Hmmmm.
It was a relatively tame weekend in local sports. Sitting down at the keyboard Sunday, it was hard to choose the best topic . . .
Dan Shaughnessy
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Dan Shaughnessy
Hmmmm.
It was a relatively tame weekend in local sports. Sitting down at the keyboard Sunday, it was hard to choose the best topic . . .
Comments
The best news about Crawford: he's gone. Now, can we focus on this season?
Yes you are right Dan. The Boston media can be tough "in this town". Hence the less than admirable experts of nearly all of our Sports personalities - Wade Boggs, Fred Lynn, Roger Clemens, Nomar Garciaparra, Tito Francona, Carlton Fisk, and Johnny Damon just to name a few. It's true....maybe "Crying Carl" Crawford didn't get the treatment (I agree) but he saw how the media toasted his teammates - he's not wrong.
I don't get paid 1% of what some of these guys get paid, and if I fail to perform, I get criticized and have to improve my performance. Why should they be immune to what every working stiff has to endure. Grow up. They're not gods, they are highly paid entertainers, and they are paid to perform. If they don't, people are free to note it. They don't want to listen or read their critics, fine, but please, shut and quit whining, you're getting paid more while not doing your job than a hundred, or a thousand average guys, who are doing theirs.
Well said Geo. The threat of a good a$s-kicking by the sports media is the only counter weight we have against big cry baby athletes, who are all smiles picking up their fat paychecks, and then performing like schmucks on the field. Let the word go forth....you want to pick the owners pockets in this town, and thus pick the fans pocket for attending an event because of your big payday, don't think you have "nothing to lose" if you don't perform once you get your money. Our sports guys are going to hold your feet to the fire, so if you can't take the heat, don't take THE DOUGH. CRYBABIES!!
I liked the Pedro speaking better English line - that one is one I'll always remember! Any other Carls, other than Jurassic Carl Everett, who have spit the bit in this town?
Dan, you really know nothing about basketball if you think, going forward, that the C's would be better off with Kendrick Perkins than with Jeff Green.
I agree with you about the "going forward" part but I think trading Perk when Ainge did cost them the title that year. They lost their toughness and ability to protect the rim. Green is clealy the more talented player but he hasn't proved anything to date, other than being wildly inconsistent and shrinking in big moments. He's as soft a player as you'll ever find.
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The old time sports scibes were much tougher on Boston atheletes than today's sports media. Carl Crawford got off easy.
Hey Dan, don't forget your column back in '86 when you said, "Bye Can" to Oil Can Boyd. You were pretty tough (deservedly) on him for his erratic behavior. Yet there he was on the mound when the Sox clinched the division. Hard to imagine the Can could out tough Crawford but there it is. (Maybe it had something to do with his film festival.)
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I don't intend to play the Devil's advocate, because I personally feel coverage of the Red Sox was justifiably harsh last season, but in general Crawford is right. This is a team game and if the Red Sox in a general way are getting it handed it to them, then he's getting it handed to him too. This is something that I know I would feel if I were a member of that team, regardless of whether I specifically was targeted or not. While Crawford was here, the team was horrendous. There appeared to be serious amounts of amnimosity in the locker room, in the media coverage of the team, in the management and in the ownership. It's all connected and I think its totally fair that Crawford feels that and does not miss Boston, even for $142 M. I actually think it speaks worse to the Red Sox than it does to Crawford - if things were that bad that he's STILL talking about it then it's a special kind of disaster. I wish ownership and media instead of finger-pointing the individual for feeling like this was a horrible place to play with people like Dan saying, 'oh you think you've seen horrible? well one time people here satirically hoped indvidual X would die in an plane crash,' they would take some responsbility, think critically about their mistakes and try to avoid it in the future. That's the real issue here.
Having said that, I cannot relate with Crawford's desire to speak those feelings to the media. Doing so perpetuates a back and forth between himself and a city which he seems grateful to leave. If I were him, I'd go about my business happy to be out of a city which I did not like and in a better place. I'm sure he's learned now that Boston media hasn't moved on in the same way he hasn't and I doubt very much he'll make this mistake again.
Wow, Dan. Now an athlete isn't even entitled to have an opinion about the media? I never liked the Crawford deal. I wasn't a fan of Carl, but he's just expressing an opinion. Surely he is entitled to that, is he not?
I think Crawford's pride has been hurt pretty badly by the last 2 seasons. Rather than trying to explain that, he's focusing on an old, reliable target: the harsh Boston sports media. Dan's right, it really was not that bad for Crawford. For his sake and ours, I hope Crawford has a good season. That will give him something else to talk about. Remember Carl, your new girlfriend doesn't want to hear you talk about the bad experience you had with the ex.
It's not the papers. It's the cesspool that is sports talk radio, and the type of ignorant look-at-me fan it encourages. I've said many times, the only team these clowns hate more than the Yankees is their own Red Sox.
Crawford really didn't get too much criticism but he saw what happens here. I think most of the media is very fair in this town. It's you Dan. You're a hack. You act like the Red Sox lose to screw you personally. Then you write BS to get even. You look for the dark cloud around every silver lining. It must suck to be a sports writer and hate the teams you cover.
Dan: thanks for reminding me why Ireland averyone else except you. You are like John Lackey: two guys who find fault with everyone except yourselves. Note to Globe: Shaughnessy is no Ray Fitzgerald or Peter Gammons. Note to advertisers: You don't get your money's worth from a paper that has a Shaughnessy byline.
Say something positive or don't say anything at all, Dan. Oh and to that end - Your grammar is impeccable.
'Ireland averyone else except you,' Can you explain, please? thank you.
ApologiesApologies for the typos above. It should say why I read anyone but you [meaning Dan]. Ireland was typed by an overly aggressive smart type on my iPad.
got it. should have read more. I enjoyed your post.
Crawford AND Shaughnessey sxck!
Wow, by suggesting that you'd want Perk (who is about to be amnestied by OKC) now over Jeff Green, Shaughnessy is makes Mike Felger look like John Hollinger. When was the last game you watched, Dan? 2008? Or when you hopped the bandwagon in 2010? Do your job. It is only watching sports after all.
You guys could be kinder and still keep your jobs.