Is it just a coincidence the member of the Red Sox I find the least objectionable is also the team’s purest talent? Hardly. One of my longstanding complaints about the Sox and, more specifically, a huge chunk of their fan base (present company excluded) is the Nation’s near-fetishistic elevation of grit, gumption and gamesmanship over God-given ability.“Our boys aren’t a traveling team of All-Stars," the Nation likes to say, perhaps in response to the franchise’s recent spat of success, and, yes, spike in payroll. “They’re local boys made good, dirty overachievers, every last one of them.” To a man, then, the scrappy, small market Sawx are marketed and celebrated as the lunch-pail antithesis of their more polished counterparts in Pinstripes, as evidenced by the Nation's near-veneration of Peddy’s dirt-stained uniform, Youk’s unkempt ‘stache and Tek's hard-earned, and Citgo-sized C.
A few moths later, though, Lester’s baseball career almost came to end, when he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, the bad Hodgkin's. After a number of rounds of chemotherapy, Lester was pronounced cancer free, and was assigned soon thereafter to the Sox’s minor league affiliate to start his long road back. He returned to the Majors on July 23 against the Cleveland Indians, a 6-inning win. He finished the 2007 regular season with a 4-0 record in 11 starts and a 4.57 ERA. In the playoffs, Lester had two relief appearances in Cleveland before starting Game 4 of the World Series against the Colorado Rockies. My sources tell me the Red Sox won, although the only thing I recall about that game was the news of Alex Rodriguez opting out of his contract.
Such over-the-top devotion almost makes it impossible for a non-Sox fan to appreciate the natural brilliance of Jon Lester. Almost. Lester's talent, a once-in-a-generation gem, still manages to shine through all that dirty water.
Drafted in the second round of the 2002 amateur draft, Lester rocketed through the Sox’s minor league system, making his major league debut four years later, in 2006. He became the first lefty rookie in Sox history to win his first five decisions, including a 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals in which he pitched eight innings of a one-hit ball.
A few moths later, though, Lester’s baseball career almost came to end, when he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, the bad Hodgkin's. After a number of rounds of chemotherapy, Lester was pronounced cancer free, and was assigned soon thereafter to the Sox’s minor league affiliate to start his long road back. He returned to the Majors on July 23 against the Cleveland Indians, a 6-inning win. He finished the 2007 regular season with a 4-0 record in 11 starts and a 4.57 ERA. In the playoffs, Lester had two relief appearances in Cleveland before starting Game 4 of the World Series against the Colorado Rockies. My sources tell me the Red Sox won, although the only thing I recall about that game was the news of Alex Rodriguez opting out of his contract.
On May 19, 2008, Lester pitched a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals, one of my favorite non-Yankee baseball moments of all time.
Reasons to Like Him:
He beat cancer and pitched a no-hitter within two calendar years. He’s also a lefty, with four quality pitches, most notably a powerful four-seamer and a killer hook. When on, he also sports a near-flawless delivery, as near to perfect as humanely possible.
In 2008, Major League Baseball presented him with Hutch Award, which recognizes a player who exemplifies the competitive fire of Fred Hutchinson, a former pitcher and manger who died of cancer at the age of 45, in 1964. Fittingly, Lester received most of his treatment at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle, Wash., a 35-minute drive from his childhood hometown of Tacoma.
In 2008, Major League Baseball presented him with Hutch Award, which recognizes a player who exemplifies the competitive fire of Fred Hutchinson, a former pitcher and manger who died of cancer at the age of 45, in 1964. Fittingly, Lester received most of his treatment at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle, Wash., a 35-minute drive from his childhood hometown of Tacoma.
He's not Curt Schilling.
Reasons to Hate Him:
A Larry Craig-like wide stance, and a Nugent-esque thirst for animal flesh, coupled with a 3.47 career strike out-to-walk ratio and a ridiculous 1.017 strike out-to-hit ratio against the Yankees.
A Larry Craig-like wide stance, and a Nugent-esque thirst for animal flesh, coupled with a 3.47 career strike out-to-walk ratio and a ridiculous 1.017 strike out-to-hit ratio against the Yankees.
Overall Hate Rating:
Negligible. The kid’s as good as the game.
Negligible. The kid’s as good as the game.
We can talk another time about whether there is any baseball fan in the world that doesn't fetishize effort. But as to your opinion of Jon Lester, I couldn't agree more. Beautiful game last night.
ReplyDelete