Born To Play

[Tomsoxfan]

So my job this summer left me a lot of time sitting at a front gate and plenty of time to read. So I read. 20 books. Some WW1, some WW2, some history, some fantasy, and some sports books..biographies. Going to share some of what I read.

Dustin Pedroia's book, Born to Play, My Life in the Game, was fantastic. A wonderful look at our Dustin from a child to after the 2008 season. Quite simply one of the more hilarious, delightful books I've read in a long time.

*His first time hitting off an Iron Mike pitching machine when he traveled to a place near his home with a bunch of 12 year olds (he was 7).

One day Rich (the owner and former MLB player) had it cranked all the way up to top speed. The problem was that the pitching machine wasn't too accurate. I mean, the balls were just flying all over the place. Rich looked at us, and said for anyone who wanted to try hitting to step in. All the other kids were saying, "No way I'm getting in there!" No one was going near that cage. That Iron Mike was humming and had a baksetful of baseballs, waiting for a victim.

I didn't give a shit. I figured if I got hit, it would only hurt for a couple of minutes, so I might as well go and see how I could do against fastballs.

The first few pitches from the machine came down the middle and I hit them. I was feeling pretty good, like this was no problem. Then the machine cranked out a wild pitch and it nailed me right in the back. It was my first time getting hit by a full-speed pitch.

I yelled, "F---!"

I mean, I was seven, and that thing STUNG. I think besides being the first time I got hit by a fastball, I'm also pretty sure it was the first time I ever said "f---.'

It hurt for a couple of minutes, but then I got back in. I got my bat on some more of those balls when they were over the plate, and I also learned how to get the hell out of the way when they weren't.

[Tomsoxfan]

(Another early years story)

One day I was throwing a tennis ball agains the fireplace and pretending I was turning a double play. I'd fire the ball off the bricks, catch it, then turn and fire it at my mom, who was sitting on the couch. She's such a good athlete, she was having no problem taking my throws and then throwing them right back to me.

But we had this really huge clock on the wall, right above her head. One of the throws went off her hand and hit the clock, shattering the glass and sending it flying everywhere, then knocking the clock right off the wall. The clock came down and hit her on the head and landed on a glass table next to the couch, shattering that too.

I thought I was going to be in the worst trouble ever. But my mom said, "Don't worry about the clock or the table, we'll get new ones-justkeep throwing the ball." She knew how much fun I was having. I think she was also having a lot of fun herself. Later that day, my grandparents came over and they yelled at my mom. "Hey, you need to stop throwing the ball inside the house!" I had the feeling it wasn't the firt time they'd told her that.

[Tomsoxfan]

Dustin travels with his folks to watch his older brother play in a fall league game. His brother was in college playing with people his age.

But one time my bother's team didn't have enough players. Their shortstop had gotten sick, so he didn't show. My brother suggested I play on the team. My equipment bag was always in my parents' car, because sometimes they played two games, and in between I'd get dressed and go hit or take ground balls.

The other guys took a look at me, this scrawny kid who had just turned thirteen in August, and I think I must have weighed 95 pounds, so they weren't too excited about that idea. But Brett kept saying I was good, and they weren't going to be sorry. "I'm telling you," he said, "my little brother can play."

They said, "He's going to get hurt." Brett just laughed at that.

I played in this junior college fall-league game and I went 4 for 4. Four singles. I was laying out rockets, for the size I was then.

[Tomsoxfan]

Dustin is invited to try out for the 2000 Area Code Games, which was a tournament in Long Beach for the best amateur players around, set up in all-star teams grouped by area code. All scouts were going to be there and this was where Baseball America got its Top 100. It was his first time using a wooden bat and he had just bought a small one. People laughed and he said "Dude, I'm a hundred and twenty pounds. This is all I got."

I remember the first pitch I saw at tryout. I was fortunate because the tryout was at my high school. That was a big advantage because this was my town. We have an armory in the back over the left-field wall, and that first pitch came at me and I got a hold of it. The ball hit the middle of the armory on the fly. It was just a rocket line drive.

I remember running around the bases and thinking, 'If these are the best players in Northern California, I'm going to kick all their asses.'

[Tomsoxfan]

Part of an addition from Ron Johnson, Pawsox manager:

Right when he arrived halfway through the 2005 season, he was having a good year. You knew it was inevitable that hew as going to get a call to the big leagues.

Red Sox second baseman Mark Bellhorn had botten hurt and was were on a trip, I think it was Canada because we were in that dead-communication zone on the bus when you're coming down the back way. We had stopped and I got a call from the group- it was Ben Cherington and Theo Epstein and all those guys. They were leaning toward call Pedey up to the big leagues. You could tell they were waiting to hear the right word. Pedey was saying his hand (which had been hit by a pitch)was kind of so-so, that it wawsn't bothering him much. He came back a little early and played al ittle bit but he just didn't have that pop in the bat. I'll never forget it because Theo and Ben were going on and on they really needed to know if Pedey was hurt or not.

I said, "Well, let me do some investigating."

