What's the Definition of Class? TROT NIXON

People who know me, know that I love everything about Trot Nixon. The man is a true class act. He shows up at the ballpark everyday and gives everything his body is physically capable of to his team. He and his wife work hard in the community, sharing their good fortunes with others who might not be so fortunate. He is a constant professional and one of the best teammates that has ever put on a Red Sox uniform. He played a crucial roll in bringing a World Series Championship to the city of Boston....a task that none of the greats (Yaz, Fisk, Teddy-Baseball, Rice, Clemens, Foxx, Pesky, etc) could accomplish. He was everything wonderful and unfortunately the business of baseball got in the way of seeing him retire in the same uniform he played his first major league baseball game in.

I'll take you back to this past off-season....a time that really irks me because the Red Sox brass made a stupid, stupid mistake. Thinking that Trot was washed up, they decided to throw a retarded amount of money at a selfish, self loving, injury prone, money hungry player by the name of J.D. Drew. This is the same guy who, drafted by the Phillies in 1997, refused to play because he thought so highly of himself that he didn't want to play for a lowly organization like the Phillies. So what did he do? He wouldn't accept any amount of money from them and re-entered the draft the next year. This is the guy who couldn't get along with managing legend Tony LaRussa in St. Louis. Then he goes to the LA Dodgers, signs what some might consider a pretty lucrative contract, and opts out of the final 2 seasons. Why you ask? So that he could make more money on a weak free agent outfielder market, even though the Dodgers were on the cusp of being a World Series contender. Everything with this guy is self before team. Then to top it all off, he has the audacity to wear the same #7 that Trot Nixon wore for the past 13 years. This pile of puke is a total turd!

So last night was tough.....real tough. I sat there alone in my friend's basement as he grilled up some burgers in the backyard. I didn't really want anyone around me. I didn't know what my reaction would be. I sat there and watched the wonderful expanded coverage on NESN as Trot took to the field for the first time wearing something other than a Red Sox uniform. It was heart wrenching, but wonderful as the crowd went crazy for him. Then the 2nd inning came....it was Trot's time to step into the batters box. This is where it got real tough. I don't know if it was my allergies, my sadness for what I was about to watch, or maybe a combination of the two, but my eyes welled up good. This was it. This was the day I had marked on my calendar since the schedule came out in December. This was Trot's return to Fenway and I felt damn proud to have watched that guy give this organization everything for 13 wonderful years. Better yet, I could tell by the crowd's reaction, I wasn't the only one who felt this way. To top it off, Schilling's control problems showed up at the right time as he hung one high in the strike zone and Trot slapped it to Right Field. Well done my friend, well done!

Ok so enough of the sappy crap. It wouldn't be an El Guapo blog without some stats, right? Here's how Trot and JD sit after their teams have played 50 games this season.

JD Drew
Games: 44
At Bats: 147
Runs: 26
Hits: 35
Doubles: 6
Homeruns: 2
Batting Average: .238
Runs Batted In: 16
On Base Percentage: .362
2007 Salary: $14 million

Trot Nixon
Games: 39
AB: 138
Runs: 19
Hits: 39
Doubles: 9
Homeruns: 2
Batting Average: .283
Runs Batted In: 21
On Base Percentage: .358
2007 Salary: $3 million

It doesn't take much to figure out here who has more "bang for the buck". I'd take a beat up old Dirt Dog over a high priced whore any day!

So here's to you Trot. I raise a pint of Wachusett's Green Monstah Pale Ale to you and say "Thank you for everything. We miss you a lot and you will always be welcome back in Boston, no matter what uniform you are wearing. Make us proud old buddy!"