After 14 seasons of many ups and downs, injuries, and trades, shortstop Nomar Garciaparra will end his baseball career where he started his first nine, with the Boson Red Sox. He will speak at a press conference Wednesday morning in Florida at City of Palms Park in Fort Meyers, FL.
Technically his last team to play for was the Oakland Athletics but he believed he wanted to part ways from baseball the way he began his career, in Boston. At the conference, Garciaparra will sign a one-day contract with the team in order to retire as a member of the Red Sox. After his retirement he will become the newest member of Baseball Tonight, on ESPN, as a baseball analyst.
"I've been blessed to have had a long career as a player and feel fortunate to continue this great journey as a member of the ESPN team, Garciaparra said in an ESPN news release.”
Garciaparra’s baseball resume contains a few notable accomplishments, all with Boston, which include American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1997 and winning the batting title in back-to-back seasons in 1999 and 2000.
In the end I believe Garciaparra enjoyed ever minute of the game and believed that he should have played for the Red Sox his whole career. It’s a shame that he was traded at the 2004 trade deadline to the Chicago Cubs because, if I do recall, that was the year the Red Sox broke the Curse of the Bambino. That had to be in the back of his mind for awhile, and maybe to this day.
NOMAR!! Being a Yankee fan I despise the Red Sox. But Nomar was one of the few players who I could stand and didn't hate. The SNL skits with jimmy fallon always screaming NOMAR!! did help. I am happy he got his wish to retire a Red Sock. Another good article by this guy.
