You know it's bad when Vincente Padilla can legitimately call you classless.

If nothing else, the fellas are working their tails off to supplant the 2001 club as the most loathsome Red Sox team in my lifetime. Good work guys.

Papi is the only the only guy who is going to come out of all of this smelling like roses, isn't he?

Should have served Popeye's and Schlitz after the funeral.

Those last two sentences are a bit odd though. "By contrast these no-good louts turned out in force for a charity event the previous night!" and

Someone Who Knows

is a screen-name waiting to happen.

I've said this a few weeks back, but man, I really hate this f*cking team right now.(guys who went to funeral excepted of course).

Maybe if they'd served beer and chicken at the wake they may have had a bigger turnout?

Eh, coke to Walt.

Those last two sentences are a bit odd though. "By contrast these no-good louts turned out in force for a charity event the previous night!"

Not really. He's saying the players don't have any trouble finding their conscience when they might have fun. As someone who's not a Sox fan I haven't thought much about what's going on up there, but this is legitimately sad.

If nothing else, the fellas are working their tails off to supplant the 2001 club as the most loathsome Red Sox team in my lifetime. Good work guys.

Please. Questioning someone's decision not to attend a funeral is pretty weak, let alone when the person who passed was not a family member, was 60 years older than them, and was likely not a close friend.

I hate hack pieces like this, even moreso when the lynch mob jumps on board.

By contrast, that same night, nearly the entire team turned out for pitcher Josh Beckett [stats]’s annual Beckett Bowl and country music show at Lucky Strike Lanes and the House of Blues.

A bunch of kids wanted to go to a party instead of a funeral? Shocking!

Please. Questioning someone's decision not to attend a funeral is pretty weak, let alone when the person who passed was not a family member, was 60 years older than them, and was likely not a close friend.

I generally agree. However, sometimes you have to go to funerals, even if you didn't really care about the person. This seems like it would have been one of those times if you were a Red Sox player.

#7
Hey Ray...get stuffed mate. Your trolling gets boring after awhile.

Seriously, Pesky was an icon to all things Red Sox. If you can't front up to a funeral and the after show and put in 90 minutes of your time, then that's pissweak.

#7
Hey Ray...get stuffed mate. Your trolling gets boring after awhile.

Seriously, Pesky was an icon to all things Red Sox. If you can't front up to a funeral and the after show and put in 90 minutes of your time, then that's pissweak.

No, it really isn't. What's pissweak is for people to be insanely complaining about a non-issue such as this.

As usual, Yogi said it best:

Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours.

Hugh and SoSH: Was Yaz there? Boggs? Evans? Petrocelli? Lonborg? Jody Reed? Todd Benzinger? Marco Scutaro? Every last living player who ever played for the Red Sox? No? Why aren't you chasing after them with pitch forks, bugged out eyes, and foam coming out of your mouth?

Hugh and SoSH: Was Yaz there? Boggs? Evans? Petrocelli? Lonborg? Jody Reed? Todd Benzinger? Marco Scutaro? Every last living player who ever played for the Red Sox? No? Why aren't you chasing after them with pitch forks, bugged out eyes, and foam coming out of your mouth?

Man, I don't know. You get invited to a funeral, you go.

The only players the Herald observed at the funeral at St. John The Evangelist Church in Swampscott were designated hitter David Ortiz, pitchers Clay Buchholz and Vincente Padilla and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

there must have been an open bar.

Ray, nothing as drastic as pitchforks and foam. However, since the offer was presented to the current players by the current management, it just seems the right thing to do.

You are not seriously suggesting that 90 minutes out of someone's day is too hard a task. After all you said they are just a bunch of kids, surely most of them don't have any of those annoying things like wives and children they need to spend time with.

Ray, nothing as drastic as pitchforks and foam. However, since the offer was presented to the current players by the current management, it just seems the right thing to do.

It was an offer. And some people feel uncomfortable going to funerals of people that they barely know. Especially when doing so would basically be for show.

You are not seriously suggesting that 90 minutes out of someone's day is too hard a task.

I am suggesting that it's bizarre to criticize people for not going to the funeral of a person they barely knew. Don't you people have anything better to focus your ire on?

Was Yaz there? Boggs? Evans? Petrocelli? Lonborg? Jody Reed? Todd Benzinger? Marco Scutaro?

From TFA:

Also in the pews were former players like Nomar Garciaparra, who made the trip from California for the funeral and was visibly upset during the ceremony; Jim Rice, Bill Lee, Jerry Moses and Mike Andrews.

The current squad also missed Pesky’s wake this past Saturday because they were in New York for a game with the Yankees. But legendary dirt dog Trot Nixon was there and he gave an off-the-cuff eulogy for Johnny to the Herald that is bittersweet in light of the funeral snub.

“I look back and it’s not just him being on the field and hitting ground balls, but how he carried himself and how much he cared for all the ballplayers, whether you were at the major league level or in the minor league level,” Nixon said. “Everybody that worked in the organization, from the highest level down to guys working in the clubhouse, he generally cared for everyone and loved the game of baseball. He was a fantastic ambassador. I loved Johnny.”

