34 Stray Thoughts About the 2004 Red Sox Documentary on Netflix

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Baltimore Orioles (7) Vs. Boston Red Sox (1) at Fenway Park — Picture by Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe by way of Getty Pictures

And you realize why it’s 34. . .

I’m genuinely unsure I’ve seen the themes of a sports activities documentary communicate with this a lot candor earlier than. And it’s not simply the cursing, which I’ve seen lots of people speaking about, however the vulnerability and anxiousness lots of the gamers show, in addition to the quite a few frank and unflattering remarks they make about different individuals (e.g., Theo Epstein saying that A-Rod is stuffed with shit, then instantly realizing he most likely shouldn’t have mentioned that, then sloppily attempting to save lots of himself by saying he’s stuffed with shit generally, too). That was nice — and essential — work by the filmmakers, as I’m unsure this movie would actually have a motive to exist with out these revealing moments.
Talking of nice work by the filmmakers, the way in which they launched David Ortiz was completely badass. I didn’t notice it was potential to seem like a gangster while you sit all the way down to be interviewed for a documentary. Large Papi completely did.
However you realize who didn’t seem like a gangster as he was being launched to a worldwide viewers? Younger Theo Epstein, who seemed completely overwhelmed and out of his depth within the footage of his introductory press convention approach again in 2002. If social media have been round again then, the net reception to that press convention would have been brutal.

Larry Lucchino, Red Sox president when team won three world championships, dies at 78

Additionally, I used to be not ready for the way dated that outdated footage would look and I don’t prefer it. I don’t prefer it one bit.
After I say that I wasn’t positive that this film had a motive to exist, I imply that I believed this story had already been documented a lot that there was completely nothing new to say about it. I actually wasn’t that enthusiastic about this undertaking — we’d already seen all the pieces in 4 Days in October, and Religion Rewarded, and in Ken Burns’ replace to Baseball. . .
. . . And, within the first 5 minutes of the doc, I believed my intuition to hate on the undertaking would show appropriate. Oh look, there’s Dan Shaughnessy speaking concerning the curse (once more), there’s a central casting Sully speaking about his father dying with out seeing the Red Sox win the World Series (once more), there’s that shot of Roger Clemens together with his palms pressed collectively within the Shea Stadium dugout in 1986 (once more). I swear I’ve seen that shot extra instances than I’ve seen greater than my very own youngsters at this level.
However all the pieces began to shift as quickly as Billy Bean sat down, effervescent with pleasure as he recounted the 24 hours when he was the GM of the Pink Sox and he and Theo started revamping your entire group. This was one thing we hadn’t seen earlier than, and I’m glad the movie moved extra in the direction of individuals like Bean and away from the Shaughnessys and Howard Bryants of the world.
And, actually: with all due respect to Howard Bryant (whose work I actually take pleasure in) and Shaughnessy (who, for no matter you need to say about him now, has actually earned the precise to debate Pink Sox historical past on digicam) did we actually want to listen to from these two guys once more? They supplied completely nothing new or insightful. It might have been much more attention-grabbing to listen to from somebody like Jared Carrabis, who’s presently a way more important and related voice on the Pink Sox than both Shaughnessy or Bryant are, and who may’ve given us the extra novel perspective of what it was wish to expertise that period as a younger fan.
Mike Francesa, however, was a welcome addition. One factor that’s been lacking from earlier makes an attempt at telling this story was extra Yankee views. Francesa, Gary Sheffield, and Joe Torre do job giving us perception into the enemy’s mindset right here. If the filmmakers had been in a position to get Jeter and A-Rod on digicam (and gotten them to talk as frankly because the Pink Sox did) then this movie actually would’ve been one thing particular.
However lol at attempting to get A-Rod to be frank about something. Theo recalling the story of A-Rod making him and Jed Hoyer come as much as his lodge room at 2AM whereas they have been negotiating the commerce after which greeting them in a go well with and tie like they have been going to barter an actual property deal in Montenegro was one of the genuinely hilarious moments within the movie.

Alex Rodriguez Signs with The New York Yankees - Press Conference

However the funniest second of the movie (and maybe the one laugh-out-loud second) was the sequence through which a number of gamers mentioned that they don’t truly bear in mind the supposedly legendary second once they went to the Baseball Tavern throughout from Fenway in full uniform instantly after clinching a postseason spot in 2003. . . adopted by a jump-cut to Kevin Millar being like “that was the best factor that ever occurred!”
Sooooo, that positively didn’t truly occur, proper?
No matter whether or not the Baseball Tavern story is definitely true, the Jack Daniels story positively is, and I couldn’t imagine how a lot footage there was of the gamers consuming within the clubhouse. Who was even capturing that?
It’s actually unfair that the remainder of us don’t get to have jobs the place we will bond with our coworkers the way in which professional athletes do. The world could be a greater place if all of us obtained to drink and fly across the nation with our colleagues from the accounting division!
Truly, Millar had a second laugh-out-loud second when, 21 years after the very fact, he lastly realized that he did truly throw Nomar underneath the bus whereas being interviewed on SportsCenter in the course of the A-Rod commerce talks.
Nomar, in fact, was probably the most obtrusive omission from the movie. His absence had the impact of a ghost hovering over your entire proceedings.

