Pedro: To Boo or Not to Boo....
Uh, that's not even a question!
With the Mets in town on the 20th anniversary of the '86 World Series (which I'm SOOOO less bitter about now that we won in 2004), they bring with them bitter memories, the single most played highlight (or lowlight) ever from a World Series and our old friend Pedro. This has rehashed the same argument when Satan, er, Clemens, and Johnny Damon left their iconic status in Boston for greener pastures (and in Johnny's case it was greener dollar bills). Do you cheer the player as a returning hero or boo him as a Judas? Of course you have to cheer Pedro...And I'll be happy to explain exactly why!
1. He never broke any of the cardinal rules of when you leave Boston:
Do not under ANY circumstance bad mouth the fans or the city - He never bad mouthed the city or the fans. Any issues he had was with the ownership, and he let us know repeatedly. But at least he wasn't pissed at us.
Do not leave for the highest bidder - He didn't leave solely for the money, no sane organization would have given a player with his arm problems a 4 year deal, which is why he's on the Mets. They were desperate and crazy.
Do not leave to go to the Yankees - Clemens is Satan, Damon is Judas and we're still on the fence about Boggs.
2. Manny is being Manny and Pedro was being Pedro:
Sure he had his cranky days, he had is hissy fits, he had his midget good luck charm, but will you remember those times of the time he danced around the dugout in a yoda mask, or got ties to the dugout pole, or watching him throw 8 innings of no hit baseball in Tampa after getting into a brawl with a Devil Ray player that he had hit? Or the game in the Bronx where he struck out 17? Or, and this one still sends chills down my spine, with his arm hanging on by a thread, comes in relief and pitches 6 innings of 1 hit shutout baseball?
3. He helped win us the World Series:
For god's sake, we gave everyone else who was on the team a standing O, including Dave Roberts and Orlando Cabrera and they were only in Boston for that one year! Besides, there's an unwritten rule around now that unless you went to the Yankees, if you were on the world series team, you get a standing ovation.
4. The "IT" Factor:
I don't know how ANYONE could look at what he did in Boston when he was here and remember how every fifth day you planted your ass in front of the TV just to watch him because you knew that that could be the night something great could happen and not get a little misty eyed much less boo the man.
I know if I was at the game tomorrow night I'd see a montage of Pedro greatest performances in a Red Sox uniform and turn into a blubbering, tear soaked mess as I stood and clapped as loud and as hard as I could...oh who's kidding I'll be doing the same thing at home! And if any true Sox fan could not feel the same way, then I'm not sure you really are a fan (and you secretly want Clemens to come back).
Is it getting dusty in here?? sniff, sniff.
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