I am suggesting that it's bizarre to criticize people for not going to the funeral of a person they barely knew. Don't you people have anything better to focus your ire on?

Well I could focus it on the Red Sox ability to play baseball well, but since that has proven to be a nearly impossible task this year, I'd be wasting my time.

It was an offer. And some people feel uncomfortable going to funerals of people that they barely know. Especially when doing so would basically be for show.


I can see this point, but I disagree(of course). You get an offer, by your management, I still say you've got to do the right thing and go.

Hugh and SoSH: Was Yaz there? Boggs? Evans? Petrocelli? Lonborg? Jody Reed? Todd Benzinger? Marco Scutaro? Every last living player who ever played for the Red Sox? No? Why aren't you chasing after them with pitch forks, bugged out eyes, and foam coming out of your mouth?

There's only one of us getting overheated here Ray, and it ain't me.

As for the attendance, I'll let you know if I get a look at the Guest Book, but otherwise I don't know who was there. I would hope most ex-Sox players in Boston would attend the funeral of a guy just about everyone had gotten to know through the years. That only four from this year's club could make the time to pay their respects on their off day is, to me, just another small example of why this particular group isn't terribly fun to root for. I know, the horror.

Especially when doing so would basically be for show.

Yes, a show of respect.

Like #13 said, if you're invited to a funeral, you go.

This may or may not be relevant, but was the funeral intentionally scheduled on a Red Sox off-day so players could attend?

Also, I wonder if management suggested that players attend, informed them of the funeral time/place, or did nothing?

I really think that there must have been a failure of communication somewhere given how beloved Pesky was throughout the Red Sox nation.

Ray, nothing as drastic as pitchforks and foam.

I was wondering if this was a common phrase that I'd just never run into.

I really think that there must have been a failure of communication somewhere given how beloved Pesky was throughout the Red Sox nation.

Maybe he wasn't so "beloved" by people who didn't know him.

You know Ray, and I don't say this often, but sometimes you can be a real turd.

i would never go to a funeral. It doesnt show respect to participate in a bizzare ceremonies designed solely to enrich the funeral and religious industries. if you liked Pesky, visit his family, send them a note, etc.

if i get married again, its vegas all the way for me baby.

“The front office was not happy,” said Someone Who Knows.

Stephen William King??

As for invited...how does that work? Obviously me and death stay far apart. There's my grandparents as a kid...AND THAT'S IT. If someone called me up out of the blue to say "so and so has passed away" is that a tacit invite? (I understand in the Sox case BUSES are a pretty big clue)

i would never go to a funeral

Well, I would never want anyone to go to mine. No services for me please just to avoid the situation at hand if anything.

i would never go to a funeral. It doesnt show respect to participate in a bizzare ceremonies designed solely to enrich the funeral and religious industries. if you liked Pesky, visit his family, send them a note, etc.

Yeah, it's bizarre for a person's loved ones to get up and share their best memories and what that person meant to them. Crazy time.

if i get married again, its vegas all the way for me baby.

Only a passing familiarity with human emotion, apparently super cheap and ladies...he's single!

Ortiz and Nomar are the tail end of the players that really knew Pesky and worked with him a lot. Ortiz arrived in 2003. The next longest serving Sox player is Beckett who arrived in 2006. Pedroia, Lester and Breslow also spent part of 2006 with the team. But what's important is that during those few years is when Pesky really started ramping down his involvement with the team as his health started to go. Ortiz is the only guy left who is likely to have really known him. Remember, also, that Pedroia didn't even spend a spring training with the Red Sox as a minor leaguer until 2005.

This all said, it then comes back to the point someone made earlier, about a lot of people not being comfortable going to funerals of people they barely knew. The current team, with the exception of Ortiz, didn't really know they guy. Most of them didn't even play with anyone other than Ortiz and Youkilis who really knew him.

I occasionally get emails at work about funerals former employees who have died who worked here for 40 years and were beloved in their times, but who retired before I started. I never go to the funerals, and I never feel the slightest bit of guilt about it. I didn't know the people. I really don't see any difference here. The fact that the Red Sox are public figures shouldn't oblige them to do things that the rest of us wouldn't do in an analogous situation in our own lives. Management should have (and did) attend, and the lower level front office employees probably include a lot of people who have been with the team for 20-30 years, and they should have attended.

Otherwise, you'd expect the current players who were with the team when Pesky was active to attend (but that is really only Ortiz), and the former players who knew him best to attend. That's what happened. What we should be focusing on is how many former players travelled long distances to attend. Nomar, a guy who lives in California, and left the organization under rather unpleasant circumstances, was touched enough by his interactions with Pesky that he flew out for the funeral.

Well Ray's real good at the foot in mouth thing but his original point is spot on -- why are any of you annoyed about this?

Here's a revision of the article:

"Johnny Pesky's funeral was held yesterday. It was attended by former Red Sox players Nomar Garciaparra, Jim Rice, Bill Lee, Jerry Moses and Mike Andrews. Also in attendance were current Red Sox players designated hitter David Ortiz, pitchers Clay Buchholz and Vincente Padilla and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia."

