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Weird and Bad are Different Words

Nomar Garciaparra was an odd duck when he was a Red Sox. Nor was the the cheeriest of companions. I was on a 2004 road trip with the Sox in July, the last one before the one where Garciaparra got traded, and he didn't speak. I don't mean to me, or to the media in general. To anyone.

This did not, however, keep Nomar from hitting over .300 on the trip. Even in the midst of some personal nadir, he could perk up in the batter's box.

As far back as 1999, Garciaparra told the Herald (told Tony Massarotti, to be precise) that the trappings of public celebrity that went with being a Red Sox star made him very uncomfortable. Media relations being a very large trapping of celebrity, I never really was surprised or bothered that he wasn't very good at it, and didn't try to be. Inside his obsessive-compulsive heart, Garciaparra was a baseball idealist. He thought the star should show up, play well, sign autographs for the kids, and then sort of fade into the woodwork. Nomar would've been much happier playing in 1924.

Garciaparra was less curt to me than some other folks. I think it's because he saw me watching soccer on the clubhouse TV one day. But we weren't friendly, and his silences extended to me, too. So what? I didn't need Garciaparra's thoughts on the matter to get to the truth of his existence, to wit: he sure could play baseball.

Since I knew (but couldn't prove), Garciaparra was clinically obsessive-compulsive, and because it made me sad that such a gifted talented was wrapped so tight, I always wished him well. While I do not understand what made it important to him to make his peace with the Red Sox, obviously yesterday's odd little ceremony DID matter to him, so God bless. Garciaparra seemed a lot more comfy with himself retiring from baseball than he did winning American League batting titles. Good. People should be happy if they're not hurting anyone else.

Garciaparra never did, not as a Red Sox, anyway. So he was strange and distant. Those are not sins. They are personality traits.

Spiteful grudge-bearing, which I am amazed and saddened to see some of my former media colleagues wallowing in when they discuss Nomar, is a sin. Several sins. Pride and envy, to name just two.

And it's one hell of a lot more unpleasant to be around a spiteful person than a withdrawn one.

posted by Michael Gee @ 6:02 PM