By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)
Welcome to Fenway Park, the greatest ball park in America!
It’s where Boston Strong went from slogan to culture. It is now the home of “GRADY KARMA.” To get it, you have to possess some institutional knowledge that goes back to the last game the Red Sox played in 2003.
It was at Yankee Stadium (the old one), and it was the last game a truly nice man managed for the Red Sox. Grady Little managed his way out of town like, so many had before him. Look it up if you need to document the reasons: Enter “GRADY KARMA.”
Red Sox Nation has been given a gift from the baseball gods. No sooner do they lose their leadoff base-stealing centerfielder to the Yankees for big money, but his replacement drops out of the sky to complete the “what goes around, comes around” cycle.
It’s even in the name if you pay close attention. There are only so many Gradys to go around, and this is why we can get very excited about a new baseball season on the heels of the most improbable of seasons. Pay attention to the name: Grady LITTLE becomes… Grady SIZEMORE. It’s the Spring Training story of baseball, and like last year’s world championship, the Grady story was totally unexpected.
When Jacoby left, Grady was nowhere to be seen. I have polled some very smart baseball people, players and media alike and I asked them to compare and project Jacoby Ellsbury at his best to Grady Sizemore at his best (he hasn’t played in 2 years due to injury).
It’s unanimous to Sizemore. Sure it may last a day or two, or a week or two, or a month or two, or a season, but it’s all in keeping with the mission statement of the Red Sox: Boston Strong.
Expect the unexpected.
Hello Koji and Lackey and now Grady. This, in some twisted way, will work out to be the best thing that ever happened to Jackie Bradley, Jr. Don’t ask me how or why, just know that it will all be in his best interest as well.
So lets get on with it. GRADY KARMA will be appearing on a T-shirt near you.
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