended up on the Letters to the Editor Page)
"Yes, we may have a few rich carpetbaggers coming into town to take over the Sox. However, of all the potential new owners, this is the only group that knows the value of keeping the Sox in Fenway, and to think that Commissioner-cum-stadium-builder Bud Selig actually approves a group that would rather renovate an ancient park than build a new one holds quite of bit of weight.
They're not
simply coming in here with an eye for investment; they're buying into
the tradition (rich people can do that). The Henry-Werner posse hasn't
had the luxury of growing up with the heartbreak or the pride. But
baseball is baseball - and to bring a new perspective to Boston (one
which doesn't have its soul on lease to Yankee Stadium) is healthy for
BoSox fans everywhere.
To sell a team
to a hot dog pusher simply to have a hometown boy in charge doesn't
help anyone, let alone Boston's blood-sniffing provocateur-journalists.
True Boston sports fans have indeed won."
Of course, I was right and Shaughnessy, like usual, was wrong. That's the point of this otherwise irrelevant post. That, and thanks to Eric Wilbur for paying attention to the readers and to the team we love.
NOTE: there is a whole blog devoted to the question: How does Dan Shaughnessy have a job at a major daily newspaper? It gets way more traffic than the MikeLowellSucks.com.
