Breaking up is hard to do: though once it seemed Nomar Garciaparra and the Red Sox would live happily ever after, their relationship has eroded to the point that staying together seems unlikely

The kids of New England are not handling this well at all. Love is not supposed to have an expiration date, but a trail of clues too numerous and obvious to ignore make it clear the once rock-solid marriage between Nomar Garciaparra and the Red Sox has soured. It has been a decade since the wiry shortstop was drafted by the Red Sox and more than six years since they entered into a long-term contract, one which seemingly would be renewed into eternity without any of the usual hassles and catfights that accompany the departures of too many Red Sox superstars.

Revered by the Red Sox fan base, Garciaparra was--and still is--a New England sports icon. He might not have achieved Ted Williams-Larry Bird-Bobby Orr status but, boy, "Nomah" is very close.

Poke around just a little, however, and you'll find that the union between Garciaparra, 31, and the team has disintegrated. For fans of this storied franchise, it's like finding themselves on a Hollywood set and realizing that the beautiful brick-and-mortar house they thought Garciaparra and the Red Sox have been living in really is just a facade of painted Styrofoam.

With Garciaparra set to become a free agent after this season, few expect him and the Red Sox to renew their vows. Damage from failed contract negotiations in the spring of 2003, fallout from the Red Sox's failed pursuit of Alex Rodriguez in the offseason and a mutual distrust have left Garciaparra and the Red Sox together at work, but in separate bedrooms at home.

There even were murmurs about trading Garciaparra before the July 31 non-waiver deadline, but they had quieted by last week, and it looked as though their household will remain intact for the rest of this season. Before making his expected foray into the free-agent market, Garciaparra needs to show he is recovered from an Achilles' injury that sidelined him for the season's first nine weeks. To have a shot at the post-season, the Red Sox need the healthy production of a player who remains one of the game's top-hitting shortstops.

But once October has come and gone, no one is betting against a split-up. Given how fundamentally decent and polite each side has been, they probably will give it another go at the negotiating table, more than anything else, just to say they tried. Then they'll bid adieu to each other.

The kids may not like it, but sometimes, the adults have to do what's best for themselves.

Problems surfaced years ago

Pinpointing the first crack in the foundation is impossible, but when Garciaparra was hit on the right wrist by a pitch from Al Reyes on September 25, 1999, it set in motion a chain of events that hasn't stopped. Garciaparra won back-to-back batting titles in 1999 and 2000 but in the spring of 2001, the wrist flared up severely and surgery was required. Returning to action too soon in late July, Garciaparra wound up playing in just 21 games that season. Over the next two seasons, he drove in more than 100 runs and hit 24 and 28 home runs, respectively, but his batting average dipped and his errors total rose. The club picked up costly options on his contract the past two seasons and even offered a four-year, $60 million extension in the spring of '03.

But the more club executives evaluated the on-field return on their investment in Garciaparra, the more grateful they became he had not accepted their offer. It also was becoming clearer that the club was not impressed with Garciaparra's public demeanor off the field. Even if he was smiling, albeit bland in front of the camera, Garciaparra and his sometimes prickly "I want to be alone" act put off the Red Sox.

When the team discovered in the offseason that Rodriguez was open to being traded to the Red Sox, it pursued the deal as a way to get rid of Manny Ramirez, with whom the team was even more disenchanted. The subsequent proposed trade of Garciaparra to the White Sox for outfielder Magglio Ordonez was more fallout than driving force, but few tears were being shed on Yawkey Way at the thought of a future without Garciaparra.

"The trade for A-Rod was not about Nomar, it was about Manny," says one club source, who adds, "I don't think we would have even thought of trading him if his demeanor in the first place hadn't been 'I don't want to be here.'"

The Red Sox's gambit for Rodriguez, however, was a flop, and Garciaparra was ticked off. The club's reduced offer to Garciaparra--four years, $48 million--didn't help matters.

While on a Hawaiian honeymoon last December with soccer star Mia Hamm, Garciaparra called a Boston sports talk show to express his hurt. His agent, Arn Tellem, and Red Sox owner John Henry got into a nasty spat about each other's conduct before each quieted down. Then Rodriguez went to the Yankees, and Garciaparra and the Red Sox had to learn to live with each other again.

