Return of the Last Great Shortstop

There’s a game I play with my Sox fan friends whenever I go to a game at Fenway. I call it, “Everyone Guess What Kind of Kryptonite Is Buried Underneath the Dirt Between 2B and 3B”. Because even rational-thinking fans can sometimes descend into lunatic ramblings after watching yet another E light up on the board, or watching another SS whiff at the plate, or seeing yet another bumbled 4-6-3. Promising players. Average players. Sub-par players. All are helpless to withstand the Curse of the E-6 (hah! suck on that, CHB!) when donning home whites and trotting out to play shortstop at Fenway.

There have been a parade of SS guys who failed to deliver for the Sox in any kind of lasting, big way: Orlando Cabrera, Edgar Renteria, Alex Gonzalez, Julio Lugo, Alex Cora and Jed Lowrie have all paid the price. So far, Nick Green has mostly been able to (temporarily?) withstand the suck, but his hammerhead shark craftiness can only last so long. It feels like we’re all living on borrowed time until the Curse of E-6 rises up and takes him down into the mire of FAIL and/or injury.

But there used to be a time, not so very long ago, when SS was an asset to the team – not a liability to be camouflaged or triaged away. A time when the Red Sox had a shortstop who could win Rookie of the Year and make a run at an MVP title. A guy who could lead the league in BA, and lead the Holy Trinity of SS (A-Rod & Jeter being the other 2) in career OPS. And his brilliant entrance to glory at the beginning of his career was matched only by the spectacular flameout on his way out the door. Tonight marks the first time that Last Great Shortstop will play at Fenway since his unceremonious exit back in 2004.

More than any other player in recent memory (aside from Manny), Nomar Garciaparra still has the most vocal supporters and ardent haters of any former Sox player. And both groups are equally strident. Take a look at thoughts from El Presidente at Barstool, and Jere at ARSFINPT for an idea – and more importantly, take a stroll through the comments. There is no wishy-washy grey area, it seems: you either adore Nomah, or you wouldn’t give him the time of day. Who would’ve thought this dinky little kid would ever be a polarizing force among Red Sox fans?

After everything, Nomar still seems to carry affection for the Boston faithful. He told the ProJo:

When asked about whether he would get a positive reception from Fenway fans, Garciaparra said: “I would hope so. I always loved them and appreciated them. They were great to me, and I gave them everything I had there, for sure.”

And when speaking to the Globe back in April about the oddity of returning back to Fenway for the first time since hitting the road in 2004 — except now playing in road greys for another team:

“That’ll be strange,’’ Garciaparra said in April when the Sox played at Oakland. “I look forward to it, just because of the fans and to see some old friends and everything. I always loved the fans, and that city will always have a special place in my heart.’’

It’ll be an interesting reception tonight, to be sure. But what do I know, I have a lifesize Nomar Garciaparra cutout standing up in the back room of my house. Of course, he’s standing beside lifesize Brett Favre – so I may not have the most excellent taste on that point.