Today is a sad and joyful day for members of Red Sox Nation, as this morning Nomar Garciaparra signed a one day minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox, so that he could retire as a member of the team. Garciaparra was the first round draft pick of the 1994 draft for the Red Sox coming out of Georgia Tech and this began his journey into the major leagues. Nomar played 14 seasons in major league nine of which he played with the sox and he stated late in 2009 that He would like to retire in a Red Sox uniform which he got a chance to do today.
Nomar was the 1997 American League rookie of the year, during that season he had a .306 batting average in 153 games that year he also lead the league in at bats, hits and triples. He is a six time All-star and started in the 1999 All-star game at Fenway Park, He also won two AL batting titles. He was loved by fans in Boston because of his love for the franchise, the team and most importantly the fans. Nomar took time out of his day to sign autographs every chance he got and he says the things that you need to say to be loved by the fans.
The press conference that took place today was a class act as he seat at the same table with the man who sent him out of Boston, Red Sox General Manger Theo Epstein and other members of the staff. He answered a question about how he felt about leaving the Red Sox the same year that they won the first World Series for the franchise in 86 years.
"I felt like I was there," Garciaparra said. "In Boston there's something greater than an individual player winning a World Series. When I was there I realized there's something bigger than us winning a World Series. It's winning a World Series for these people."
He was awarded a World Series ring by the team in a private ceremony; in Chicago from the team because they felt that He was a part of what got them there.
Nomar to me in my younger day was a symbol of what the Red Sox were, just like when you thought about the Bulls in the early 90’s you thought Michael Jordon. He represented the heart of the team and he had the bat to back it up. I’m glad that he had a chance to retire with this organization and hope to still see him around it in the future. I feel that He was good enough to have his number retired because he was such and influential player during his nine years there and probably one of the best short stops the Red Sox have saw in years.
So what is next for Nomar Garciaparra? He says he plays to take a position at ESPN doing baseball tonight and even calling some games for them, so he isn’t quitting baseball all together. He is just moving from player to media, which he will do great in the media as he has auditioned for several different stations with appearances on the MLB Network and Baseball Tonight in the off season. I wish him the best of luck and can’t wait to see him on ESPN on a daily basis.
A video from today's press conference can be found belong from boston.com
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