It was nearly three weeks ago that the New England Sports Nation was on an ultimate high that only championships can generate.
Little did the diehard fans know, a foreshadow of their dismay was happening right in front of their eyes during one of the finest games in Boston sports history.
It was Super Bowl XXXVIII, a matchup of the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers. We know the end result – no explanation is needed.
But it was in the middle of the game when an image propelled on the television screen, showing two men standing together and joking that is leaving a lasting impression this week. In retrospect, the image was the root of what might haunt fans from Beantown for the next seven years.
Taking full advantage of the country’s disinterest in the NBA and NHL, Major League Baseball released a commercial during the Super Bowl in which Florida Marlins pitcher Josh Beckett, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and, at the time Texas Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez are playing a little game of whiffle-ball in a house you would only see on MTV Cribs.
The setting for the ad spot was in the present tense, with the superstars watching the Super Bowl, talking about their favorite commercials and displaying their anxiousness to start the 2004 baseball season. The commercial was set to excite the sports fans across the country that Opening Day is not that far away.
At the time the commercial aired, we weren’t sure what team the game’s best player, A-Rod, would be playing for on Opening Day. Was it going to be Texas or Boston? Was the potential deal that dominated sports pages across the nation in December going to be reached?
The big stars in the commercial, Jeter and Rodriguez, probably had a good idea which team the AL MVP was going to be on. They just did a good job of hiding it from the public.
Three weeks from the day that the Patriots won the Super Bowl and the initial airing of the commercial, a deal was made. A-Rod is moving. Was Boston resurrected into sports fan euphoria twice in one month?
Not exactly. Not at all.
Monday’s trade between the nemesis New York Yankees and Texas Rangers proved to be quite the opposite. Not only is Rodriguez now a Yankee after weeks were spent trying to get him to call Fenway his home, but he will be playing alongside Jeter (just like in the commercial) rather than replacing the starting shortstop – the idea that was proposed in Boston with Nomar Garciaparra.
In the commercial, it may have been contrived that Rodriguez was excited for Opening Day, considering he was named captain of the one of the worst teams in the majors weeks before. But maybe he was. Who knows, they might have been deciding what ground they were going cover on the left side of the infield at the Stadium in January when they were filming the advertisment.
In reality – similar to the commercial – A-Rod and Jeter are anxious to get to Opening Day, which was evident in Tuesday’s press conference.
But for Red Sox fans, there is no need to worry about why or how this all manifested. It was meant to happen.
Opening Day for Red Sox fans this year will be in a whole new ballpark, compared with that of any season in recent history. The Sox were so close last year to the World Series, and the additions during the off-season like right-handed pitcher Curt Shilling give Boston an even greater chance to “reverse the curse” in 2004.
The A-Rod trade may seem bad for baseball from a financial point of view, but no sporting event next year will compare to the 19-plus games these two teams will play. It will be rivalry at its finest.
Bitterness, hatred, history and the unbelievable abundance of talent these two teams now have will make this season of Yankees-Red Sox matchups the best ever.
When watching the games this summer, clicking to the next channel is highly unadvised. Even missing the commercials is not recommended – you never know what you might miss.
Glen Straub is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].