Respecting the Enemy: Boston Red Sox

Too often in sport and in life we are negative. Too often we are hateful and too often we focus on bad stories. When I started this site, I wanted to point out the good guys in sport. However, I too sometimes fall into the captivity of negativity. I have posted my fair of negative stories as well. Here in America though, we are better than that. We do not need to physically fight for our team in sports. It is not necessary to hurt others to get our point across. While disagreeing with somebody, we can be civil and we can show respect. Therefore, I decided to do a little project.

This project was to point out likable things about the sports teams that I cannot stand. I decided to pick the three professional sports teams that I disliked the most and point out three brilliant people in their organization. Three people that I would love to have in my organization. Three people that I respect. I will say why I do not like that organization, but also point to brilliant people in that organization. This will be done for the Seattle Seahawks, the New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox.

First, we did the Seattle Seahawks. Then, we did the New York Yankees.
Today we discuss the Boston Red Sox and their bandwagon nation.

The Red Sox must have really done something to pass the Yankees on my disliked teams list. This fanbase is so incredibly annoying to me. I will admit that I actually at one time felt bad for the Red Sox and their "curse." There was a time that I thought if the Red Sox win one, maybe they will stop being such miserable sad people. Then they won....

After the win in the 2004 World Series the Red Sox Nation has been out of control. Everybody is all of a sudden a Red Sox fan. People that never knew one person on the Red Sox are all of a sudden diehard fans that were long suffering. Red Sox Nation is the biggest bandwagon of all-time it is unbearable.

Not just that, many of their fans are just rude. They try to take over stadiums and boo fans of the home team. I was at a Red Sox-Rays game in Tampa in High School and they shouted at kids and would not stop with the "Let's Go Red Sox" and said this is Red Sox Country. They call Camden Yards "Fenway South" and are just rude to fans there as well. At an Orioles-Red Sox game I was once kicked by an elderly woman for cheering on my team striking out David Ortiz in the 9th inning to win the game. Can you imagine a fan from any other fanbase in America do that? I can not.

Speaking of David Ortiz, he is the least likable athlete in sport for me. Ortiz took steroids. He was on the 2003 list, was implicated elsewhere, and was player X in the Mitchell Report. How Ortiz gets a pass absolutely blows my mind and drives me crazy. This guy is not a good example and he is the face of the Red Sox franchise. It really makes the team difficult to like for me.

However, even though I dispise the Red Sox, it is not all bad. There are a few likable people in the organization.
Here are some people I currently like for the Boston Red Sox.

Koji Uehara

The Baltimore Orioles are the team that brought Koji Uehara over to the United States. Koji was a great Oriole too and he contributed to the team. Most Orioles fans loved Koji. None of us can forget either that the Koji trade to the Texas Rangers is what brought us Chris Davis. Without Koji, we don't get Chris Davis and his 53 homer season. In addition to Chris Davis, we were able to get Tommy Hunter in that trade.

After the trade to Texas, Koji clearly wanted to be an Oriole still. He wanted to come back. This guy asked to come back when he was a free agent. The Orioles were not willing to pay what Boston was willing to pay for Koji. That cannot be held against Koji. Uehara wanted to be an Oriole, loved his time in Baltimore, and got us Chris Davis. Nothing but love from the Birdland faithful for Koji despite which team he ends up on.

Stephen Drew

There is one other automatic forgivable for being on a team I do not like. One being Koji's situation and this one being the former Nole connection. Stephen Drew is one of the best baseball players in Florida State history. The only baseball player I have seen play for FSU that was better as a Seminole than Stephen Drew was Buster Posey. Stephen Drew was absolutely incredible for the Noles and did nothing but produce. The guy was simply fantastic for Florida State.

Because of his production for Florida State and the fact that he is a Seminole, I vowed to always support Stephen Drew. Therefore, even though he is a Boston Red Sox I still love me some Stephen Drew. Not as much as when he was with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but I am still a fan of Stephen Drew.

Brock Holt

This last one is not to the same extent as the first two. However, I must admit it. I really like the way Brock Holt plays baseball. I hate that he is a Red Sox, but I like Brock Holt. The guy plays with so much energy and intensity and really brings something to the lineup. This is a guy I would like to end up in Birdland in a few years. I hope he keeps playing this way in years to come.

