I am a Bostonian in New York. That's why I have a bag on my head.
It isn't easy being a Bostonian in New York in September of 2001. In the past couple of weeks, the Red Sox have fallen hard without a shred of dignity. This has not gone unnoticed across Baseball America, and New Yorkers are positively gleeful at any mention of our unraveling Sox.
A couple of hours before Pedro Martinez took the mound in the Bronx (the wisdom of Pedro pitching meaningless games with a slight tear in his rotator cuff will be debated deep into the winter and beyond - especially since he lasted just three innings last night), Sox manager Joe Kerrigan (7-14) sat in the dugout and addressed a variety of topics.
Depending on how the rest of this season shakes out, Kerrigan could go down as the Red Sox answer to Joseph Hazelwood - captain of the Exxon Valdez. In his first 31/2 weeks on the job, Kerrigan's presided over more calamities than Jimy Williams encountered in 41/2 years.
''I'm a big boy, I can handle it,'' Kerrigan said. ''It was like this for Buddy Ryan at the end in Philadelphia. And Jim Fregosi took some vicious shots with the Phillies.''
He knows that image took a beating last Sunday night when the Red Sox elected to fire their pitching coach moments after losing a 1-0 nationally televised game to the Yankees. Oddly enough, in firing John Cumberland the Sox cited the coach's drinking - a quality that used to help get you hired as manager of the Boston ball club.
Remember when Eliot Richardson resigned as attorney general, rather than follow President Nixon's orders to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox? That's what the Cumberland firing looks like to Red Sox Nation. It speaks to a paranoid administration gone out of control. Constituents react to that sort of thing.
''I made that call,'' said Kerrigan. ''I had called [general manager] Dan [Duquette] before we got back to play the Yankees. I was the one pushing for it. Maybe it was bad timing. Maybe we could have done it Monday morning.''
Kerrigan also said Nomar Garciaparra came into his office to explain his Sunday night clubhouse eruption (Garciaparra was heard yelling, ''That's why nobody wants to [expletive] come play here'' after he learned of Cumberland's dismissal).
''Nomar didn't apologize, but he explained how it happened. It wasn't meant to be reported. He didn't say it to any reporter. It was something he overheard and it could have been about anything.''
Sure, Joe. Nomar no doubt was complaining about the coffee in the clubhouse.
Kerrigan still insists he doesn't read the Boston papers. This is almost impossible to believe, given the manager is a certified sports junkie.
''I swear that on the heads of my children,'' he said. ''I check out USA Today and my wife makes breakfast and I'm out the door by 11:30. And I don't listen to sports radio. I have Mike Barnicle on the radio on my seven-minute drive to work [disclosure, when I'm not wearing a bag on my head, I sometimes work with Barnicle]. But I don't read the Boston papers. If I did that, I might just get mad at some guy and give him a dirty look when he comes into my office and I don't want to do that.''
What about the relative happiness of his stars, Pedro, Nomar, and Manny Ramirez - who was booed with gusto during the train-wreck homestand?
''What's not to be happy about? They're making a truckload worth of money, playing in a great baseball town in front of sellouts every night. And I'll tell you, those fans who boo Manny, if they were around for one day and saw him coming in at 10-11 in the morning every day like he does, they'd feel bad about themselves.''
He said he'll go to dinner with his wife after today's game, then get back to the room to watch Notre Dame-Nebraska.
''It doesn't get any better than that,'' he said. ''Football, US Open, Red Sox-Yankees. If you are a sports fan in New York this weekend, this is as good as it gets.''
But if you are manager of the Red Sox, it can't get much worse.
''I know what's ahead of me,'' said Kerrigan. ''I know we haven't played very good. That's my fault. And I also have the responsibility to improve the atmosphere here. I'm going to try to change the public image of this team. There are some ideas I will put in place for next year. I want to bring back some guys from the old days - Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, Carlton Fisk, Dwight Evans, Luis Tiant, Jim Lonborg. I'd like to get them in spring training. I want our players to understand the tradition of the Red Sox. They should know that this is one of the best franchises in all of sport.''
It has not been a proud time for the Red Sox franchise. Kerrigan has some admirable ideas, but who knows if he'll be around next year to carry out his grand plans.
Sorry, Joe. It's true. You might not even be here when new ownership is in place. I'm just glad you won't be reading these words and get mad at me.
By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Staff, 9/8/2001
This story ran on page 6 of the Boston Globe on 9/8/2001
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company