Nomar: It was my chance to say thank you

As Nomar Garciaparra strolled to the plate to lead off the second inning Monday night in an Oakland A’s uniform, he had an idea of what to expect from the fans.

What he didn’t realize was just how long he was going to have to savor the moment. The fans rose to their feet and cheered him for well over a minute.

“It went on and on,” Garciaparra said afterward. ”It was just something special and a memory I’ll have with me for the rest of my life.”

He not only thanked Jason Varitek at the plate for the chance to take over a minute for the crowd to cheer him as he tipped his helmet, but he thanked home plate umpire Greg Gibson for pausing and then getting over home plate to clean it so that he could enjoy it a little longer.He thanked John Smoltz for stepping off the rubber and taking a little longer to get ready to start the inning, well after he was already set to pitch.

“Absolutely, it was real difficult,” Garciaparra said. “I looked at my boy Tek, and he was just smiling at me. I said, ‘Thanks Tek.’ He started chuckling. I told the umpire, ‘Thanks.’ And I told (Varitek) to tell Smoltzy ‘Thanks’ too. It was nice and I appreciated it greatly.”

He would ground out to third base in his first at-bat and then point to Tim Wakefield, another former Red Sox teammate. Wakefield waved back.

But most of all, Garciparra had his first chance since July 25, 2004 to play at Fenway and thank Red Sox fans who cheered him wildly since his rookie season in 1997.

Then there were his own teammates in the Oakland dugout.

“The guys were great,” Garciaparra said. “They were just telling me that was unbelieveable. That was awesome, wow. Some of the things that were really cool just prior to that. I had one teammate ask me if this was my first time back and I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘I’m so glad I’m able to see that.’ That was pretty cool. When he said that I was really taken back by that. That really meant a lot to me.”

Varitek knew what this meant to Garciaparra, a teammate not only in college at Georgia Tech but with the Red Sox for nearly eight seasons until the July 31, 2004 trade that sent him to the Cubs and brought Orlando Cabrera to Boston.

“After a moment or two, I just stopped looking, let him enjoy his time,” said Varitek, who clapped for Garciparra by using his mitt while in his catcher’s stance. “That was his time. I’ve known Nomar and I know it’s been hard for him not being here.”

As for the game itself, Garciaparra went 2-for-4 with an RBI single through the hole on the left side of the infield in the fourth and a single in the eighth. Nomar got his final ovation of the night as Rajai Davis came in to pinch-run.

“I’m glad I was able to do that,” Garciaparra said of his two-hit return. “I’m glad the ball park is good to me, still.”

But even Garciaparra had to give it up for his starting pitcher, who made returning a winning proposition. Brett Anderson threw his first complete game shutout, a two-hitter that completely stifled Red Sox batters all night in a 6-0 A’s win.

“And for us to be able to pull out that victory, the main key to that victory was our pitching performance today,” Garciaparra said. “That was really it from the baseball side of it. I’ve been dealing with more the emotional side and all that other stuff that was going on today. But from the baseball side, there was nothing other than Brett to talk about. He was tremendous out there today.”

Terry Francona managed him for just over a half-season in 2004 but knew this was going to be a special occasion, and so did Garciparra’s current skipper, Bob Geren.

“It looked like it really touched him,” Francona said. “It’s a pretty special place. I hope that never changes. They’re crazy fans but they’re so wrapped up emotionally in their team and people that have been part of their teams and I think that’s pretty cool.”

“Everybody loves Nomar here,” said Geren of the Boston reception. “He’s a real big boost to us, both on the field and in the clubhouse. And we all knew that coming back to Fenway was going to be a real special day for him. And we were just actually enjoying watching him enjoy the moment, we really were.

“What he did here in Boston, in front of these fans, is very special. And they’ve showed support and appreciation,” Geren continued. “I thought it was outstanding.”