"It's like your wife says, 'I'm trying to get rid of you for a new husband: (Pause) 'Damn it! I couldn't find anybody in time. I thought I had one, but you know what, on second thought, we couldn't come to terms,'" Garciaparra was quoted in May by the Boston Globe. "'Darn it" (another long pause) Um, I want you back now. I want you back now to take care of our kids. We're all right, right? OK, good. Everything's cool, right? I know I said you were a bad husband, but I didn't mean it.'"

A frustrating start in '04

The "bad husband" reported to camp on time and in reasonably good spirits.

But he suffered a bruised right Achilles' before exhibition games started, an injury that initially was considered minor. The team's medical staff expressed hope that Garciaparra would be ready by opening day, but the injury fingered until June. Achilles' injuries are notoriously tricky and slow to heal, but as Garciaparra's layoff lengthened, pressure began building for him to return. After his rushed comeback in 2001, however, Garciaparra understandably was cautious about coming back too soon. But with the team needing him, and Garciaparra eager to erase memories of his. 170 batting average last September and one RBI in 12 playoff games in October, he finally made it back to Boston on June 10. Noticeably slower in the field and getting tepid results at the plate, Garciaparra vented in mid-June that he was in a no-win situation with how fast or slow he was coming back.

"I can't win--21 at-bats (at Class AAA Pawtucket) but no, 'You're faking it,' and 'C'mon, what are you waiting for?'" Garciaparra told the Boston Herald. "Then I come back, they are still going to say 'See--he sucks. He's not good. You were bad last year, you're bad this year.' It's a no-win situation. They should just be glad I'm back."

Garciaparra also said, "I've been judged on one month--I've got eight years. Think about what I've done.... I think those eight years count--they somewhere to somebody."

Garciaparra's funk in mood and performance continued through early July, sinking to a low point on the brightest of stages: Yankee Stadium on July 1. That was the evening the Red Sox and Yankees staged an epic, 13-inning battle notable for much but remembered by Garciaparra watchers for repeated sights of him on the dugout bench, expressionless, while the rest of his teammates were gathered on the top steps in an unforgettable game. He sat out the game to rest his Achilles.'

Broadcasters and some observers took Garciaparra to task for not being available and not cheering on his teammates more. The criticism went overboard; Garciaparra tried, and failed, to stretch out the heel in the clubhouse during the game. At least one teammate had no problem with Garciaparra's behavior that night.

"He was pulling for us--if he wasn't, then there would have been something going on in here in the clubhouse, a lot more trouble, something you wouldn't have heard about," center fielder Johnny Damon says. "He's been fine, but he's always looking over his shoulder. He always hears these rumors that he's going to get traded soon, this and that, but he's handled himself well. He's going out there, he's swinging the bat well, and he's still not 100 percent healthy. He knows how important he is for the team, and he's doing whatever he can, even though he keeps hearing he's not going to be here for too much longer."

Garciaparra declined to be interviewed for this story, saying, "I don't want to talk about myself." All along, Garciaparra simply has wanted his performance to speak for itself. Life, especially in Red Sox Nation, is more complicated than that, though.

So, what's to come?

Just who will appreciate Garciaparra next year and beyond will rely to a huge extent on whether he can maintain his current surge at the plate. Since the missed game against the Yankees, Garciaparra has been on a mini-tear. A 3-for-5 performance in yet another Yankees-Red Sox classic last Saturday put his average at .403 with four homers, 11 RBIs and 16 runs from July 1 through the start of the week. That's quite an upgrade over his first 17 games after returning, when he hit .274 with one homer, nine RBIs and seven runs.

He is hitting balls squarely, running more freely and is becoming a more consistent producer on a team desperate for just that.

Scouts seem split on the state of Garciaparra's skill-set. "I think he's the same hitter he's always been, I don't see anything different," says one. "And if they had a first baseman over there that could pick up the ball, that would help him as well. He's always had that scatterarm, but he's still strong defensively." Says another scout, "To me, he's a very serviceable guy, but his skills have deteriorated--more defensively than offensively. He's not the same guy he was when he came up."

Two general managers agree that Garciaparra's value has dipped when compared with his status before the wrist problems in '01.

