BoSox Welcome "Real Rock" To The Block
By Dan O'Neill Of the Post-Dispatch
December 18, 2004
Please come to Boston...
Kenny Chesney wrote the lyrics, the Boston Red Sox sang the song,
and Edgar
Renteria has accepted the invitation.
The man who made the last out against the Red Sox in the World
Series couldn
't beat them, so he joined them in a four-year, $40 million contract,
consummated by a physical and a news conference on Friday at Fenway Park.
Trying to explain why he has fled to Boston rather than return to
St. Louis,
Renteria said, "It was the Red Sox. They tried to get me and I thought
it was a
great opportunity...it's a great opportunity to be here and try to
win
another championship."
One of Renteria's agents, Jeff Lane, described the metamorphosis
in more
detail. "It really came down to a situation where Edgar was very
comfortable in
St. Louis and, if I had to say it, was looking to stay in St. Louis,"
Lane said.
"But two or three times we talked with the Cardinals, and the Cardinals
really
have budget issues. Because of the way the World Series went, I
believe, they
started making a commitment that they were going to get a No. 1, or
possibly two
No. 1 pitchers.
"So that situation played out and then, in my opinion, it was
more of a line
was drawn in the sand. I was working more with the Cardinals and Barry
Meister,
who helped with this deal, was working with (Boston general manager
Theo
Epstein). So as we went along, it became clear to me that if Edgar was
going to
stay in St. Louis, he was going to have to make some concessions.
"One big concession that Edgar did make, he offered to play this
season
coming for $5 million a year in St. Louis. There has been talk that
'Edgar
wouldn't take the discount, Edgar wouldn't do this, or that.' But
obviously if
you discount that first year, something has to happen in the later
years. And
really that never came up until at the end when I think it became
apparent that
Edgar was willing to become a Boston Red Sox. So that's really the
dynamics of
how it happened."
Renteria, 29, set a Cardinals franchise record for shortstops
with 100 runs
batted in in 2003. He also won two Gold Gloves (2002, 2003) in six
years in St. Louis.
Renteria "is a real rock," Epstein said. "That's how we look at
him. He's
dependable, plays every day. His performance is consistent. He's not
coming off
one of his better years, but even what he did last year helped his team
win and
get to the brink of the world championship.
"If you look at what he did in 2003, that was one of the best
seasons a
shortstop has put up in a long, long time. We think that's more
indicative of
what we can expect from him in Fenway Park. He's just a consistent guy
who goes
out there and helps you win in a lot of different ways."
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who talked to Renteria several
times earlier
this week in hopes of wooing him back, acknowledged losing "The
Captain" was a
blow but, "Whatever it is, you have to move on," La Russa said.
"Whatever we
got, we can compete and win with."
Renteria, who broke in with the Marlins as a 21-year-old rookie
in 1996, has
a career average of .289, with 83 home runs, 565 RBIs, 237 stolen bases
and a
.346 on-base percentage. He batted .287 with 10 homers and 72 RBIs last
season,
while flip-flopping between second and sixth in the order.
He is looking forward to playing regularly at intimate Fenway Park, where the
fans are rabid and the "Green Monster" is an inviting target for
righthanded
hitters.
"I think it's nice," Renteria said. "I know everybody wants to
play here in
the stadium with the fans. To me, it's like a dream come true."
One way the Red Sox gained Renteria's favor was by making a
generous donation
to his charitable foundations -- Team Renteria and The Renteria Academy
-- in
Colombia.
"We think it's a very worthwhile cause and separate from the
contract, but
just something to welcome Edgar and his brother and his family to
Boston,"
Epstein said. "We think it's appropriate to make a donation to Team
Renteria. We
look forward to, sometime soon, getting down to Colombia and looking at
it
firsthand."
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