Nobody would have said a thing. Instead the REPORTER decided the story was about who wan't there rather than about Pesky, the funeral, some comments from the Sox players who were there. You got played.

Imagine you're the Red Sox spokesman, do you really expect at a funeral to have to answer the sort of question that must have preceded this (emphasis mine):

"We ordered the buses for the front office to go, knowing that any players could join us or drive separately from their homes. Between the ownership, front office, current players and staff, and former players, we were well represented by the people who knew Johnny best.”

So it's only Someone Who Knows who's pushing the "FO is pissed" line.

Standard reporter weasel words: "Lucchino, owner John Henry and his wife, Linda, Sox CEO Sam Kennedy, GM Ben Cherington and many more team execs and staff </i>." And former FO, CEOs, etc?

But hey, progress! The byline is shared by two female reporters so snide is now gender-neutral.

None of these are ideal matches but they're the icons I could think of.

Ron Santo's funeral (Dec 2010): "Ron Santo's wife, Vicky, and their sons were surrounded by members of the baseball community Thursday, including former Cub great Ryne Sandburg, recently named Cubs Manager Mike Quade, current Cubs pitcher Sean Marshall."

I can't find a story about the funeral of Dave Niehaus but the Ms did the classy thing and had a public memorial (the day after Santo's funeral oddly enough). If any current players spoke, they didn't make the MLB video archive. Edgar, Buhner and Dan Wilson did speak.

The Phillies had a public memorial for Harry Kalas and each of the players and coaches handed along the casket to the hearse. Nice touch.

The Red Sox held their memorial just the other night -- I can't find a detailed story about it, how was it?

Apparently not a single Yankee player, current or former, showed up for Bob Sheppard's funeral in July 2010 which did cause a bit of a stir too. Steinbrenner's funeral was "ultraprivate" (only 50 attendees) so presumably no players were invited. It was held in Florida the same day as the Old Timers game (presumably on purpose as the article mentions that Steinbrenner loved the OTG).

A ton of players, but apparently none current, turned out for Gary Carter's funeral. Here's a rather odd bit from that story: "Pastor Jack Graham called Carter "the Tebow of his time."" By the way, Gary Sheffield turned out for that one and I don't know that they were ever even teammates.

No mention made in that article of Tom Werner being there, is there? If one of the owners can't be bothered to make it, why should the players be indicted?

Yeah, it's bizarre for a person's loved ones to get up and share their best memories and what that person meant to them. Crazy time.

oh, i go to those. i just dont go to funerals.

When my mother in law died, we threw a party. At her request. As she was a kind and well loved woman, it was extremely well attended, and we had a lot of laughs. As she would have wanted:

i didnt embitter myself afterwards drawing up a list of those who didnt attend. But apparently I lack certain human emotions, the ones that lead you to allow funeral directors and pompous religion professionals to leach off you during your time of grief.

Someone Who Knows

is a screen-name waiting to happen.

Done.

Pedroia is the one guy I'm bothered by not showing up. He's the de facto captain and leader and should have attended in that role.

But hey, progress! The byline is shared by two female reporters so snide is now gender-neutral.

Until I read this comment I hadn't realized this was Fee and Raposa. These two are absolute dirtbags. They are the Herald's gossip columnists, effectively the TMZ of Boston media and even by the low standards of the Boston media they are pretty reprehensible "human beings."

I occasionally get emails at work about funerals former employees who have died who worked here for 40 years and were beloved in their times, but who retired before I started. I never go to the funerals, and I never feel the slightest bit of guilt about it. I didn't know the people. I really don't see any difference here.

The difference is that the Boston Red Sox are not just workers, but celebrities, probably the best-known people in town. Yes, stuff like having to go to funerals is kind of a pain, but you're getting paid millions of dollars to play a game; you can put up with it for a few hours.

Nomar, a guy who lives in California, and left the organization under rather unpleasant circumstances, was touched enough by his interactions with Pesky that he flew out for the funeral.

When the Sox had a public ceremony to honor Ted Williams right after his death, Nomar stayed near Pesky the whole time, and stood with his arm around Johnny for much of the time they were out on the field. Nomar wasn't normally that sort of person; it looked more like an expression of deep friendship.

It has nothing to do with the money.

Show some respect for those that came before you - in the military, your family and your profession. I flew to KC on my own dime for ceremonies hororing Dick Howser, so if these individuals cannot fathom how to act and why to act......sad, truly sad! I'd expect this from an early teen and not players of this age.

So I guess the problem IS the players and not management? That's the new story line?

PS - Wasn't Nomar in Williamsport and not California?

Who has time for some old guy's funeral when there are so many drumsticks that need to be eaten.

What Bob said.

Respect, honor, recognition of someone who gave their life to the organization you belong to...makes sense to me.

For those equating this to 'funerals for those who worked where I do', professional baseball IS a job, but it's a special kind of job. Athletics, the military, schools...and other jobs where people work together in sometimes heated and challenging circumstances, are different from other situations. Anyone who played sports on the college or higher levels or served in the Armed Forces or worked closely with a bunch of folks for a decade or more knows what I'm talking about.

You go to the funeral. You just DO.

And Ray, you are one unfortunate human being.

