Agree.
I don't think anything speaks stronger about the Red Sox failure to address their issues this offseason than pulling out the 2004 card on opening day.
Strongly disagree here... This was going to happen during the home opening regardless of how the offseason went.... Tim was family to pretty much everyone in BOS
Holy shit I missed that. That is Macabre. You assume they do a tribute to Tim Wakefield but to advertise it in a desperate attempt to sell tickets? Sam Kennedy is a scumbag.
Eh, it's not like they are celebrating the 17th anniversary. Teams do this stuff on the 20th year all the time.
I know people love conspiracy theories, but couldn't it be as simple as the 20th anniversary?
Of course. I could be wrong but it seems like these are usually summertime events and not when it could be like 30 degrees and snowing.
SOSH if they did this without telling anybody: "WHAT? They don't even let people know so they can make plans to be there? Sam Kennedy is a scumbag."
I imagine the players would like to be there, and you don't want to ask them all to travel twice in one year.
But why on Opening Day necessarily if they weren't worried about not selling out?
Give them the top floor at the Hotel Commonwealth for a week or something. Or the Lenox or the Mandarin.
Well they didn't do the 10 year anniversary on opening day 2014 because it was when they got their 2013 rings. In 2017 they didn't do a ten year anniversary for 2007 team opening day. They just had Tom Brady come out and throw the opening pitch. Last year they didn't do a 10 year anniversary for 2013 team. Ten year anniversaries are usually bigger than 20 year anniversaries.
When was the last time they had so many available/unsold seats for the home opener just 3 weeks before? 1994?
Justice for Cesar Crespo!
Not everyone in attendance will be a participant. Participant likely means speaker, presenter, etc... let's not overthink this.
100% this. Could they have honored the 2004 team on some other random day of the season? Sure. Does it matter that they've chosen opening day? Not one bit.
Totally. And anyone who goes to the event with the intent of booing Curt Schilling, well, that’s pretty lame too.
The type of conspiracy theory posted in this thread is something I would expect from WEEI or some idiot who calls into sports talk radio... Sad that its becoming the norm here...
I don't think it's the organization's place to not invite Schilling since he's a member of the 2004 team. If some (all?) of the players or family want to tell him to that he should stay home because of how he "outed" Wake's illness, I think that would be appropriate. In other words, I'd rather Schilling have to try to make guys like Timlin and Youk, or even the Wakefield children, out to be the bad guys if he's not welcomed at the park than to give him an easier scapegoat like the front office or ownership where he might come out looking sympathetic.
Well said. Many of us have suffered a loss from a group that was second only to family. The next, post-funeral time you get together is the real reckoning. This is *exactly* the right time to have both. I am pretty sure the players will feel the same way. And since Wakefield was a cut above in terms of his closeness with the fans, it will be that way for fans as well. Some celebration and some collective mourning.
