Working Class Dog

Is Trot's Hard Work Leading to Injury?

"Same old Nixon: still working hard, and doing so at a point in his career where it’s OK to hardly work. But while the guy could surely be applauded for this old-timey work ethic, it does raise an interesting question: Are Red Sox fans going to see yet another season in which their favorite Dirt Dog works so hard that, in the end, he breaks down?

"Wouldn’t Nixon — and, by extension, the Red Sox — be better off if he acquainted himself with the fine science of tugging on the manager’s shirt now and then and asking for a day off?

“'I would love to do that, but it’s not the kind of person I am,' he said. 'I’m not trying to sound brash or cocky, but I think a lot of what’s happened may just be a product of the way I’ve played my entire career. I overlooked certain things that were going on with my body. But there are two different kind of players — players that are smart, and do it that way, take the time off, and they may not play on days when they should. I guess I’m kind of the reverse of that.'” -- 2.17.06, Steve Buckley, Boston Herald (subscription required)