[29] Well Ray's real good at the foot in mouth thing but his original point is spot on -- why are any of you annoyed about this?

I'm not, but for Sox fans, it further validates the "miserableness" of this year's incarnation, right?

None of these are ideal matches but they're the icons I could think of.

What about Ernie Harwell? :) The funeral was private at his wishes, but they had a public memorial at Comerica. The owner showed up and he and the GM and other FO people greeted fans personally as they walked past the casket. Al Kaline was there. I don't know about other Tigers.

Bob Murphy had a memorial at St Patrick's Cathedral. Fred Wilpon attended. Current and former players included Keith Hernandez, Ed Kranepool, Ed Charles, Bud Harrelson, Al Leiter, John Franco and Mike Piazza. Broadcasters included Ralph Kiner, Gary Thorne, Gary Cohen, Howie Rose and Fran Healy.

I've been lucky enough to only have attended a handful (less than 10) funerals. I've been drug by girlfriends to two for people I'd never met, but I went BECAUSE THEY ASKED ME TO GO.

When the Sox had a public ceremony to honor Ted Williams right after his death, Nomar stayed near Pesky the whole time, and stood with his arm around Johnny for much of the time they were out on the field. Nomar wasn't normally that sort of person; it looked more like an expression of deep friendship.

That's exactly right. Nomar was probably the last player that truly, actively worked with Pesky on the field and they were incredibly close. The current crop of players would have seen Johnny around but likely didn't have the level of interaction with him that Nomar did which is why I don't think it's particularly terrible that they didn't go though I think a few of the longer term guys (Lester, Pedroia) should have gone.

Just thinking it through how many long term players didn't go? The roster has had a fair amount of turnover the last few years so the only players who joined the club in 2010 or earlier and weren't there Monday are; Beckett, Lester, Pedroia and Ellsbury and I'm not particularly comfortable telling others how to grieve.

My uncle passed away on Saturday in Miami so this is an issue I've given a lot of thought to this week. Despite the distance we were close and I would really like to be able to be there for my aunt. Unfortunately, circumstances are such that getting down there right now is not feasible. It doesn't mean I didn't love my uncle or that he wasn't a very important person in my life, it just means that I can't physically stand in Miami this week.

Are we sure Pedroia wasn't there?
Sometimes he's hard to spot in a crowd of adults and teenagers.

The annual Beckett Bowl and Country Music event sounds like pure torture. I think I'd rather go to a funeral, any funeral. Plus, if the movies have taught me anything, funerals are a great way to meet ladies.

Bob's point about respect is the key, but I'd like to know how the FO notified the players about the bus, and what the details were of that arrangement. I can see the point about being uncomfortable at the funeral of a stranger, but if the team arrives together as a group, that should take care of that problem. They could have even served beer and chicken afterwards just so Beckett and Lester wouldn't have felt too out of place.

In hindsight, the Red Sox should have treated the funeral as a mandatory team meeting, and just ordered (or at least "requested") the players to show up at the bus. IOW make it an opt-out rather than an opt-in situation, and let any complainers tell the media just why they were put off by the request.

Don't you people have anything better to focus your ire on?

Oh, Raymond... Your total lack of self-awareness is intoxicating!

Nobody would have said a thing. Instead the REPORTER decided the story was about who wan't there rather than about Pesky, the funeral, some comments from the Sox players who were there. You got played.

...

So it's only Someone Who Knows who's pushing the "FO is pissed" line.

Maybe, but it's also possible that most of the FO really is pissed and leaked the story deliberately. The "someone who knows" line sounds like a cutesy way of saying someone very high up in the food chain.

44 makes good points. The idea that the Sox communication on this issue wasn't top notch isn't hard to imagine.

Presumably, after their own bad experiences with the Sox stellar medical staff, the players just assume Pesky isn't actually dead. So why bother going to his "funeral?"

Five years ago I took a new job in an office of a hundred or so people and was there for about ten days when someone in the office passed away after a long struggle with cancer. She had been there for twenty-something years and had many close friends at the office. In my very short time there I hadn't met her.

The funeral was on a weekday a half-hour away and everyone was given leave to attend the funeral if they chose.

I decided not to go. To me, it seems weird to go to a funeral of someone I've never met, simply because the person was beloved in the place I now worked. I'm very confident that no one was hurt or offended that I didn't go. In fact, I think if I had gone, some people would have said, "um, what are you doing here? You know you didn't have to come."

I was taught that funerals are not for the dead, they are for the living who are now grieving. So go to a funeral if you are one of the grieving or if you are close to someone who is grieving.

So I see no reason to criticize the Sox players who didn't go. Their decision not to go is not a sign of bad character, it's just a sign that they didn't know Pesky.

I don't know - is the Beckett Bowl some sort of charity mucky-muck that these players may have formally committed to months ago? "Scheduled to appear" and all of that?

i'd rather go to my funeral than the annual beckett bowl and country music event.

Also, your story is compelling, Toby, but this isn't that. If a foreign leader dies, the US sends a dignitary (the VP or the Secretary of State, usually) to attend and "represent the country". It doesn't matter whether they knew him or whether he was a good guy.

