Thursday, August 04, 2011
Brimful Of Asses
Erik Bedard makes his first Red Sox start tonight against chum Justin Masterson.
Right after the Sox got Bedard, NESN put up his picture, with a Red Sox hat on, and his stats below. Under his face they put "Erik Bedard, Pitcher #45." This was before and then during Monday night's game broadcast. My first reaction was, THEY CAN'T GIVE OUT PEDRO'S NUMBER! After a minute, I calmed back down to lowercase thoughts and realized that NESN must have just effed up. I checked the 40-man roster on redsox.com, and while Bedard was listed, he had no uniform number assigned. Then I checked his Wikipedia page and someone had given him #23. I searched news articles but found no more info on his uniform number. The next night, NESN showed that same graphic, still showing him as #45! By that point redsox.com had him listed as #23, and I knew for sure Pedro's number was safe.
So what I want to know is, as usual, who's in charge over at NESN? Okay, new player comes over, has no number yet, but wore #45 on his old club. If it was some random number, I would have been fine with them just saying, Eh, just use his old number for now. But this is 45! You're telling me no one at NESN, which is partly owned by the Red Sox, realized that he couldn't possibly be #45? People in charge of the network that shows Red Sox games don't hear "forty-five" and immediately think "Pedro," whose number has never been given out to anyone since he left the team and is just waiting to go up to the right field roof facade? And that after that horrible error is made, nobody else who works there notices, and 24 hours later they do it again? I guess that's what you're telling me. Jeez I wonder what they'd do if we acquire a guy who used to wear number 9.
I mean, even Memo Paris, when told that new acquisition Roy Hobbs was a right fielder, immediately recognized it as Bump Bailey's position. That's the kind of reaction we need from people over at NESN:
"What's up, Sebastian?"
"Eh, just makin' graphics, Rogelio, we got new players."
"Oh yeah, Bedard. We got a head shot?"
"Yup, I'm just typing in the stats, and, uh...hey, what's his number?"
"Doesn't have one yet, guess we'll just use his old one for now--provided it's not a number the Red Sox couldn't possibly give him."
"Okay, I'll check...45!"
"45?!!"
"Well, looks like we'll have to immediately come up with an alternative idea of how to go forward here. I shall contact the boss of the entire network before doing anything else, and ye and I shall make certain that whatever it is that we do, we shall not show a picture of this man wearing a Red Sox hat and being credited as the bearer of the sacred uniform number forty-five."
Cleve/Sox 7:10.
Right after the Sox got Bedard, NESN put up his picture, with a Red Sox hat on, and his stats below. Under his face they put "Erik Bedard, Pitcher #45." This was before and then during Monday night's game broadcast. My first reaction was, THEY CAN'T GIVE OUT PEDRO'S NUMBER! After a minute, I calmed back down to lowercase thoughts and realized that NESN must have just effed up. I checked the 40-man roster on redsox.com, and while Bedard was listed, he had no uniform number assigned. Then I checked his Wikipedia page and someone had given him #23. I searched news articles but found no more info on his uniform number. The next night, NESN showed that same graphic, still showing him as #45! By that point redsox.com had him listed as #23, and I knew for sure Pedro's number was safe.
So what I want to know is, as usual, who's in charge over at NESN? Okay, new player comes over, has no number yet, but wore #45 on his old club. If it was some random number, I would have been fine with them just saying, Eh, just use his old number for now. But this is 45! You're telling me no one at NESN, which is partly owned by the Red Sox, realized that he couldn't possibly be #45? People in charge of the network that shows Red Sox games don't hear "forty-five" and immediately think "Pedro," whose number has never been given out to anyone since he left the team and is just waiting to go up to the right field roof facade? And that after that horrible error is made, nobody else who works there notices, and 24 hours later they do it again? I guess that's what you're telling me. Jeez I wonder what they'd do if we acquire a guy who used to wear number 9.
