Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers and superstar Mookie Betts returned to Fenway for the first time since Betts was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Dodgers in 2020.
Boston Welcomes Back Mookie Betts
"Now batting, number 50, Mookie Betts."
For the first time since September 30, 2019, @MookieBetts returns to Fenway Park. pic.twitter.com/1QuDE0n3Lc
— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2023
It happens all the time. As the saying goes, baseball is a business. Over the years, many players, who have worn a Red Sox uniform, have become endeared to the fans. Mookie Betts was not any different. The fans loved and appreciated him, especially after helping the team win a World Series in 2018. When it came time to talk about a contract extension, many fans wanted Betts to remain with the Red Sox. The business side of baseball once again reared its ugly head, and Betts was sent to Los Angeles.
Players Leave Boston, But Never the Fans’ Hearts
One thing about New Englanders, is they do not sugarcoat anything. If a player is playing bad, they let them know it. But if a player is struggling, and fans know they are giving it their all, they are appreciative and want nothing but the best for that player to get back on track. It is not always about winning. Over the years many players, who have worn a Red Sox uniform, have become a part of the fabric that is New England’s strong sports culture.
Nomar Garciaparra
This writer’s favorite player growing up was Nomar Garciaparra. The realization that it took trading Garciaparra to essentially reverse the curse and allow the Red Sox to win their first World Series in 86 years, was bittersweet. A year later, while in Chicago, with a group of fellow Red Sox fans, I attended a Chicago Cubs doubleheader. Garciaparra was playing for the Cubs and our group was able to get near the field during lineup announcements. We held up a sign that said, “Nomar, Boston will always love you!” Garciaparra looked at us, pointed, smiled, and tipped his cap.
What about Bill Buckner?
Oftentimes people forget the circumstances that surround the most infamous play, potentially in World Series history. People forget that Bill Buckner came into the game, cold off the bench. People also forget that Buckner rejoined the Red Sox later on in his career. And it is, as if no one recalls had the Red Sox won the game the following day, they would have won that World Series. Eventually, time heals all wounds, and once the Sox won it all in 2004, it was as if 1986 had been forgotten, and Buckner forgiven.
Curt Schilling as Mr. Hyde
When it comes to Curt Schilling, and how he is viewed, in not just Boston, but New England, especially Rhode Island, it is a real-life case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New England fans remember his gritty performance and the bloody sock he wore after having a procedure to repair, a torn tendon sheath. That gutsy performance helped lead the Red Sox to becoming the 2004 World Series champions. That is the Mr. Hyde New England fans prefer to remember.
Curt Schilling as Dr. Jekyll
Then there is the Dr. Jekyll version of Curt Schilling, who nearly bankrupted the entire state of Rhode Island after an unsuccessful attempt at creating a video game company called 38 Studios. There is also the confrontational Schilling who became so politically unhinged you could no longer live in Massachusetts and decided to move to Tennessee instead. Politics aside, it was not just what he was saying it was also how he was saying it. Schilling may be a bit of a narcissist and that could be one reason he was a dominant pitcher. Again most people prefer to remember Curt Schilling the baseball player and not any iteration after his career ended.
Takeaway
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Seeing the warm welcome the Red Sox and their fans gave Mookie Betts this weekend, demonstrates that New England fans are always appreciative, in most cases of any player who has ever worn a Red Sox uniform. Typically, those who return are always welcomed back to cheers and standing ovations, like Betts, was. In the case of Bill Buckner, the championship in 2004 largely erased an unfortunate circumstance from 1986. In the case of Curt Schilling, fans will always remember and love Curt Schilling the player. What fans cannot ignore and accept is who Curt Schilling became after his career was over. For Mookie Betts, it seems that fans will always remember him for more than just the player he is but also the person he has always been, regardless of what uniform he wears, in the eyes of Red Sox fans.
Main photo credits:
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
