I usually leave the non CCSU sports talk to Ryan (check out his blog on the Herald's main site, the kid is smart and funny and talented) but I had to chime in after something I just saw.
First off, if you've met me, you know I'm a big Sox fan. I won't waste time bragging, but I saw a moment during the party that defines why we love sports so much.
Tim Wakefield, who told the Sox to give his spot on the roster to Jon Lester because Wakefield's shoulder would only allow him to pitch once and the Sox might need help later on in the series, was being interviewed on NESN.
As he was talking, Mike Timlin came over, and on live television, interrupted to talk about what a class act Wakefield was and how much he meant to the other players both personally and professionally. Then, two men who are both in their 40s and set for life financially, shared tears and a hug.
That's what this is all about. This was the kind of moment that makes us care so much.
Yes, all of these guys have tons of money, or will someday soon. But for as jaded as we get about tickets and salaries and the competition between fans and writers and bloggers, it all comes down to moments. At the end of the day, we go through all we do in order to experience them.
In that moment, two men who spent the last eight months together more than they were with their families while fighting for the same goal embraced when they achieved that milestone. Neither cared about money. They weren't filming a commercial.
All that mattered was the moment.
I nearly teared up at that too...being a member of the Nation, I love Tim Wakefield. (And, quite frankly, we would've needed him in Game 5 if the World Series ever went that far.) But Wakefield cried in 2004, especially after the ALCS win, and when he started tearing up I did too.
ReplyDeleteThey need to retire his number when he retires. I can think of a couple of others first (Jim Rice, etc), but he needs to have his number up there.