End of the Road For Nomar: At Least He Gets To Wear His Sox Out the Door

So the big announcement today at 10:30 is rumored to be the Sox announcing the signing of Nomar for one day... just long enough that he'll get to retire a Red Sox. Nomar was never one of my favorite players by any means, but this is right. He was always supposed to end his career in Boston, and we had all pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that he wouldn't. I like that sentimentality won over the front office and they did right by the fans. Nomar was, after all, our golden boy. He was the Rookie of the Year in '97, had (I think) six All-Star games under his belt, broke records, won hearts, and made baseball exciting in Boston. Tons of folks thought he would have been the best hitter the game had ever seen if not for that wrist injury. Most others would settle for the fact that he was just a great hitter.

Yeah, his batting quirks were annoying, but I guess if they work for you, you don't stop doing them. Nomar made the baseball fans of Boston very happy for a long time, and it broke many hearts that he wasn't on the field with the Sox that fateful night in October when they won the WS. It was Nomar's team, but he had to go in order for them to succeed. Bittersweet, indeed.

Listen, I'm not going to sit here and keep waxing poetic about the guy. I didn't dislike him for any reason in particular, it was just a case of circumstance that, I guess, didn't really have anything to do with him. But it's undeniable that the guy is loved here in Boston, and if anyone deserves to retire as a Red Sox (besides Varitek... hint, hint Jason), it's Nomar. I wish him the best in his new career on ESPN and thank the Red Sox for doing right by a local hero. Thanks, Nomar, for all the joy you brought to Boston while you were here.