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| Nomar—Game 5 '03 ALCS (FenwayNation Photo) |
For those of us who saw the wiry young 22-year old play his first games at Fenway, it's hard to believe that
Nomar Garciaparra is turning 40 years old today. For all the ups and downs he experienced here in Boston, he was a force to be reckoned with during his nine years in the Hub. In each of those years that he played more than 24 games (he failed to reach that threshold only twice—in his rookie year of 1996 and in 2001), he batted over .300 for the Carmine Hose. In his best years, he hit at a ridiculous level (
.357 in 1999 and .372 in 2000)—winning batting titles both years. He
averaged .323 in his time here—with an OPS of .923. He
was the franchise in the late nineties and we thrilled to his wizardry at shortstop. He was
our guy, developed in
our system, starring for
our team. For all the issues that arose at the end of his tenure, no one questioned his passion for the game or his love of the Red Sox. Players of his talent level don't come along too often. We should look back and enjoy what we had. Happy 40th, Nomar!
