SOX SHOCKER: GARCIAPARRA GONE!

"They can take the shirt off my back, but they can't take away the memories I got. ... What it's meant to me, they all know that every single day I went out there and I was proud to put that uniform on and what it represented." -- Nomar Garciaparra, July 31, 2004

retrospective

Nomar through the years
Photo Gallery Nomar through the years
Nomar Garciaparra will go down as one of the best Red Sox players of all time; take a look back at his stellar Sox career. (AP Photo)

the aftermath

Force play

According to John Henry, six days before Nomar was dealt, his agent told Theo Epstein he had to talk the shortstop out of demanding a trade.

Injury question raised

From the beginning, Nomar Garciaparra attributed the tendinitis in his Achilles' to a ball striking him in BP before a spring training game. As it turns out, the episode may not have happened.

analysis

In the end, the deal made sense

Trading Nomar is a deal that makes eminent sense, given management's absence of conviction that Garciaparra would play down the stretch, and their belief that Garciaparra wasn't coming back next year.
PHOTOS: Photo Gallery Nomargate    Photo Gallery  Your pics of Nomar    Nomar Bowl 2004
FORUMS: Trade reaction   The new lineup   Favorite Nomar moments
VIDEO: Exclusive interview with Nomar    Theo's press conference    Reaction
Bob Ryan
Who was hustling in all this?
The couldas, shouldas, wouldas, and what-ifs no longer matter.
 Yankees take trade in stride
Bob Ryan
Dan Shaughnessy
No room for neutrality
New England fans are lining up on opposite sides of a thin red line.
 It was time for him to go
Dan Shaughnessy
    • Gordon Edes chat transcript: The lowdown on Nomar
      The Boston Globe's Gordon Edes talks with Boston.com users about the controversy that ensued after Nomar Garciaparra was dealt to Chicago. (8/4/04)
    • Tales from two cities
      On the first day he wore Cubbie blue with an alien "8" on his back, Nomar Garciaparra momentarily set aside his elation over his fresh start and let some bitterness toward his former employers seep through. (Boston Globe, 8/2/04)
    • The Nation has mixed reactions
      No more Nomar. That was the cry -- uttered with a few missing Rs and a tinge of sadness -- as news the Red Sox had dealt Garciaparra, the star shortstop, to the Chicago Cubs coursed through the bars and streets of Boston yesterday. (Boston Globe, 8/1/04)
    • Move one to make a big deal about
      Nomar was one of the greatest players to put on a Sox uniform, a toe-tapping, glove-tugging manifestation of all the qualities we hold so dearly in the ballplayers who steal our hearts. (Boston Globe, 8/1/04)
    • Sox trade Nomar to Cubs
      He was the face of the Sox, a star in the mold of Ted Williams whose achievements will endure in the memories of generations of fans. (Boston Globe, 8/1/04)
    • Young fans take trade hard
      Braeden Zanni ran to his bedroom and cried late Saturday afternoon after he heard the Red Sox had traded his favorite ballplayer. (Boston Globe, 8/2/04)
    • Boston Dirt Dogs: Schilling chimes in on Nomar madness
      Sox pitcher Curt Schilling talks to the Boston Dirt Dogs about Nomar Garciaparra's departure. (8/3/04)
    • The good, the bad, and the ugly
      After witnessing the Boston Red Sox franchise’s first win after the Nomar era, which began Aug. 31, 1996, I came to the realization that one benefit of this whole mess is that we’ll be limited to the amount we hear Tim McCarver bungle Garsh-a-parra’s name. (8/3/04)
    • A case of separation anxiety
      Maybe it's time to bring in Judge Judy to decide which party, if either, is being forthcoming in the divorce case of the Red Sox vs. Nomar Garciaparra. (Boston Globe, 8/3/04)
    • Loss of a shortshop
      The erosion in the relationship between Red Sox management and star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra culminated Saturday in the trade of one of Boston's most popular baseball players since Ted Williams. (Boston Globe, 8/2/04)
    • Boston Dirt Dogs: Theo Epstein radio interview
      Theo Epstein got on the horn with Boston radio station WEEI 850-AM to explain the reasons behind trading Nomar Garciaparra. (8/2/04)
    • Boston Dirt Dogs: You want answers?
      For those of you who weep at Nomar's departure, we have an exchange that would make even Jack Nicholson red in the face. (8/2/04)
    • Hamm says trade is ‘for the best’
      Mia Hamm did not have much to say about husband Nomar Garciaparra changing uniforms after Hamm led the United States soccer team past China, 3-1, in its final tuneup before heading to Athens for the Olympic Games. (Boston Globe, 8/2/04)
    • Breaking up is quick to do for Nomar, mates
      It happened so fast there wasn't time for long goodbyes. The media were cleared from the locker room at 3:41 p.m. Central time, which is when Nomar Garciaparra went to Terry Francona's office and learned, in a telephone call with general manager Theo Epstein, that he had been dealt to the Chicago Cubs. (Boston Globe, 8/1/04)
    • Glove at first sight: Newcomers can field
      The Sox sent Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs and received two former Gold Glovers, shortstop Orlando Cabrera from the Expos and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz from the Twins. (Boston Globe, 8/1/04)
    • Spotlight shines on Brady
      After the Red Sox underwent an extreme makeover Saturday by trading Nomar Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs, Tom Brady may have unwittingly inherited the mantle of being the face of Boston sports. (Boston Globe, 8/2/04)
    • Meet the new members of the Red Sox
      The Red Sox were very busy Saturday afternoon, and it may take Sox fans to get used to the new acquisitions. Here's a quick introduction, plus some career numbers for Nomar Garciaparra while with the Red Sox. (7/31/04)
    • Being Nomar
      The famously tightlipped shortstop opens up on everything from the angst of his off-season to his relationships with his family, his bosses, and his fans. Oh, yeah, he talks about that little contract squabble, too. (Boston Globe, 5/16/04)
what they're saying
"He can say whatever he wants in front of the camera and he can flash that insincere smile, but make no mistake: He hates Boston and he hates the Red Sox and you should be glad that he's gone. If you are a Red Sox fan, he is not your friend."
-- Dan Shaughnessy

"This is something I had no control over. Boston was the place I bought a home in, thinking I'm going to be setting up shop here and spend the rest of my career here. I didn't trade me."
-- Nomar Garciaparra

"It was with mixed emotions that we let Nomar go. He's been one of the greatest Red Sox of all time."
-- Sox GM Theo Epstein

"We just traded away Mr. Boston, a guy that meant so much to the city, and just like that, he's gone."
-- Johnny Damon

"There was a lot of uncertainty. It's not [Garciaparra's] fault. He came back from an injury that was probably more serious than people knew. His availability was definitely in question a lot, probably a lot more than we let on. And it was probably going to continue that way. It was a tough situation for Nomar, too. He was carrying a lot of weight."
-- Sox manager Terry Francona

"Theo Epstein believed the chemistry and atmpsphere was clearly impacted by Nomar Garciaparra's anger, and when he went to the trainers and opened the door out of Fenway Park, the Red Sox GM pulled it wide open and handed him a plane ticket to Chicago."
--ESPN's Peter Gammons