I’m referring, of course, to this article on Ben Maller.
My gut says that he does. I admit, probably in spite of everything he did, the Red Sox DID win the series, and he was a part of that team for more than half the season.
But man, I bet they HATE giving it to him.
So what do you think?
FWIW, it seems to me that, based on what I hear on sports radio in Boston (I live in the area), most people are OK with Nomar getting a WS ring. There might be a few who still dont like the fact that he’s not with the team, but for the most part, it seems like people are jubilent enough about the sox finally winning that they are OK with (or support) him getting one.
It’s nice of the Sox to give him something, but he doesn’t DESERVE it. People DESERVE World Series rings for playing on teams that win the World Series. Garciaparra was a member of the Chicago Cubs during the World Series, who you may recall were not even in the playoffs.
The Red Sox apparently plan on giving rings to anyone with a pulse, which I guess is nice, but let’s not pretend they all have some claim to them. A gift is just a gift.
Bear in mind, as well, that Garciaparra was not on the team for “Half a season” in any way that matters. He played 38 games, which isn’t even a quarter of the season.
The team voted him a World Series share which he didn’t deserve. That’s more than enough. No ring. It’s a slap in the face to others on the team who actually earned it. Nomar gave up his claim to a ring when he pouted on the bench in the July 1 game against the Yankees, instead of being up on the rail with his teammates, rooting for and encouraging them. The Sox wound up losing in the 13th, and Nomar demonstrated that he wanted no part of the team that night. Sure, he had a beef with ownership, but don’t take it out on the 24 other guys in uniform that night. The team owes him nothing.
I think he deserves it. He was on the team during the season. I would have had a bad attitude as well if people had talked about trading me to bring in A-Rod. The Sox management and fans demonstrated that they had no loyalty to Nomar, so of course he wasn’t as enthusiastic a player as last season. Regardless, he helped the team get to the World Series, so he should get the ring.
I don’t see how he helped them get to the World Series, except by leaving. As was mentioned, he only played a handful of games, none when it mattered, and carried his grudge with ownership onto the field, to the detriment of the team. That does not earn you a ring.
Nope, he doesn’t deserve a ring. The partial share they voted him was nice and proper, but not the ring. He wasn’t on the team when they won the series, it wouldn’t be proper for him to get a ring.
Deserve it? No, not at all.
If the Red Sox feel like giving him a ring, swell. They can give a ring to Nomar, to Carl Yastrzemski, to Bill Buckner, or to ME, if they want to… but Nomar, Carl, Bill and I are about equally deserving. We all made about the same contribution to the Red Sox winning the 2004 World Series.
But this isn’t the 2004 Part of the Season ring. This is the 2004 World Series ring. He didn’t play in the World Series. He has as much right to a 2004 World Series ring as Josh Beckett does; they both played as many games for the Red Sox in the series.
The fans who bought tickets also helped the team get to the World Series. Anyone who helped pay the team’s expenses helped the team get to the World Series. The groundskeepers and everyone who worked in Fenway Park, in addition to anywhere else the Red Sox played, helped the team get to the World Series. If “helped the team get to the World Series” merits a World Series ring, why aren’t the members of the Cardinals also getting rings? After all, they also helped the (their, but still the) team get to the World Series…
Are there specifically-delineated rules on who is and is not eligible for a WS ring?
He absolutely deserves it. If he vetoes the trade, the Red Sox don’t go to the World Series in the first place.
-lv