11/21/24
October 22, 2005
Wells Prefers West: Imagine that. Players wanting to be traded for reasons other than MO MONEY. Praise the Lord, I didn't think it was possible. Could there be trouble in River City (Charlstown River, that is)?
Thanks, LBB. It's been 20 or so years since I did the Freedom Trail thing, and got the river name confused with the town name. Wells has been traded a few times, and signed as a free agent 5 times. In this case, he is not being traded (as far as we know) and he is not a free agent. Money is not the issue - but apparently leaving Beantown wouldn't break his heart. The same seems to be true with Manny.
posted by drevl at 10:10 AM on October 22, 2005
It's not so much about beantown as it is a desire to be closer to his family in his last year,yes wells doesen't like the lack of privacy that comes with being a star in boston , neither does manny,but that being said for wells it's more about seeing his wife and kids,God bless him for wanting more time with them..
It's not so much about beantown as it is a desire to be closer to his family in his last year [See Roger Clemens]
posted by scully at 11:01 AM on October 22, 2005
Ain't it strange that when the guys reach 40 or so (and their kids are pretty much grown) family life seems so important. I often wonder why this family closeness wasn't important when they were merely 30 year old multi-millionaires.
posted by drevl at 11:34 AM on October 22, 2005
wells doesen't like the lack of privacy that comes with being a star in boston That's really strange, because he thrived on it in NY. He even brought the cameras into his home and showed off all of his Babe Ruth memorabelia.
posted by drevl at 11:40 AM on October 22, 2005
It's not so much about beantown as it is a desire to be closer to his family in his last year [See Roger Clemens] Roger's little ploy may have been about family, or friendship (Pettitte) or - perhaps - it was about money after all. Who knows for sure. What we do know is he was making $10 million per on the Yankees, and has made $23 million in his two seasons as an Astro. Money, friendship, family - maybe it was one third of each.
posted by drevl at 11:54 AM on October 22, 2005
David has always been David. He does things a little differently. That's inevitable when you are raised by a single-mother who dated Hell's Angels. If anyone deserves a respite from the east, it's Wells. I can't think of many active MLs who've spent as many years in the AL East as Wells has, if he doesn't head west, his only other option is Tampa to complete the division.
posted by the red terror at 12:27 PM on October 22, 2005
drevl... I'm presuming you haven't hit 40 yet. Perhaps I am wrong. But from my own observation of friends and acquaintances, yeah, 25-year-olds like to party and revel in the fruits of their labor. And when they pass the age of 40 and the kids are growing fast and the parent realizes how much of that growing happened while they were away, yeah, it's natural, a guy with a secure nest-egg wants to settle down and spend time with the family. And if it's not the athlete who feels compelled to settle, there are always wives to force the compulsion upon them.
posted by the red terror at 12:31 PM on October 22, 2005
This isn't really a surprise, it's been coming for a while. I think he came to boston hoping to end with a world series win and came up short. He wants one more season closer to home and probably doubts boston is in position to make it back to the world series next year. And new york is way different thatn boston for a player. Much bigger town, more stars, more privacy. The sox need to get younger anyway. They got one good season out of the guy, asking for more might be pushing their luck.
posted by justgary at 01:05 PM on October 22, 2005
I was going to post this myself. I don't see anything wrong with wanting to play closer to home, especially if the Sox are willing to move him. I'm just stunned he won 15 games -- when did that happen?
posted by wfrazerjr at 01:39 PM on October 22, 2005
red, our observations of family relations seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum. You seem to see 40 as the age families get closer together. My observations is that the middle-age-crazy age of 40 is when lots and lots of families drift apart (ie: divorce). No arguement that at around 40 a guy wants to settle down and spend some time with the family. The only question is WHO'S FAMILY, his own - or that of a 25 year old bleached blonde. Oops, sorry, I'm drifting off the sports subject.
posted by drevl at 01:54 PM on October 22, 2005
David Wells only signed with the Sox because San Diego didn't get back to his agent/wife fast enough. He never really wanted to come back East, so this is hardly a suprise. Don't see how it has anything to do with Manny or the atmosphere in Boston. Fraze, Wells picked it up in the second half, but the answer to your question is hidden deep within his run support. About 8/game as I recall.
posted by yerfatma at 02:11 PM on October 22, 2005
I'll always like Wells because he's unique. He's the type of pitcher nobody thinks they need during the off-season, but once the season gets going, many teams ask one question about him: Is he healthy? If the answer is, "Yes" then many squads want him. At his age with all his attitude and past issues he walks onto the Sox and becomes their best pitcher for much of the season. The guy can win. And I agree with the comments above about a person when they get over the age of 40. More and more money doesn't buy back having missed the majority of your life with your family.
posted by dyams at 03:27 PM on October 22, 2005
Hes never happy- he hasnt been since he screwed over the Yankees.
posted by redsoxrgay at 03:44 PM on October 22, 2005
thats funny I always thought that it was ol george that screwed him over...and over...and ah you get the point
"You seem to see 40 as the age families get closer together." No. I see 40 as an age when mature adult men start finding the idea of carousing at a bar not as comforting as simply going home, puffing a joint and flaking on the couch in front of a TV. I have many friends who have kids and have spent the better part of their lives working away from their homes, and they miss the family "experience". Many guys who couldn't give a crap about spending time with their parents when they were 25, by the time their 40th year rolls around they find it meaningful. I would have thought it was simply common sense.
posted by the red terror at 05:30 PM on October 22, 2005
We are talking about the same loud mouthed drunken idiot David Wells, right? Yeah, family MUST be important to that guy. jeez.
posted by jpageua at 06:13 PM on October 22, 2005
mature adult men I thought this thread was about David Wells!!!
posted by drevl at 06:16 PM on October 22, 2005
It was a joy to watch him pitch this season, although not really when his knee was hurting. On the days he had his control AND his curveball, he would give up zero to two runs, with the viewer looking forward to each of his pitches.
posted by Peter1210 at 09:19 AM on October 23, 2005
We're the River City now? Dammit, I always miss these announcements. I knew we should have gotten Herald home delivery.
posted by jerseygirl at 10:11 AM on October 23, 2005
The river's called the Charles, drevl -- and David Wells is a perennial malcontent.