letting bygones be bygones

recipient of the 2008 Julian Tavarez Second Chance Award*

(photo from the Boston Herald)
take note: NOT Julio Freaking Lugo (as *some* of you predicted). =P

so JD. you made me grind my teeth with frustration & groan with agony for the better part of last year. you wore my Trotter's number on your back. you made me question every dollar of that ginormous contract that you received (when it should be noted that we could have had our original Dirt Doggin' right fielder for a hot dog & a beer). you really made it difficult for me to like your presence in Boston at all.

and then you finally figured out what you were doing during Game Six of the ALCS. when it was do-or-die time. and you managed to hack out a grand slam at the most opportune time.

for that, you are given a free pass for that disappointing first year. we're going to pretend that anything that came before that slam never even happened. here's to 2008. welcome to Boston, JD.

*in 2006, i used the name Julian Tavarez like a curse. every time i saw him warming in the pen, i would mumble incoherently & show signs of a nervous tic. and then late in the painfully long '06 season, Julian pitched a complete game and showed up to camp in 2007 with a fresh new attitude. at which point i realized that he had turned a corner with me. much to my astonishment, i no longer raged at his presence on my team, but rather embraced him as something of a new cult hero. thus was born the Julian Tavarez Second Chance Award, handed out to a player i never thought i could like but who somehow managed to win me over despite my disgust. note: Julio Lugo is not eligible for this award.