Certainly Bob's (36) sentiment is correct, but it should be noted that the overall emotion of the issue is fan based and on the whole, fans care exponentially more about the team and its history than players do. For many players, and I say this with complete envy, this is just a job. I care about Seaver, Agee, Shamsky, Strawberry a lot more than Josh Thole.

44 - With all dues respect, are you serious? You really want to know what arrangements the travelling secretary made? When someone you know dies, other than the time and place of the funeral, do you need anything else?

Here's a novel approach - Treat the players like adults, (generally speaking, a risky endeavor with professional athletes) and let them know the time and place and have them take their own car. OK, you can even tell them a bus is being provided. At some point, they do not need someone else to wipe them.

i would never go to a funeral. It doesnt show respect to participate in a bizzare ceremonies designed solely to enrich the funeral and religious industries. if you liked Pesky, visit his family, send them a note, etc.

If your argument is that the funeral and religious industries or ceremonies are something less integrity-filled, I think that's a real personal matter. (I happen to agree with you as I believe organized religion is a ponzi-scheme that puts Bernie Madoff's to shame and funeral home workers, in general, make carnies seem normal.)

BUT, for those who do buy into it, there's nothing wrong with the decent human act of expressing condolences, in person, at a funeral. It means something to the grieving and it's not some overt endorsement of the ritual, at which time you can also be sure no one gives a sh*t about your (or my) opinion of it.

The controversy caused by this leak is much worse than the players' not showing up. Instead of talking about Pesky's life, we're talking about who did or didn't show up at his funeral.

I don't envy the person who has to come in and clean up this mess after the inevitable firings/trades occur.

The analogy I thought of when I read this was the death of a parent of a coworker. If you're close enough to that coworker, you show your support. I've done plenty of those, having never met the deceased.

In this analogy, the Sox organization is the 'coworker' and Pesky is the 'parent'. Not too surprising that the team doesn't feel connected enough to show that support. Not making judgment - just analogizing.

44 - With all dues respect, are you serious? You really want to know what arrangements the travelling secretary made? When someone you know dies, other than the time and place of the funeral, do you need anything else?

How many people on the 2012 Red Sox "know" Johnny Pesky?

Also, your story is compelling, Toby, but this isn't that. If a foreign leader dies, the US sends a dignitary (the VP or the Secretary of State, usually) to attend and "represent the country". It doesn't matter whether they knew him or whether he was a good guy.

But the other Cabinet members aren't lambasted for not going. As long as an individual is representing the collective, that's seen as a sign of respect from the collective.

Given the timeline of Pesky's health demise, I would only expect Ortiz (among active players) to have possibly been close enough to Pesky to attend out of anything other than duty. This, then, says a lot for Padilla, Buchholz, and Saltalamacchia. But it also says the players were represented, by people who felt it was their duty to do so.

44 - With all dues respect, are you serious? You really want to know what arrangements the travelling secretary made? When someone you know dies, other than the time and place of the funeral, do you need anything else?

What I mean(t) is that if the Red Sox just said "A bus will be here for anyone who wants to attend", it sends a much different message than "The bus will leave Fenway Park at noon from the players' entrance, and we will attend as a group. Your attendance is strongly suggested as a token of respect for what Mr. Pesky has meant to the Red Sox organization for the past 72 years." The latter statement is the one I would have issued, but I have no idea what exactly was said. Knowing the Red Sox, it wouldn't surprise me if they'd arranged for 25 different buses, but that's just my inner cynic thinking out loud.

As someone who has been on the end of mob mentality and felt like I was taking crazy pills....I want to show my support for Ray in this matter.

52 -- What, so Johnny Pesky was a foreign leader? And "a representative" means the entire roster?

To be sure, any number of people could have been classier in how they handled this. The players could have sent a representative -- the captain; one of the senior members of the team; the union rep. Apparently they didn't.

That would have been a classy thing to do. But failing to do a classy thing doesn't make the players "bush league," as the article concludes.

The bush league thing here is writing this article without giving the players a chance to comment first.

[29] Apparently not a single Yankee player, current or former, showed up for Bob Sheppard's funeral in July 2010 which did cause a bit of a stir too.

Yanks miss Sheppard funeral
Updated: July 16, 2010, 7:26 PM ET
By Wallace Matthews | ESPNNewYork.com

NEW YORK -- The Yankees weren't at Bob Sheppard's funeral, and according to team captain Derek Jeter some didn't even know when the event was taking place.

"To be quite honest with you, I didn't even know his funeral was yesterday," Jeter said on Friday. "Having said that, I don't necessarily think you have to go to a funeral to honor someone. I think a lot of players have honored him. It's the reason why I've recorded his voice throughout the years, and I'll continue to honor him every time I go to the plate for the rest of my career. But I was not aware of it and I don't know how many of the players were aware of it." ...

A column in Friday's Daily News took current and former players to task for not making an appearance at the funeral of the Yankees' legendary public address announcer. Jeter, who has a recording of Sheppard introducing him at the plate, was the most conspicuous no-show. According to a team source, Jeter flew home to see his family in Tampa after the All-Star Game in Anaheim on Tuesday night.

