I’m not much of a morning person; in fact, I can’t remember the last time I was awake at seven o’clock in the AM without being even the slightest bit tired; however, today was an exception.
As I awoke at 6:30, I quickly came to realize that due to my screwed up sleeping schedule, I wasn’t in the least bit tired. Grudgingly, I rose and went to retrieve the morning paper, the sports page specifically, which I don’t often read any more; and yet, on the front page of the Worcester T&G sports section a headline and a picture caught my attention.
There was Rocco Baldelli, a player I have always liked, holding up his new Red Sox jersey. But on the other hand, there was the caption: “Fragile Rocco takes Nomar’s No. 5.”
You want to talk about weird feelings in the pit of your stomach? That lone caption hit my harder than some of the more emotional issues in my life. Now, ignoring the fact that that’s completely messed up and definitely qualifies me as a feeling-less zombie, it got me to think back...To think back of the days of Nomar and just what he meant to me and the city of Boston at one point.
For many Red Sox fans, (particularly those born late '80s–early '90s) Nomar was the reason they became Red Sox fans, even baseball fans. I was the prime example of this type of person.
For those children who claimed they’ve been a fan of their favorite team all their life, or even since they were about four or five years old: bullshit. There’s always that certain event or certain player that draws to the sport and draws you to a team. For me, Nomar Garciaparra was that reason.
Sure, I can remember watching the 1996 Sox team with guys like Mo Vaughn, but I don’t recall much, nor was I that interested; however, that all changed when a young shortstop with a goofy batting stance out of Georgia Tech arrived on the scene full time in 1997.
From the very beginning, I fell in love with everything about Nomar. Like many, I loved the way he prepared himself in the batter’s box—from tugging on the batting gloves to kicking dirt and twirling the bat. I loved his acrobatic-like fielding style and his crazy sidearm delivery at short.
I loved his unique first name and his fun-to-say last name. I loved how time would seem to stop when he came to the plate, and how everyone seemed to stop what they were doing just to watch his at-bat. Oh, and let’s not forget how amazed I was at his ability.
To this day, I’ve never been obsessed with a player more, nor seen a better pure hitter in his prime than Nomar. If you scoped around my room a little, you’d come to find around five or six Nomar posters along with 80-something Nomar baseball cards, not to mention all the Nomar shirts I had before I out-grew them all.
6 comments Last one added 3 months ago — Leave a Comment
BS 6 months ago
Great article. I was drawn to the Sox because I found out my mom knew Wake and went to high school with him. I started following him, and got caught up in the team, esp. with the history (Teddy Ballgame is my favorite player). I have followed them with unwavering loyalty that has helped me fend of the [sudden] Rays fans this year and the countless Yankee fans who only want to screw with Sox fans. Now, with many wanting Wake to retire, I am going through the same experiences that you went through in 2003 and 2004. If and when he retires, the Sox will lose one of their best clubhouse leaders and one of the most respectable ballplayers in modern history.
This article has prepared me for the day when Wake's no longer in the clubhouse and a new, younger player has taken over the uniform number without possibly knowing how much the man who had previously worn that number meant to fans, or to one fan in particular. And the jokes that popped up throughout the article should help me remember this article when that day comes. Overall, an amazing article, and I posted a link to it on www.overthemonster.com as a FanShot (small, user-generated content - usually links, quotes, pics, etc), found here: http://www.overthemonster.com/2009/1/10/715985/why-we-fall-in-love-with-t . Thanks for the great article!
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Andrew Stephan 5 months ago
I also had a Nomar obsession as a kid, I still think he's pretty misunderstood. He was never anything but a class act in Boston as far as I'm concerned. I will never accept the theory that trading him was the reason they won in 2004 though. Trading Nomar doesn't explain huge drop in our pitching staff's ERA over the second half of the 2004 season.
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BHL 3 months ago
Nomar was an egomaniac. any man who won't shave his head to align with his teammates is clearly too into himself.
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Curtis Brogan 5 months ago
Great article man. I went through the same thing. Growing up in New England I was pretty much conditioned to be a Sox fan but Nomar really did draw me to the game. I played shortstop and he was that player I modeled my game after. I wore the #5 in honor of my hero. Although to us Nomar will never get the respect we feel he deserves, we will always know what an asset he was to the Sox in the late 90's and early 2000's. It really hurt when he injured his wrist because before that he was immortal.
Without us educating them, our kids and other young people will never understand what Nomar meant to this ball club, but we will always know. I'm kind of excited about the signing of Rocco Baldelli and I hope he will wear the #5 with pride.
Never forget the Nomar days but appreciate the team we have now. Although he can never be replaced in my mind, I love watching Dustin Pedroia because he reminds me of Nomar.
Thanks again for this article, glad to know people feel the same way I do. He will always have a spot in our minds and that's all that matters.
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BHL 3 months ago
"For those children who claimed they’ve been a fan of their favorite team all their life, or even since they were about four or five years old: bullshit. There’s always that certain event or certain player that draws to the sport and draws you to a team. For me, Nomar Garciaparra was that reason."
---> Not sure I agree with you here. Or maybe I don't really understand your point. I first was able to comprehend baseball and assert that the Red Sox were my "favorite team" at about age 5. I didn't need a specific player, although at the time it was Wade Boggs. Regardless of Wade, however, I loved baseball and I loved the Red Sox.
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Nick Coviello 3 months ago
Well, I guess you're just the exception to the rule.
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