Pedey was on my bus and there was only one thing I could think of to figure out if he was hurting. So I went in the back of the bus like I was going to the bathroom. Guys were playing cards and stuff and he was sitting there.

I said, "Hey, Pedey, what's up, man?" We started talking.

Then I grabbed his hand, and he buckled. (In the other part of the book that is in Pedroia's words, he states that Johnson 'crushed' his hands and and he went down to his knees.)

I said sarcastically, "Oh really? You're not hurt?"

I went back to the front of the bus. We made another stop and I was able to get reception so I plugged my phone in to get a signal. I called them back and said, "Hope, he's not your guy right now."

It would be another full year before he'd get the call to the major leagues.

I don't think he ever knew how close he was that time.

What happens in '05 if Pedroia is playing 2nd Base instead of Graffanino?

[Tomsoxfan]

Terry Francona had an insert as well. He talked of their cribbage games, how the guys love Pedroia like a little brother that they,but nobody else, can beat on. Talked about his trash talking and saying stuff that nobody else could get away with.

He's the kind of guy who, when he wakes up in the morning, gets out of bed wanting to kick somebody's ass...

[Tomsoxfan]

In 2007 Manny Ramirez had told Dustin that if he won Rookie of the Yeear, he'd buy Dustin a Rolex.

Spring training 2008:

He (Manny) walked over with a bat over his shoulder and a gift-wrapped box in his hand, and just handed it to me.

I started taking off the wrapping paper, and Isaw the word Rolex on the box. Just as I did, Manny smashed his bat into the box, putting this big dent in it.

When he did that, I figured it was just a joke. Manny was always doing crazy things. It was just another Manny goof.

But I opened the box, and it really was a Rolex watch, and it still worked! I suddently remembered the summer before, when he'd told me that if I won ROY and batted over .300 he'd buy me a watch. And he'd written a nice note to congratulate me.

I thought, Damn. He smashed a twenty-thousand-dollar watch that he just gave me, with his bat. Is this guy crazy?

Then Manny went wandering off. Why he would take his bat and smash a really expensive Rolex he was giving me? I still have no idea.

[Tomsoxfan]

Manny, 2008

We had a ton of adversity, with one injury after another, and then there was the Manny situation.

I was a little upset with how things transpired. I also knew I was not the one to say, "Hey, Manny, pick it up." That was not my responsibility, yet. Three years before I'd been this kid walking up to him in the Best Buy in Fort Myers telling him what a big fan I was. So I knew my place.

Throughout the whole situation, I tried to stay exactly the same toward Manny as I always had been. I supported him, and I always support every one of my teammates. But I knew he wasn't happy. Anyone could tell that. It wasn't the Manny Remirez we all had gotten to know and love, smiling and joking around. Everyone knew that he didn't want to be there. All you had to do was look at him. I think it was upsetting, and not just to me as a younger guy on the team, but to everybody on the team who valued Manny as a teammmate and a friend.

We all loved Manny. Under those circumstances it's unfortunate he had a run-in with the front office over his contract. We did out best to just get out and do what we needed to do on the field without letting the situation have a negative effect. We had every intention of repeating as World Series champions, and that meant going out every day and doing our job to the best of our ability.

And in the same way, even though he was unhappy, none of us took it as a personal thing toward us. Manny loved his teammates. It just became clear he needed to look for something else, and it wasn't about us during that time.

About Jack McCormick the traveling secretary that Manny pushed to the ground:

But what I can say about Jack McCormick is that he's a first-class gentleman and has helped me and my family out more than anyone in the Red Sox organization. ... He'll do anything for anybody. There couldn't be a better guy working in the job Jack does. ... But I don't think Jack has anything to be sorry about in the way he handled himself.

[Tomsoxfan]

Cribbage and Ping-Pong

The cribbage began one time when, hours before a game, Tito must have been bored. He came at me and pretty much just told me we were playing cribbage.

Tito and I began playing, and htat became another part of the routine. I played with other guys, like Mike Lowell.

I'm even competitive in cribbage. During June, the Red Sox were on a Fox Network telecast, and Fox had us each do an ID of ourselves to be used in the broadcast. I ID'd myself as "Dustin 'I own Mike Lowell in cribbage' Pedroia." Mike was pissed. He got a book from some cribbage expert and studied up on it. Then he beat me the next eight times we played.

I should also say that Mike Lowell is by far the best Ping-Pong player on our team, and possibly in the world. I'll give him that-but I'm a damn close second. He kicked my ass in Cleveland in 2007. he beat me twenty-nine straight times. (earlier in the book Dustin explained how he grew up playing Ping-Pong, including against his mom who was highly competitive and cursed like a pirate when she lost to Dustin)

I'm not joking when I say that Mike Lowell doesn't need to be playing baseball. He could retire and play Ping-Pong professionally. He's a two-time World Series champion, a World Series MVP, a four-time All-Star, a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner, and had the best fielding percentage all time for third baseman. But I'm telling you, he's playing the wrong sport.