Thanks For the Memories Dustin Pedroia

He arrived with a reputation.  He was too small yes, but he was brash.  He had a confidence bigger than his body, he wasn’t smart enough to know he was too small to hit home runs, he didn’t have an arm strong enough to play shortstop, he wasn’t especially fast.  But everywhere he went, Arizona State, Sarasota, Augusta, Portland and Pawtucket he performed well.  He was the front line for more than a few stats vs. scouts battles.  The end result was not whether the stats or the scouts won but that the Boston Red Sox and their fans won.

If you are a Sox fan you almost certainly love Dustin Pedroia.  I won’t lie, the dude will forever be one of my favorites.  He was a joy to watch play day in and day out when he could.  He became a genuine star winning rookie of the year in his first year and MVP in his second.  He was absolutely integral to two World Series titles.  His game seven performance against the Indians in 2007 was epic, the game one homer in the World Series and he started game seven in 2008 the right way with a first inning homer.  Pedroia never lost that brashness though like so many athletes he learned to tone it down a bit.  That doesn’t mean he became quiet, just more reserved as most of us do as we age.  I remember his postgame interview after game six against the Cardinals in 2013 when he talked about the joy of seeing his younger teammates celebrate the victory and just standing back and soaking that part of the experience in.  He sounded more like a parent than a teammate.

Pedroia was somewhat rarely for a second baseman a legit five tool player.  He could hit for average, he demonstrated decent power as middle infielders go, his throwing arm while probably not sufficient for shortstop became an asset at second base and his glove was velcro.  Pedroia was the guy Sox fans wanted the ball hit too in a key spot and while not fast he was quick enough and a smart base runner and adept base stealer.  Later in his career he maybe didn’t quite realize he had lost a step but as a Sox fan that was part of his charm.  His innate stubborness and self-belief (“ask Jeff Francis if he knows who I am!” and “laser show!”) were part and parcel of the Dustin Pedroia legend.  Hell he gave Don Orsillo a new line to use “La Luna!” for his homers then went out and had a three homer game in Colorado in 2010.

With Pedroia it wasn’t just the performances or the brashness it was the style and the emotion.  I remember so distinctly his leap into the air on Gomes’ three run homer in the 2013 World Series or the way he seemed determined to fling his body to the ground on ground balls or the play in Texas when he contorted his body to grab a ricocheting throw and throw behind the runner at first to get a key out in Texas.  Maybe most Pedroiaesque of all was a game in Houston where he was angry with the home plate umpire and barked a bit.  He then lined a single to right and as he ran down the line he turned and screamed at the home plate ump.  Childish? Probably.  Funny as hell? Oh yeah.

As I think about it Pedroia has a Larry Bird quality to him.  Obviously not the superstar Bird was but like Bird people got so hung up on what he couldn’t do that they neglected what he could do.  Eventually he won everyone over.  Sox fans loved him, fans of other teams hated him but as Keith Primeau said in a playoff series against the Bruins “they don’t boo you if you aren’t any good.”

I love Dustin Pedroia.  He’ll always be on the Jose short list in a way few players are and I make no apologies for that.  He was a great player and he played with a visible passion.  He announced his retirement today (I assume with a fairly sizable payout) and while I suspect there will be discussions of Hall of Fame candidacy and the like I couldn’t care less about that stuff.  I loved watching him play and I will miss him but the memories he made for me and so many Sox fans will live forever.