Rain Out = Nothing Important to Talk About

So as I sit here on Thursday morning, a morning after a Red Sox game was rained out, I wonder what I should write about. Now you are probably thinking, "well why don't you just wait til tomorrow morning and you'll have 2 games to ramble on about." Unfortunately, during my usual blogging time, I'll be sitting around at BWI waiting to board my Southwest flight to New Orleans for 2007's version of "Man Weekend" or better known as "Brent's Bachelor Party". So you all will get a well earned break from my verbal nonsense until Tuesday. I guess old Gillo will have to carry you through the weekend.

So this morning I thought about things and I figured I'd give you an update as to who my new favorite Sox player should be. In my lifetime (since I was born in 1976), there have only been 2 players who have been able to carry the title of "Brent's Favorite Sox Player".

The first one, who still remains near and dear to my heart, was Dwight "Dewey" Evans. I loved watching him more than anything and today he is probably still my favorite Red Sox player of all time. The dude played an impressive 18 year career (1972-1990) out there patrolling right field better than anyone who I've ever seen. The man left it all out on the field and didn't care at all about the impact to his body. He had that whole "team before self" attitude that you really don't see with today's primadonna players. He was an old school baseball player and that is why I loved him so much. It also didn't hurt that he was a 3 time All Star, 8 time Gold Glover, put up an impressive 385 homeruns in the pre-steroids era and had that awesome pornstar/fireman's mustache . All around the man was remarkable and I curse the day that the Red Sox traded him to the Baltimore Orioles for a sack of baseball and a bucket of pine tar. Dewey should have ended his glorious career with the Red Sox, but they never gave him that chance. Shame on them! Boy would I give anything to see them make it up to him and retire his number in Fenway. It will probably never happen, but a boy can dream.

So after Dewey retired, I was caught up in a funk, similar to where I am now. I didn't have a favorite player anymore and that's kinda a dilemma. Players came and went. As with most Sox fans, I went through the whole "Mo Vaughn rules" phase, but it just wasn't the same. Nomar was great too and he still goes down as one of my favorite players, but he just didn't carry the same "oomph" that I had for Dewey.

That changed in 1999 when a man by the name of Trot Nixon took over as the Red Sox everyday right fielder. The man was everything that Dewey was.....dirt, grit, sweat, tears, "team before self" and I knew right there, he would be the one. Ok, now you are probably saying, "he had nothing close to the greatness of Dewey" and you won't get an argument out of me. There were no gold gloves, there were no 300+ homeruns (hell he barely over 130), but in a time of the self-loving, 'roid popping, multi-million dollar ball player, he was everything old school that I loved to see. So I took him as my favorite player and had a great 9 seasons of watching him play. But once again the Red Sox brass decided to break my heart. In the winter of 2006/07, they decided to part ways with old Trot and his bad back and go with a "healthier player" in the name of J.D. Drew. Yes this is the same J.D. Drew who caused nothing but problems for the Phillies (even though he never played for them), Cardinals, and Dodgers. Now we were replacing our local class act and all around poster-boy for "team before self" with an injury plagued primadonna. Muy bien! Wonderful! I was sick to my stomach. And then there was opening day.....my biggest fear came true. J.D. Drew jogs out onto the field sporting Trot's number 7. UGH! I hated every minute of it and to this day still continue to. To me, there's only one person who has earned the right to wear #7 and that is the original dirt dog, Trot Nixon.

So that brings me to where I am now. I need a favorite player. Again, there are many Sox that love, but they are not at a place where I can call them my favorite player. Papi is great, but he's a DH and I need someone who gets dirty. Varitek is a true leader, but he will probably be on his way into retirement in another year or two, so I'm not willing to have my heart broken again so soon. Manny? Ugh I wont even go there. Anyone on the pitching staff? Probably not. I'm not into the whole "I cant play cause I have a blister" stuff. It's just not old school enough for me. I guess the top contender for the title of "Brent's favorite player" is currently with Kevin Youkilis. The dude plays hard, plays every position Tito asks of him, and is as tough as nails. I guess it's just too soon to say he'll replace Trot though. So I'll wait another season or two....nothing wrong with that. They always say you shouldn't jump into one relationship right after you got out of another (as gay as that may sound), but I think I'm going to follow that advice and wait to see who gets the coveted spot as "Brent's favorite player".

Take care and I'll be checking back in next week. See ya!