Long overdue

Nomar Garciaparra returns to Fenway on Monday for the first time since being dealt at the 2004 trade deadline, a move that eventually led to Boston's first World Series championship in 86 years

There are only so many events in which you'll always remember where you were and what you were doing upon hearing a piece of shocking news.

Being told that Nomar Garciaparra had been traded to the Chicago Cubs can certainly be put into that category.

Say what you want about the man, but when Garciaparra was in Boston, he was admired by all. There are only so many players that can steal the heart of an entire region that's known for its legendary athletes.

Sure, his name was perfect for the locals to show their true colors, or for Boston wannabees on Saturday Night Live to have an excuse to do a skit in which nobody pronounces their "R's."

But most importantly, Garciaparra's talent on the field has never been overlooked. Nomar wasn't a must-see ballplayer because people just liked to yell his name with a Boston accent. He put up big numbers year-in and year-out, in both the regular season and the postseason.

Some of those numbers included a 30-home run, 98-RBI rookie season (1997) in which his 30-game hit streak broke the American League rookie record, and led to a unanimous Rookie of the Year award. He won consecutive batting titles in 1999 and 2000 with batting averages of .357 and .372, and finished with a batting average under .300 only once while in Boston, and that was with a .289 average in just 21 games after an injury-shortened season in 2001.

Those statistics added Nomar's name to the argument of "who's the best shortstop in baseball?" Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter were the other two. All three were great, but only one is still playing shortstop.

Jeter's days at short may be coming to an end, but his presence in the game certainly isn't. He's still one of the league's most-clutch performers at the plate, and doesn't seem to be on his way out, offensively at least.

Rodriguez's career has recently been tainted with the news of a failed steroids test in 2003, but still, his accomplishments since voluntarily moving to third base in 2004 continue to make him one of the game's best overall players.

Then there's Garciaparra. No longer in the same argument as Jeter or Rodriguez, Nomar is in a class of his own, a class that seems to be defined by a moment in, of all places, Yankee Stadium.

Even Garciaparra's biggest supporters couldn't understand why he was sitting on the bench with a sour puss on his face, while Jeter was diving into the stands for a simple out. Bruised and bloodied, Jeter was lifted out of the stands by teammates. Upset and uninspired, Nomar refused to join his teammates on the top of the dugout steps at the end of a big game.

It didn't help Garciaparra's image, which had already started to take a hit in Boston under the team's new ownership. But it also didn't do justice to what Garciaparra brought to the table in his 10-and-a-half years in the Red Sox organization (seven-and-a-half with Boston).

Nomar was traded at the deadline in 2004 to the Chicago Cubs in a four-team deal that shocked the city of Boston. In return, the Red Sox received shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz.

The new-look Red Sox continued to provide excitement the rest of the year, but it always felt as if something was missing. Regardless, those Nomar-less Red Sox ended up winning the World Series, making Theo Epstein look like a genius, and Garciaparra an after-thought.

But tonight, Nomar returns to Fenway for the first time since 2004. His career hasn't gone the Jeter or A-Rod route since his departure, but for what it's worth, when he was in Boston, he was one of the best, if not the best shortstop in the league.

Moments like tonight don't come around too often. Not because of his controversial finish in Boston. Not because his trade value landed two vital pieces to the city's first World Series championship in 86 years. But because Garciaparra lived up to the hype during his time with the Red Sox. He came in highly touted, and performed like one of the best to ever put on the uniform.

Nomar Garciaparra was a legend in Boston, make no mistake about it. And tonight, he's walking back through that door. Sure, he may be grey and he may be old, and he'll never be the player he once was. But he's finally back, and it's time to say something we've yet to be able to say to one of the greatest Red Sox players of all time.

Thank you.