"I don't know why he didn't fly back to New York to attend the funeral," the source had said.

"We didn't organize any bus for the players," Yankee publicist Jason Zillo told ESPNNewYork.com. "I don't know about any bus."

Asked if it would have been his responsibility to arrange for team transportation, Zillo said, "I would think so." ...

The only prominent Yankees employee to attend the service was GM Brian Cashman, who delivered a eulogy. [Emphasis added]

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=5386264

I agree with Dale Sams, RDP and Jolly Old St. Nick Points To The Sky. Johnny Pesky is mostly a historical figure. From outside Crazy Clown Town it's hard to understand why it's an outrage that only 4 people on the 25-man roster went to the funeral of someone who stopped being a coach a couple decades ago. It's not like the funeral was a big public event in Boston, it was held at a small church in a town on the other side of Lynn.

If it had been 0, that would be pretty depressing I guess.

As someone who has been on the end of mob mentality and felt like I was taking crazy pills....I want to show my support for Ray in this matter.

I think more of the players if they went but I don't think worse of them that they didn't, if that makes sense. Ballplayers are generally young and/or self absorbed so it doesn't surprise me they wouldn't go. Padilla is confusing me by being a stand up guy about this, but then Mexican culture seems to take death more seriously than we do.

Johnny Pesky was an iconic Red Sox player. I side with the point of view that the right thing to do was for the players to attend and respect the tradition of the organization.. But I do see the opposing point of view on this one. That's in normal circumstances.

These are not normal circumstances, though. This is a team that has shown massive immaturity in several instances dating back to last year, including the very recent text message "scandal." At some point, you would hope that some of the veterans would realize that they look like a bunch of d-bags, and it's time to grow up. These guys aren't stupid, and they know (or should know) that their character (or perceptions of their character) matter, to Red Sox fans, Red Sox management making decisions, and other teams making decisions when the Red Sox bloodbath inevitably comes. If they aren't self-aware enough to understand this intrinsically (looking at you, Josh Beckett), then they have agents and publicists in their ears.

In light of all of the controversy about this team, you would have thought that one of the veteran leaders might have said, "Guys, let's show some team unity here and pay our respects to Johnny Pesky." I think the real problem with this team is that positive veteran leadership doesn't exist or isn't effective.

I'm more curious what sort of mob was after Dale Sams.

I agree with Yogi on this and I think it is especially true with baseball teams. Baseball players are part of fraternity that really bestows immortality on all major leaguers. It is up to the current generation to pay respect to the past generation as well as leaving the game in better shape or at least as good of shape as they got it when they leave the game.

Is this a major blunder in which people need to be hurling insults at the players and people defending them or saying it isn't a big deal? Not really, but it is a blunder and the players who didn't attend are weakening their own immortality.

I'm more curious what sort of mob was after Dale Sams.

Was? Try IS. Keep your head down, Dale!

The leaks implied in this story are really outrageous. You have to imagine whoever gave Gayle Fee and Laura Reposa the information necessary to write "Word from Yawkey Way is that the Sox front office hired buses to bring players, office and staff to the funeral from the ballpark to the church. The suits, we hear, were surprised and disappointed when the vast majority of the 40 players on the roster didn’t bother to show up for the services." was veritably overjoyed to get yet another chance to publicize how the team's failure is all the fault of those lazy prima donnas rather than the sober and reasonable people in the front office.

In light of all of the controversy about this team, you would have thought that one of the veteran leaders might have said, "Guys, let's show some team unity here and pay our respects to Johnny Pesky." I think the real problem with this team is that positive veteran leadership doesn't exist or isn't effective.

Yeah ... if there was veteran leadership you'd think they would have organized a more substantial contingent if just to not give the "suits" an opportunity to say how "surprised and disappointed" they are. If these buses really did exist and the suits really did try to get people to go.

i am completely fine if none of you show up to my funeral.

though I think a few of the longer term guys (Lester, Pedroia) should have gone

This is about where I am, though "should" is too strong for me. It's fair to expect more from True Red Sox than players like Podsednik, Punto or Valencia.

Baseball players are part of fraternity that really bestows immortality on all major leaguers. It is up to the current generation to pay respect to the past generation as well as leaving the game in better shape or at least as good of shape as they got it when they leave the game.

Not really. Baseball is a player's job and that's really it. A player has no more obligation to history or the activity in which his employer engages than any employee of a long-standing organization. Busting the Red Sox players for not going to Pesky's funeral is like ripping a 25-year-old General Motors employee for not going to Roger Smith's.

A lot of us would like to believe baseball as an institution is more than that, but it isn't.

"Loathsome" is the right word for this team. On and off the field, a more unlikeable group of humans is going to be hard to find. Selfish, self-absorbed d bags, excepting the attendees (and Padilla still has a lot of ground to make up).

On the bright side, "pissweak" is a great term I had not heard before. I anticipate using it in the near future, ie, "this traffic is pissweak!" or "that was a pissweak raise I just got!".

i am completely fine if none of you show up to my funeral.

Oh, I'm going. I already have the dance music picked out and am taking Pop and Lock lessons from this guy named D-Lo I met in Sheepshead Bay.

