Sox Make Trouble for Opponents,
Not Police

Yesterday afternoon, home on the couch, I had finally managed the wrestle the remote control from my little brother’s cartoon craving hands. He did not leave the room, and I knew I would have to find something suitable for him that I would want to watch. Sports, of course, were the easy answer. I headed over to ESPN and caught Sportscenter returning from a commercial break. The story, however, was the unfolding of the Patrick Dennehy case. There were a few grisly details about the remains found in Waco, Texas recently and the chilling account of prime suspect Carlton Dotson’s interview with the Associated Press. In short, not what I wanted to watch on ESPN and certainly not right for my 6-year old brother to see. Skipping past Spanish Fly Fishing on the deuce and the adjective defying You Gotta See This on Fox Sports (trust me, you don’t have to see it) I hit NESN airing EPSNews. After a harmless baseball recap of a game I’d seen highlights of at least twice, they kicked it to the update desk… for an update of the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case. I changed the channel again, but I knew what was coming and it was nothing for my little bro to have any part of.

I’m sharing this anecdote not to complain about the fact ESPN is slowly moving from a sports channel (or family of channels) to an athletes-off-the-field channel. Rather, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Boston Red Sox, Theo Epstein in particular, for assembling the team they have, devoid of anyone getting in to off the field trouble. Prefaced with an “as far as we know,” there are no rapists or drug addicts in the cramped Sox locker room. There have been no barroom scuffles this year or in-house fights. Overall, this team is a cohesive bunch that has a good time playing baseball together.

The fact that Manny Ramirez and Pedro Martinez leaving a day early for the all-star break was the biggest problem this team has faced off the diamond is a great thing. Sure, we missed the Dominican Divas for a day in early July, but it isn’t as if they spent the day in court. In addition, some Sox players, the star tri-fecta of Nomar Garciaparra, Manny and Pedro in particular, have been known to give the media some trouble, but usually it is no more than Pedro’s short-lived boycott or Manny’s general aloofness.

Two days ago, the Red Sox acquired reliever Scott Williamson from the Reds for Phil Dumatrait, a single A player to be named later and cash. Williamson will not report for the Sox until tomorrow in Baltimore. Why? Because he is with his wife, who gave birth last week. So the Sox had to and will have to make due without the pitcher for three days. I do not know whether Epstein offered the time to Williamson, or if the proud new father requested it, but, either way, good job to the Sox for giving him the three days with his wife and child.

Over in enemy territory, the Yankees, basically, paid the D-Backs two million dollars to take Raul Mondesi off their hands. Sure, the Yanks picked up David Dellucci, Bret Prinz and a minor leaguer in the deal, but the focal point was Mondesi. While some athletes are breaking laws, Mondesi committed a baseball sin, against his teammates and coaches, which made the Yankees need to get rid him so badly that it would cost them money to do so. And while Manny and Pedro left the Sox a game early with manager’s permission, Mondesi stormed out of Fenway after being pinch hit for on Sunday and traveled on his own to California for the Yankees’ next series with Anaheim. As Brian Cashman told EPSN.com, “[Mondesi] decided he was going to shut it down, shower up and leave… That's what made Joe Torre and I decide on another venue for Raul. At that point, we were pointing in two different directions and weren't on the same page.”

It’s all about character. The Sox have a locker room full of guys that play hard, want to win, and stay out of trouble. In the sports world we are in today, with athletes slipping daily into the abyss of immorality and breaking team rules and laws alike, I believe the Sox should be commended on the team they have put together. The group’s general character is another reason the squad is as successful as it has been this year.

I just wish NESN would cover the Sox more than the trouble Kobe Bryant stirred up across the country.

- JJ Feigenbaum (he's only 17, like that matters)