-Noland

Respecting the Enemy: New York Yankees

Too often in sport and in life we are negative. Too often we are hateful and too often we focus on bad stories. When I started this site, I wanted to point out the good guys in sport. However, I too sometimes fall into the captivity of negativity. I have posted my fair of negative stories as well. Here in America though, we are better than that. We do not need to physically fight for our team in sports. It is not necessary to hurt others to get our point across. While disagreeing with somebody, we can be civil and we can show respect. Therefore, I decided to do a little project.

This project was to point out likable things about the sports teams that I cannot stand. I decided to pick the three professional sports teams that I disliked the most and point out three brilliant people in their organization. Three people that I would love to have in my organization. Three people that I respect. I will say why I do not like that organization, but also point to brilliant people in that organization. This will be done for the Seattle Seahawks, the New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox.

Yesterday, I talked about the Seattle Seahawks.
Today, we will discuss the Evil Empire, the New York Yankees.

These guys are the Evil Empire. People who do not like the Yankees call them the Evil Empire because they fear one day that their team's superstar will leave to the Yankees for more money. A lot of the time, that is what happens. However, more recently the Dodgers have started to spend far more than even the Yankees eliminating that notion a little bit. They are still the most hated team in baseball. These guys used to be my most hated professional sports team. Now, they are my #2 most disliked pro team. Their main rival passed them for reasons to be discussed tomorrow.

Don't be fooled though, I still cannot stand the Yankees. I still loathe Joe Girardi. The arrogance of Girardi to turn down a MLB managing job with the Baltimore Orioles. While it worked out better for the Orioles and we got Buck and a playoff bid, I still dislike Giradi. He still turned us down. He still insulted the entire organization and our fanbase. He thought he was too good for us.

For much the same reasons, I dislike Mark Teixeira very strongly. He gave the Orioles hope that he wanted to come home and help bring the franchise back to glory. This guy kept feeding the media and O's fans nonsense. He used the Orioles to drive the price up on other teams. The one positive I will say about that is that I am very glad the Yankees overpaid.

Finally, I hate the Yankees because they have been our main rival as long as I can remember. This is the 1st sports rivalry that I got really into and understood. The rivalry cooled down when the Orioles sucked, but in the mid-90s it was awesome. Except when their fans cheated and that punk kid gave the Yankees a playoff win. The punk kid who actually affected the game. Bartman gets crap for hitting a foul ball. The kid who helped the Yankees touched a ball in fair territory and won the Yankees the game. He gave them a home run. This guy cost the Orioles a shot at the World Series. However, we haven't chased him down and made his life miserable. That just shows the difference in class between Orioles and Cubs fans, but I will drop that here.

As much as I hate the Yankees, there are a few guys in recent memory that are a joy for even me to watch. It is hard to admit, but some involved with the Yankees have been pure class.

Here are the guys I have liked in pinstripes in recent memory.

Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter is the golden boy in baseball. He is still the face of the game. This guy is everything that is right and pure with baseball. Sure his game isn't the same, sure he isn't as good. That's how it should be though. We shouldn't have people getting better at the back end of their careers. It is one of the many reasons that Jeter is that one guy we can all be confident in not being a user. When I hear comments like they are all using, I say not Jeter. Out of all current players, he is the guy I am most confident never took a performance enhancing drug and that says something about Jeter.

This guy should be a guy I hate as an Orioles fan, but I just can't do it. Eventhough, he hit the homer in question, I cannot dislike Jeter. He is too classy, he is too good of a guy, he represented Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, and most importantly he is clean. Jeter was excellent and he did it the right way.

Mariano Rivera

The greatest closer of all-time is Mariano Rivera. Heck, the greatest relief pitcher of all-time is Mariano Rivera. It is a fact and nobody disputes it. Nobody disputes that this guy is/was pure class either. That says a lot that nobody disputes this guy being nothing but class. What a testament to Mariano's character that everyone says he is a class act.

One of the coolest things about Mariano and another testament to his character is that he is the last baseball player to wear #42 full-time. If it was anybody else, I don't think MLB says its okay for them to wear Jackie's number full-time anymore. However, with Mariano it is okay and it was a great tribute to Mr. Robinson. This guy is a baseball legend and clearly deserves the respect of every baseball fan.

Buck Showalter

Finally, I always loved Buck Showalter. Even back when he was the manager of the New York Yankees. He was on the greatest sit-com of all-time playing himself as Yankees manager on Seinfeld. He was hilarious then and is still one of the funniest guys in baseball. How many managers can say they were on Seinfeld anyway?

Showalter didn't stop when he left New York. The guy managed brilliantly for the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks before joining ESPN's baseball coverage. In my opinion, he was the best guy on that coverage team and gave great analysis at all times. Then he became our manager and I was thrilled.

