Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Bob Lobel: Renaming the Charles River for Big Papi


By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

It's almost unfathomable. The major oversights in the House of David (formerly Fenway Park) this weekend were staggering, considering all that took place.  They didn’t want to, but they did play a part in sacrificing what should be an inconsequential home field advantage against the Cleveland Indians, and their certain to be “manager of the year,” Terry Francona (who, by the way, never won that award with Boston). 

Clearly, the focus wasn’t on sealing the deal on the field during baseball time.

David, thank you!  But, let me apologize for two things that were probably so obvious, they were apparently never in view: One has already been mentioned. Renaming the park “The House of David” was so obvious it must have not been considered, because someone took ownership of it a long time ago. 

The other is simply the naming of a bridge that will be gone in 10 years for greater glories of housing construction. The lasting and permanent tribute should have been renaming the Charles River. It’s a little awkward calling it the David River, or the Papi Pond, or the flowing Ortiz, but we could get used to it. 

Even that great song by the Standells could be easily redone to say, “love that David water. What's so wrong with that?" Look, big shots, if your going to do something this momentus, do it right! 

Like, it was all right there in front of you.  Ok, it was a little overdone. 

What if the weekend would have actually meant something baseball wise? If they had not clinched, would things have been scaled back? Imagine the outcry if they needed to win two of the three games to get in and the David Days went on as they did… Can't even begin to think about that. 

Priorities prevailed. Be thankful.

Even fans who bought tickets to see their team play meaningful games bought the bait and switch of going from the present to the past. Would you possibly agree that the magnificent year of Papi was not as much of an MVP year as two of his teammates? Those two, of course, being Betts and Pedroia. 

That point is always a subjective thing, but even going back to 2004, without a Millar, Miller and Dave Roberts there would be no red banner on the back of the home plate façade. Well, again, we now move onto more and bigger. The series that we all are hoping for is possible. Very possible.

It would replace 1975 as the greatest series ever played- The Sox vs the Cubs, and the canonization of Theo. 

So there, watch and learn fans of all ages.

The Cubs are wishing for something they shouldn’t. Things will change forever if they win. Forever.  

The lasting testament to that will be when they rename the Chicago River  to  simply, “The Theo.”  We had our chance. We were just too busy finding important people to be there that no one thought of it. 

The only chance of redemption is to win the World Series for David, so Theo won't get his river of love.

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