Quick Thoughts on The Kevin Youkilis Trade

I’ve had a day now to think over Kevin Youkilis’s departure from Boston. All in all, I share what seems to be the consensus view: it was time, but it’s still sad.

To be frank, I wanted to see Youk go. He wasn’t doing much for the Sox for a while now. With never-ending injuries, he was looking hurt and frustrated for the better part of the past two seasons. This was coming a mile away, so much so that I added Will Middlebrooks to my fantasy team quite a while ago, and I’m not a particularly savvy fantasy player.
But when I actually read the news of the trade, an honest sadness came over me. A sentiment we reserve for when truly special players move on. So, even if I wasn’t fully aware of it, Youk is that. He also represents the very best of Red Sox times. I vividly remember watching live as he hit his first major league home run, in his first major league game. It was a great and memorable moment in a season filled with those. Youk also has a  kind of  entire folklore surrounding him, with the ‘Greek God of Walks’ thing, the Yooouuukkkkk chants at Fenway and the great Dennis Leary ‘Mel Gibson’ rant. He is also one of a handful major leaguers with whom I share the same religion. 

So for all that, I will miss seeing him in a Red Sox jersey and will be rooting for him to do well elsewhere.
Thanks for the memories!

Changing of the guards… [Photo and feature photo: Keith Allison via Flickr, CC 2.0]