I'm more curious what sort of mob was after Dale Sams.

It was exactly like this.

i am completely fine if none of you show up to my funeral.

Oh, I'm going. I already have the dance music picked out and am taking Pop and Lock lessons from this guy named D-Lo I met in Sheepshead Bay.

Be sure to go to the real one, and not the fake one he's using to draw out and kill his enemies.

Be sure to go to the real one, and not the fake one he's using to draw out and kill his enemies.

I guess I'll have to kill Harvs myself, just to make sure.

I guess I'll have to kill Harvs myself, just to make sure.

Excellent. I'll get my dancing shoes ready for your funeral.

On the bright side, "pissweak" is a great term I had not heard before. I anticipate using it in the near future, ie, "this traffic is pissweak!" or "that was a pissweak raise I just got!".

Agreed, but the latter example is a much better use of the term. Clusterf**k is probably more appropriate for the first one.

If your argument is that the funeral and religious industries or ceremonies are something less integrity-filled, I think that's a real personal matter. (I happen to agree with you as I believe organized religion is a ponzi-scheme that puts Bernie Madoff's to shame and funeral home workers, in general, make carnies seem normal.)

You all do realize that Churches don't really make any money off funerals, wedding, baptisms, etc.? The fees are nominal (a few hundred dollars unless it's St. Patrick's Cathedral or something), and are always waived for the poor. The fees often don't cover the expense of opening/lighting/heating/ac the Church.

The Funeral Homes are another story. They can be quite abusive, just like the wedding industry.

You all do realize that Churches don't really make any money off funerals, wedding, baptisms, etc.? The fees are nominal (a few hundred dollars unless it's St. Patrick's Cathedral or something), and are always waived for the poor. The fees often don't cover the expense of opening/lighting/heating/ac the Church.

My kids make about $10-15 for serving. Damn leeches.

The Funeral Homes are another story. They can be quite abusive, just like the wedding industry.

Things cost money. I would have expected you to be the last person to dispute that.

Well I didn't expect to be in this position, but I'm on board with Ray. I so don't understand the outrage, here.

I've never attended a funeral for someone I didn't know personally, and I doubt I ever would. The loved ones wouldn't know who I was and, I feel sure, really wouldn't care. Having been a "loved one" at a funeral myself, I was happy to see close friends and family members of the deceased, sure, but the rest? Hard to see how that does the loved ones any good.

Someone above mentioned it being like when the parent of a coworker dies. Seriously? You'd go to the funeral for a parent of a coworker? I couldn't imagine even the closest of coworkers showing up for, say, my mom's funeral. That would be bizarre enough that it'd get talked about for years. Even close personal friends would be weird, unless they knew her themselves.

Of course, I don't know the whole Red Sox history thing, but when Ernie Banks finally kicks, I would not expect to even know which current Cubs attend his funeral, nor would I care in the slightest. Even setting aside the idea that it's a stupid thing to give a #### about, death (and how people handle it) can be very personal. I would never criticize someone's behavior in this respect.

Also, your story is compelling, Toby, but this isn't that. If a foreign leader dies, the US sends a dignitary (the VP or the Secretary of State, usually) to attend and "represent the country". It doesn't matter whether they knew him or whether he was a good guy.

Wow. You're comparing a state funeral with attending diplomats to a ####### former BASEBALL PLAYER?

I don't even know how to respond to this sort of bozosity.

It was exactly like this.

Didn't have to click the link. The scene immediately played itself in my mind. Loaded faster than YouTube, too.

I also want to show that I agree with Ray. I would not feel comfortable attending a funeral for someone I didn't know personally, and I'm not sure the dead would have wanted me to feel uncomfortable.

I can't see Pesky up in the Pearly Gates hanging his head in shame that Scott Podsednik didn't go to his funeral and declaring his entire life a waste.

One exception to my statement: if you have a spouse, you go with. If someone my wife knew well (but I did not) passes, and she goes to the funeral, then I go as well. But that's about supporting my wife.

I can't see Pesky up in the Pearly Gates hanging his head in shame that Scott Podsednik didn't go to his funeral and declaring his entire life a waste.

Well, I don't believe Pods went to Al Lopez's funeral, either.

Apparently not a single Yankee player, current or former, showed up for Bob Sheppard's funeral in July 2010 which did cause a bit of a stir too.

This is just a further indication that player's function in their own self-absorbed, entitled world. They do not operate with the same sense of right and wrong. Paying homage to someone else violates the world-centers-around-me mentality.

Perhaps the Captain, if he genuinely cared, could have called the office and asked when the funeral was or could have asked Casey Close to do so. (My sense is Jeter knew there would probably be a funeral.) Neither option is beneath him. IMO, if you believe the Sox players committed a transgression by ignoring Pesky's funeral, then this is equally as bad.........especially given all the talk about Sheppard the last year leading up to his death and the Yankees had a lot of players who knew him and Jeter made a big deal about him.

Padilla going to the funeral? Baffling!

Padilla going to the funeral? Baffling!

Maybe Pos will write a book about what a complicated man he is?