I mean, even Memo Paris, when told that new acquisition Roy Hobbs was a right fielder, immediately recognized it as Bump Bailey's position. That's the kind of reaction we need from people over at NESN:
"What's up, Sebastian?"
"Eh, just makin' graphics, Rogelio, we got new players."
"Oh yeah, Bedard. We got a head shot?"
"Yup, I'm just typing in the stats, and, uh...hey, what's his number?"
"Doesn't have one yet, guess we'll just use his old one for now--provided it's not a number the Red Sox couldn't possibly give him."
"Okay, I'll check...45!"
"45?!!"
"Well, looks like we'll have to immediately come up with an alternative idea of how to go forward here. I shall contact the boss of the entire network before doing anything else, and ye and I shall make certain that whatever it is that we do, we shall not show a picture of this man wearing a Red Sox hat and being credited as the bearer of the sacred uniform number forty-five."
Cleve/Sox 7:10.
Comments:
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I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb thinking that you were the only one outraged by this. I also find it ironic that, instead of giving Bedard Pedro's #, they give him the number of one of the Sox' other top five all time pitchers, El Tiante. Of course, they've only given that one out about 20 times over the past thirty years, mostly to complete mediocrities. And they had no qualms giving out #24 multiple times Post-Dewey.
The only one that outrages me is that they still haven't given out #21 over the past 15 years.
The only one that outrages me is that they still haven't given out #21 over the past 15 years.
Would you or any Sox fan you know have assumed Bedard would be given 45?
Also, I thought of Tiant right away tonight when Bedard was turning his back to the plate. I was at the game so I don't know if Don/Rem made the comparison.
Also, I thought of Tiant right away tonight when Bedard was turning his back to the plate. I was at the game so I don't know if Don/Rem made the comparison.
Nope, although it wouldn't shock me. As far as I can tell, they've only given the 'not formally retired yet, but out of circulation' treatment to Ted, Yaz, Rice, and Clemens, and in the case of Ted and Yaz it was only because they didn't start actually retiring numbers until 1984. As I've noted, they've had no qualms recycling 23, 24, and even Fisk's 27 was given out nine times before they finally retired it.
I wouldn't automatically assume they're gonna retire 45 either. I think they should, even though I hate it in general when franchises retire too many numbers, but if they still to their silly 'criteria' they won't. They waived most of the criteria for Pesky, but only because he's a special situation having spent about 90% of the Post WWII era somehow involved with the organization.
Again, the only part of this that pisses me off is the refusal to recycle the Texas Con Man's #21. I kinda understood it four or five years ago when the current owners were trying to make nice with Clemens (and there was the rumor that they were trying to re-sign him) even if I really didn't agree with it. But now that he's been thoroughly disgraced, appears unlikely to get elected to Cooperstown, and may still serve some prison time, there's no reason that number shouldn't be handed out on the first day of spring training to some rookie trying to make the team.
I wouldn't automatically assume they're gonna retire 45 either. I think they should, even though I hate it in general when franchises retire too many numbers, but if they still to their silly 'criteria' they won't. They waived most of the criteria for Pesky, but only because he's a special situation having spent about 90% of the Post WWII era somehow involved with the organization.
Again, the only part of this that pisses me off is the refusal to recycle the Texas Con Man's #21. I kinda understood it four or five years ago when the current owners were trying to make nice with Clemens (and there was the rumor that they were trying to re-sign him) even if I really didn't agree with it. But now that he's been thoroughly disgraced, appears unlikely to get elected to Cooperstown, and may still serve some prison time, there's no reason that number shouldn't be handed out on the first day of spring training to some rookie trying to make the team.
Things I hope an absolute no-name will do: break DiMaggio's streak, and be assigned 21 for the Red Sox. (But in either case I'll be happy if anyone does it.)
First thing I did when I heard we were getting him was look him up on b-ref. I noticed the 45 right away and thought, "Well then I wonder what he'll wear with the Red Sox."
And yes, I too want every pathetic scrub to wear #21.
And yes, I too want every pathetic scrub to wear #21.
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