It was so odd and so right, all at the same time. It was one of those strange, almost irreconcilable pictures that makes you shake your head and laugh at the various ways life likes to mess with minds.
Nomar Garciaparra walking to the plate in a Cubs uniform–now what confirmed dreamer thought this one up?
In the seventh inning Sunday, Garciaparra came to bat with the Wrigley Field crowd chanting his first name because, let’s face it, “Garciaparra” doesn’t lend itself to easy chanting. He had been a Red Sox for nearly nine seasons and a Cub for all of 24 hours, and though it wasn’t surprising that fans weaned on hope and beer would greet him like an old friend, the scene was about as jarring as Pamela Anderson at an abstinence rally.
For the last month in Chicago, Garciaparra wasn’t even a twinkle in an eternal optimist’s eye. He was high on Cubs fans’ wish list and low on probability of arrival. Nobody thought he would end up in a Cubs uniform. Ronnie “Woo Woo” Wickers reportedly was so pessimistic about the possibility of a trade involving Garciaparra all he could muster was “Woe” on the topic. Yeah, it was that bad.
And now here Garciaparra was Sunday, with 39,032 strangers suddenly on a first-name basis with him. They were chanting because a 5-3 lead against the Phillies didn’t feel like nearly enough. And there he was, ripping a single to left and knocking in his first run as a Cub.
“Things like that you’ll never forget,” he said of the chanting. “I know I won’t.”
He was just happy he didn’t need to be treated for motion sickness. One moment he was in Minnesota for a Red Sox-Twins game, and the next he was trying to help Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux get his 300th victory. He called the whole day surreal, and it certainly was that.
“It’s like your first day coming up [to the majors],” he said. “I remember when I got called up. It’s a whole new team. You don’t want to step on anybody’s toes. You just want to go to your locker and make sure you don’t bother anybody. It was kind of that feeling.”
The Cubs won 6-3, and those sorts of days are the whole idea of bringing Garciaparra to Chicago. It would have been that much better had Maddux picked up his 300th win, but he left after six innings and 87 pitches, too spent to continue the fight. The Cubs went from a 3-2 deficit to a 6-3 lead in the seventh. The script should have had Maddux making history, but the script had other priorities. For the Cubs, the biggest priority is making the postseason.
Cubs general manager Jim Hendry continues to make the kind of moves that weren’t part of the organization’s personality even a few years ago. But for all Hendry has done, this one was absolutely stunning given its degree of difficulty. You’re not supposed to be able to get here from nowhere. Trade-wise, the Cubs were pretty much resigned to having a post office box in Nowheresville. And then this four-team trade presented itself like some ridiculous dream.
And here was Garciaparra walking to the plate in a Cubs uniform Sunday.
“I’m just a small part of this,” Garciaparra insisted afterward.
He has to know better than that. When he walked onto the field to stretch 20 minutes before the game, he was cheered. When the lineup was announced a few minutes later, he received a standing ovation.
Catcher Michael Barrett, No. 5 in your program, said he might be willing to give up his uniform number if it will make Garciaparra feel more comfortable. Garciaparra wore No. 5 in Boston and No. 8 Sunday. If Garciaparra were just a small part of this, Barrett wouldn’t be willing to give him the shirt off his back.
Garciaparra goes from one place that lives and breathes baseball to another place with similar symptoms. It took a newcomer, a guy who had never even set foot in Wrigley Field, to get to the essence of the ballpark.
“I’m sure Wrigley doesn’t become Wrigley until all the fans are there,” he said.
Wrigley was Wrigley on Sunday. Seats were filled. Beer cups were filled. And in some strange, vivid dream, Nomar Garciaparra was wearing a Cubs uniform.
He got high-fived and hugged by his teammates after the victory. He got cheered by his new fans.
“It stays with your heart, and you appreciate it every step of the way,” he said.
As first steps go, this one was pretty good.