"Based on our reports, he's been in a bit of a decline across the board--more defensively, with some restrictions on offense," says one. "I don't think his makeup is an issue, but there is a more businesslike approach to his game than he used to have."

Another general manager raises questions of Garciaparra's demeanor, especially since the missed Yankees game. "It's getting around baseball that he's not a happy guy and not a happy guy in the clubhouse," he says. "That will have an effect on the dollars he gets, but maybe a change of scenery is all he needs."

Just as Garciaparra has gone on record saying he wants to stay with the Red Sox, the team has said publicly it would like to keep him.

"He's important because he's a great player, a great citizen. He's performed well, and there's a strong expectation that he'll continue to perform well, so those are some of the reasons we want to keep him," general manager Theo Epstein says. "If he were some sort of pagan hero and there was no reason for him to be respected, then, yeah, there would be a problem, and we'd have to reconcile the differences between his structure and his worth. But I think it's aligned, so we're OK."

Friction happens. What happens next is up to the participants.

"It's life," Epstein says. "People deal with conflict, heal and move on. Things aren't totally forgotten, but you deal with them, you cope and treat each other with respect moving forward. That's what we've done."

For now. But while no one ever used to think that Garciaparra would wind up playing in another uniform, it has become difficult to imagine anything other than that in his future.

Sometimes, love stinks.

Garciaparra vs, Renteria

Nomar Garciaparra isn't the only elite shortstop who will be a free agent after this season. Another free agent-to-be is the Cardinals' Edgar Renteria, who is more than two years younger and has better offensive numbers--except in the all-important power categories--since the start of the 2002 season.

                      Garciaparra   Renteria

Games                      347         398
At-bats                  1,438       1,482
Runs                       244         231
Hits                       442         462
Doubles                    100         106
Home runs                   57          32
RBIs                       245         227
Walks                       87         140
Strikeouts                 139         148
Stolen bases                26          67
Batting average           .307        .312
0n-base percentage        .351        .369
Slugging percentage       .525        .452

Through July 24

Sour endings are nothing new to the Red Sox

Beginning with the peddling of Babe Ruth to the Yankees, the Red Sox never have been very good at knowing when--or how--to say goodbye to their stars.

Carlton Fisk. A native New Englander who hit perhaps the most famous home run in club history, Fisk was not mailed a contract on time after the 1980 season. He used the loophole in the rules to become a free agent and sign with the White Sox. Some believe the contract was intentionally mailed late so the Red Sox would not have to pay Fisk's rising salary. That same offseason, the club shipped Rick Burleson and Fred Lynn to the Angels in a dismantling that could be reminiscent of what happens after this season. The Sox have four key free agents--Pedro Martinez, Jason Varitek, Derek Lowe and Nomar Garciaparra--who could be playing elsewhere in 2005.

Wade Boggs. He hit .259 in 1992--his first season under .300--and talk around town about his me-first approach in the game seemed to escalate as his batting average dropped. The Sox did not act disappointed when Boggs accepted a three-year deal with the Yankees.

Roger Clemens. If nothing else, letting Clemens leave as a free agent sealed a spot in Red Sox infamy for then-GM. Dan Duquette. Clemens was an unimpressive 40-39 in four injury-marred seasons from 1993 to 1996, and Duquette thought Clemens was in the "twilight" of his career. He wasn't. He won his first 11 decisions with the Blue Jays on the way to winning the 1997 A.L. Cy Young Award.

Mo Vaughn. A fall favorite for his slugging and his community service, Vaughn's relationship with the Sox started to go downhill when he was charged with drunken driving before spring training in 1998. When it came time to talk about a new contract--Vaughn would become a free agent at the end of the season--the Sox told Vaughn they would need an alcohol evaluation before re-signing him. It was a request they later backed off on but it was too late. After a spectacular season (40 homers, 115 RBIs, .337 average) Vaughn left for the Angels and a six-year, $80 million deal--one year and $17 million less than what the Red Sox offered. Vaughn hit 69 homers in his first two seasons with the Angels, but his career then was curtailed by injuries and weight issues. Later traded to the Mets, he is in the final year of his contract, but he probably played his last game in the majors in 2003.--Stan McNeal

COPYRIGHT 2004 Sporting News Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group