Buck is beloved by all Orioles fans. After so many losing seasons, Buck gave us hope. Then he sent our beloved Orioles into the postseason and helped turned them into a team that can compete year in and year out. With Buck at the helm, the Orioles will eventually get that World Series win that I have not seen in my lifetime. He started with the Yankees, but he eventually joined the good guys.

-Noland

Respecting the Enemy: Seattle Seahawks

Too often in sport and in life we are negative. Too often we are hateful and too often we focus on bad stories. When I started this site, I wanted to point out the good guys in sport. However, I too sometimes fall into the captivity of negativity. I have posted my fair of negative stories as well. Here in America though, we are better than that. We do not need to physically fight for our team in sports. It is not necessary to hurt others to get our point across. While disagreeing with somebody, we can be civil and we can show respect. Therefore, I decided to do a little project.

This project was to point out likable things about the sports teams that I cannot stand. I decided to pick the three professional sports teams that I disliked the most and point out three brilliant people in their organization. Three people that I would love to have in my organization. Three people that I respect. I will say why I do not like that organization, but also point to brilliant people in that organization. This will be done for the Seattle Seahawks, the New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox.

Today, I start this project with the Seattle Seahawks. This is a team that I really liked at one point in time. They were in my top 5 NFL franchises. However, I do not like how they have been doing business lately.

I have never been a Pete Carroll fan and him ducking out of USC right before trouble struck is a reason why I cannot stand him. They are a well run organization personnel wise, but I just don't like Pete Carroll. I realize he is one of the best coaches around, but I don't agree with how he does things.

In addition to all of that, the Seehawks have had quite a few drug related suspensions or failed tests. Since 2010 the Seattle Seahawks have a league leading 5 PED suspensions. Those suspensions do not include the overturned suspension of one Richard Sherman. The cornerback tested positive in 2012, but had his test overturned on the same technicality that Ryan Braun got an overturned test...

Finally, I flat out do not like Richard Sherman. I do not like his antics on the field, his mouth, or his play. Sherman holds or interferes on 75% of his plays. Watch the tape. The dude straight up cheats, but if they let you get away with it, I guess it is okay.

Here is who I like on the Seattle Seahawks. (Note: I was able to use only current players and did not have to bust out FSU Legend Walter Jones.)

Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson is one of the most likable people in all of sports. This constant underdog just has a way of surpassing expectations. Ever since his time at NC State, Russell Wilson was the underdog and not expected to succeed to the level he did. There once was a time that Wilson was the backup to Harrison Beck at NC State. However, even during that Freshman season at NC State, I knew that Wilson was going to very special. There is just something about this guy.

Now look at this guy. The Super Bowl Champ. The 2nd black quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl as a starter. This guy continues to be underrated. Think about it, Russell Wilson was once considered a better baseball player than football player (sorry fellow FSU fans, Russell is better than Jameis at baseball). He was drafted as a baseball player by the Rockies and currently is in the Texas Rangers system. Wilson is a top 100 athlete currently and possibly during my lifetime when you consider what he has done and his ability to play multiple sports. Great athlete and great person.

Earl Thomas

Earl Thomas is the best player on the Seattle Seahawks. He is the best safety in the game right now. Thomas is the reason many people consider Richard Sherman to be the best cornerback in the game. Sherman is the mouth, but Thomas is the anchor of Seattle's defense. This guy is the one that is important. He is the one that leads by example and not by his mouth.

Ever since his days at Texas, it was easy to see that Earl Thomas was a fantastic football player. This guy just has it. Everything you want in a safety is Earl Thomas. He made plays in college and now he does it in the pros. If Thomas wasn't on the Seahawks, he would be one of my five favorite players in the NFL. I love this guy's game. Unfortunately, he is on the Seahawks, but he can sure play.

Kam Chancellor

Kam Chancellor is the guy who brings the BOOM in the legion of boom. He is the guy that really hits you. This guy is one of the hardest hitters in the league. However, I don't consider Chancellor a dirty player. I just consider Chancellor an awesome player. With his corners talking a big game, Chancellor and Thomas play a big game. It is much easier to play corner when you have the top safety duo in the league. You can't even try to dispute that the Seahawks had the best safety play either, Chancellor and Thomas were fantastic.
Chancellor is also an ACC guy, so he gets bonus points for me. Ever since his days at Virginia Tech, Chancellor has been bringing it. Ask Wes Welker what he thinks of Kam Chancellor. This guy can play some football!

-Noland