It's a complete non-issue, and people ought not traffic in manufactured outrage over it. People honor people in many ways. It's a very personal thing, affected by a number of factors, including who the person was and how well you (or someone you love or are close to) knew them. Some people prefer to remember people as they last saw them, and not lying deceased in a casket.

I feel like Tom Cruise at the end of A Few Good Men, where he tells Dawson, "Harold, you don't need to wear a patch on your arm to have honor." Well, people don't need to go to funerals to honor someone. And it's not a sign of disrespect not to go. How bizarre. Had Josh Beckett sent flowers to the funeral home with a card that said, "We won't miss you, Johnny P," _that_ would have been a sign of disrespect. See the difference?

People are just completely off the reservation sometimes.

I've never attended a funeral for someone I didn't know personally, and I doubt I ever would.

I know several people who do b/c they feel it's the right thing. (I don't necessarily agree.) What is odd is that it seems to make them feel more important.

My son's schoolmate died (I know this is an extreme case) and many parents I know who could not have picked the child out of a line-up felt obligated to go b/c they thought it was the right thing to do.

I knew the father, which is to say we saw each other on the soccer field, but I thought it would be odd to go to the child's funeral - that should be for those who were genuinely impacted.

Pesky was an icon. If it were Kaline, I would expect some of the Tigers to show up. If it were Mickey Lolich (not wishing it on anyone) not so much.

I so don't understand the outrage, here.

That's all right. I don't see the outrage here.

A number of us were dissappointed that only four players took the time to go to the funeral of Johnny Pesky on an offday. Ray is the gent who started hyperventilating in response.

And, since you're not a Sox fan - Johnny Pesky isn't an ordinary former Red Sox player. I wouldn't expect any of the current Sox to attend Yaz's funeral, for instance (in much the same way you wouldn't expect current Cubs to attend Ernie's). But Pesky has been a presence with the club, in one form or another, for almost his entire adult life. A larger show of respect for his contributions would have been nice.

For the record, I hate funerals and will not be having one. That said, however, I think #65 nails it. There is context to be considered here, not just "go or not go". They were notified, buses were scheduled...it is fairly obvious they were trying to tell a group of grown "men" what to do without treating them like children and flat telling them what to do. Sometimes, one must do things they do not want to (but must) out of respect, consideration, courtesy, maturity, professionalism etc., etc.

This was one of those times. Hats off to a few players I had little-to-no respect for beforehand, like Padilla.

To those who see no problem, I think in most circumstances you would be correct. However, considering the context, unless there is some serious personal/religious issues at play, their asses should be there without question or hesitation.

Given the current state of the team, I can't help but wonder if it IS a "FU" to the front office. Normally I'd not even consider it, but with everything we know about secret meetings and text messages to try and get the manager canned, would it really surprise anyone at this point?

RDP - You are correct that it should not be an issue, but it would be refreshing if you got the sense that when Vince Coleman spoke of Jackie Robinson and said "I don't know nothing about no Jackie Robinson," that his disregard for baseball history was the exception to the rule. I really think this is all camaflouge over the fact that players aren't connected with the games past and Boston people can't handle their team's dysfunctionality. (This latter fact is odd because I always thought they were the ultimate 25 players, 25 cabs team, even during their better years pre-2004.)

I've never attended a funeral for someone I didn't know personally

I have; but in those cases it was a funeral for the spouse or parent of someone I did know pretty well. You can be relatively close to someone and not know their partner or parent or child, and they appreciate you showing up. OTOH, any relevance of this principle to, say, Adrian Gonzalez going to Johnny Pesky's funeral, would seem to me remote.

I wouldn't expect any of the current Sox to attend Yaz's funeral,

But he's such a warm, cuddly guy.

Agree with SoSH and, to an extent Andy and MCOA here. ISTM that the way to go from a PR/management POV since a lot of the younger guys on the 2012 Red Sox probably have not really interacted with Pesky, was to have Ortiz and Pedroia go, to represent the team, and have one of them say some nice things on behalf of the team.

But sure, as many have said, a funeral is, among other things a way to show respect to someone for a life well-lived, and it would have been a nice gesture for the whole Red Sox team to be there, as a way to show the respect that Pesky earned with his long service to the team and the fanbase.

Relax everyone. I'm assured by people who know that the team was there but were wearing glasses and mustache disguises.

That's all right. I don't see the outrage here.

A number of us were dissappointed that only four players took the time to go to the funeral of Johnny Pesky on an offday. Ray is the gent who started hyperventilating in response.

Here's the "disappointment" that you expressed in post 2 of this thread:

2. SoSH U at work Posted: August 23, 2012 at 12:45 AM (#4215445)

If nothing else, the fellas are working their tails off to supplant the 2001 club as the most loathsome Red Sox team in my lifetime. Good work guys.

Loathsome because they didn't go to Pesky's funeral.

And here's Hugh's "disappointment":

5. the Hugh Jorgan returns Posted: August 23, 2012 at 12:52 AM (#4215451)

I've said this a few weeks back, but man, I really hate this f*cking team right now.(guys who went to funeral excepted of course).

Maybe if they'd served beer and chicken at the wake they may have had a bigger turnout?