Filed under: Boston Red Sox
He was happy here. In a city where even minor league prospects are treated like royalty, the small time rock star and fourth starter received the kind of treatment that any B-list celebrity/sports star would dream of. He had a great relationship with the fans, he had reasonable success as a musician, and he was comfortable with his role on the Red Sox roster. In turn, Bronson Arroyo did his part to say ‘thank you’. He took a discount on his contract extension despite the advice of his agents. He rarely refused an autograph. He played guitar at local venues, often times for the benefit of local charities. He even publicly stated that he would play any role that would benefit this team, whether bullpen or starting rotation. He was a solid 4/5 starter that posted 14 wins last year and was an integral part of the beloved 2004 squad that delivered a World Series title.
And yet the Red Sox did exactly what I asked them not to do.
Thanks guys. No really. Thank you. Thank you to the Red Sox management and particularly Mr. Theo Epstein for pretty much slapping Bronson Arroyo in the face with his recent trade after he tried to do you guys a favor by taking a home town discount to ensure that he would stay a Red Sock for a few years.
As a fan, I cannot be a hypocrite. I need to treat the Red Sox Front Office, particularly Theo(who seemed to be the chief orchestrater of the deal) with the same regard that I did a one Mr. Johnny Damon. In essence, it is no different. So far 2006 has been a brutal reminder that there really is no loyalty in professional sports. With Willie McGinist cut and then signed by the Browns, Damon crossing over to the dark side, and Adam Vinatieri shopping himself around like a Sears floor model, I am constantly being forced to deal with this bizarre and often heartless phenomenon.
As a fan, I cannot simply shrug off Theo’s trade of Arroyo if only a few weeks ago I doused my Damon jersey in gasoline and set in on fire in my driveway. Theo stated that he “had to do what was best for the team”. Well, yes, ok. That is his job in all fairness. But that in turn meant dealing Arroyo after he gained fan favoritism for publicly taking a discount on his contract, which is the rarest breed of anomaly that there is in professional sports. Common sense(and a decent agent) would tell you that driving your price up would actually make you less dispensable and perhaps more valued by the management. Which means that Arroyo’s actions could be argued as being, get this, a good teammate and employee. Imagine that? Another interpretation of his discounted contract could be that Bronson actually believes that the people he was dealing with are good natured, decent individuals. Unfortunately, that has come to be a costly mistake.
My point though, is that Theo and Co. had the same regard to loyalty as Johnny Damon. Theo’s move was total self-interest. So was Damon’s. If Theo had been looking out for Bronson, he would have kept him in a Red Sox uniform. If Theo was looking out for the Red Sox Nation and the fanbase, he would have done likewise. The fans loved Arroyo. He had a great personality and was receptive to the fans but he wasn’t annoying overkill and we would rarely get sick of him. He had the demeanor that I wish all professional athletes had. He catered to the fans, played hard, wasn’t about the money, and had fun. He was a great role player and never caused any problems in the clubhouse or otherwise. Yet the Sox treated him like a casual business expense by dealing him to the Reds.
The sad thing is that the Red Sox management had the opportunity to separate themselves from the Steinbrenners of the professional sports world. Up until now you could just barely salvage an argument that claimed the Red Sox did not engage in the same cut-throat business tactics and sleazy management. These were the things that made us hate Georgey so much. And now they are the same things that unite us. I suppose that is the nature of the beast, and our Red Sox ownership has irrevocably shown their true colors.
I am sure each person will have their own reaction to this trade. Some will defend it, others will criticize it harshly. Either way, I tell you: do not be a hypocrite. If you shrug off Theo’s movement of Arroyo, then you must do the same to Damon’s departure. If you boo Damon, then boo Theo.
I have come to understand and absorb why Johnny left us. The Red Sox did not pursue him fervently in any way, shape, or form. They left an offer or two on the table, none of which would have stood up at arbitration. George and the Yankees courted Johnny, stroked his ego(surprise, surprise Jeter was involved in that), and made him feel wanted. On top of that they slapped down a four year deal at a cool $13 million a year and the inevitable happened. The clever Red Sox organization declared that they had in fact offered him a deal(which wasn’t completely false), which subsequently caused much of the Red Sox Nation to string up Johnny at the gallows while he pathetically tried to salvage his relationship with Sox fans in his public statements and pitiable newspaper ad. The reality of it was that the Yankees simply overpaid for a lead-off hitter who is rapidly heading past his prime and couldn’t throw Ted Kennedy out at home. Their hope is that Damon will last the four years of this contract and become a important piece of their run manufacturing line-up. Coinciding with our Bambino-Complex(no true Sox fan would ever concede their existed a curse, however we would be hard-pressed to deny a certain complex that entails a deep fear that any time a Sox player is released they will actually have a career year the following season(s). This fear is intensified if said player ends up playing for the Yankees and plays a pivotal role in consistently beating the Red Sox. See Clemens, Roger), the fear of Sox fans would be that Damon would come back to burn the Red Sox by contributing to a Yankee title.
I am in no way condoning what Damon did. I am simply pointing out observations. If there is to be no loyalty in professional sports, then so be it. But we then must stop expecting it. I love the Red Sox. I will cheer for them until my throat swells up and my heart stops. But its funny, because I hardly recognize a face on this years team. I also believe that this management is shooting itself in the foot. I can tell you that I wouldn’t go out and purchase an expensive Red Sox jersey after the moves they have pulled recently. I’ll stick with my Varitek jersey thank you. I could probably go down the entire list of why I wouldn’t buy each players jersey but I don’t want to be a giant buzz-kill. I can tell you one thing though, if I had an Arroyo jersey, I would still wear it proudly.
theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com
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