(2/24/04 Ft. Myers, FL) Red Sox pitchers and catchers practice at Red Sox Minor League Spring complex. A grinning Nomar Garciaparra faces the media (in glasses) and, yes, questions about the proposed trade for Alex Rodriguez in the off-season. (

Man, I can’t let you know what I’d give to see a documentary concerning the 03-04 Pink Sox informed solely by way of Nomar’s perspective. Given all the pieces he meant to the group (and to all of New England, actually) are you able to think about what it will need to have felt like for him to look at all of that unfold from his sofa a continent away? That’s a narrative that must be informed.
Talking of Nomar’s rocky finish, I believe I’m lastly able to admit that Jeter’s run-into-the-stands catch in July 04 was a fairly good play. This seems like a development second for me.
And talking of that catch, one in every of my favourite features of the movie is the truth that it spends a lot time on the 2003-04 common seasons, versus simply specializing in the playoffs. Baseball is exclusive in that the common season tells such a wealthy story, stuffed with heroes, villains, and plot twists. The movie does an excellent job capturing that.
And, likewise, the movie reinforces how a lot harm MLB’s expanded postseason format has achieved to the common season. It was refreshing to listen to the story about Larry Lucchino telling Terry Francona that the 04 staff’s efficiency was unacceptable . . . once they have been 12 video games over .500 on the time. In at this time’s recreation, the place most groups don’t actually care about successful 100 video games and simply need to get within the dance, no government goes to be upset about being 12 video games over .500 and comfortably within the postseason.
And, as soon as once more, it’s clear that a lot of the Pink Sox’s success this century was pushed by Larry Lucchino. I’m nonetheless unsure we totally perceive the influence of his loss.
Living proof: Tom Werner trying like a clown in saying that his first impression of Grady Little was “that is somebody who’s going to make an enormous mistake in the future.” Come on, dude: at no level in your whole tenure as a Pink Sox proprietor have you ever demonstrated that you realize something about baseball, or are even significantly excited about it. Nobody believes you.

And, frankly, it’s gross that John Henry thinks that him being excited to fireside Grady Little is such a cool story. Grady Little made a horrible mistake in entrance of a worldwide viewers that has come to outline his whole life. His firing was justified, however I would favor my empire-building billionaires to not be dicks about making somebody unemployed.
Talking of the 2003 ALCS, one factor I’ve by no means actually seen earlier than was how horrible Joe Buck’s name of Aaron Boone’s residence run was. Completely no pleasure or sense of the second in anyway. Haha!
I actually need to know what bar Bronson Arroyo was interviewed in. That place appears nice — British pub-style snugs!
Jed Hoyer, on the opposite had, seems to have been interviewed within the Previous Government Workplace Constructing.
Pedro was, as anticipated, nice. And this movie reinforces how a lot we’ve misplaced by deemphasizing beginning pitching all through the trendy recreation. Baseball is best when pitchers like Pedro act as protagonists who drive the story of a very recreation or collection. We desperately want to determine a technique to save beginning pitching.
The pitchers don’t even must be pretty much as good as Pedro to be attention-grabbing! Derek Lowe talking about Recreation 4 of the 2004 ALCS was probably the greatest components of the movie. It was, frankly, stunning to see him be so open about how little confidence he had in himself going into that recreation. Keep in mind that the subsequent time somebody downplays the psychological and emotional side of baseball.
Significantly: how did we not hear that story concerning the Sox discovering a sizzling microphone hidden of their clubhouse at Yankee Stadium till now?
The Dave Roberts steal in recreation 4 will get all the eye (I wouldn’t be shocked if a variety of youthful non-Pink Sox/Yankee followers incorrectly assume that steal occurred in recreation 7), as does Curt Schilling’s bloody sock efficiency in recreation six, however recreation 5 was simply the perfect recreation of the 2004 ALCS. It deserves to be talked about much more.
The Derek Lowe interview apart, I truly thought the stuff particularly concerning the 2004 ALCS was the weakest a part of the movie. It was a variety of retread tales and pictures that we’d already heard and seen one million instances earlier than.
I’m unsure I’ve actually internalized the truth that Tim Wakefield is gone. What a goddamn terrible factor it’s to die younger.
I’ve already seen a variety of youthful followers categorical remorse that they by no means obtained to expertise this in actual time and, yeah, they’re proper to really feel that approach. As a lot enjoyable as it’s to relive these moments on movie, it sucks that we’ve misplaced a lot ardour for the Pink Sox and for the rivalry in 20 years. Which is why, of all of the movies which were made concerning the 2004 Pink Sox, that is the one I’ll present to my youngsters once they get a little bit older. It does such job capturing the fixed hum of explosive rigidity that was the Pink Sox-Yankees rivalry on the flip of the millennium. I really feel so fortunate to have had that in my life as a sports activities fan and I desperately need to have it once more.
However we by no means will, and we all know that.