Booing Buchholz?!? Come on!

Posted by Mike Giardi June 19, 2009 at 8:33 am

It has brought to my attention that the Pawtucket faithful booed Clay Buchholz Wednesday night. Can someone explain that to me? Can someone tell me what Buchholz said that was horrible? You can’t, and here’s why: cause he never said anything worthy of being booed. Oh sure, the man was honest, and no one wants to hear their top prospect say he just wants to pitch in the majors, be it with Boston or someone else. But hey, I don’t blame him one bit. Buchholz is ready.

Here’s farm director Mike Hazen’s take on the interview Buchholz gave me last week.

“There should be an expectation of the player to feel like he’s ready to go to the big leagues…It’s a positive thing when somebody feels like they’ve put a lot of hard work in and they’re ready to make that leap. I think we’re reading into it more that he has that confidence, that swagger, to seize the opportunity when it comes. Ultimately, he’s just got to go out and continue to perform every five days. He’s held up his end of the bargain. He’s worked hard. We’ve seen nothing affect his five-day routine outside the white lines.”

Seems like Hazen is totally onboard with Buchholz and his desire to be in the Bigs. How does Buchholz’s past and – likely – future manager, Terry Francona, feel about it?

“If you go down and ask 25 guys in Pawtucket, which one of them do you think is going to say, ‘I don’t want to go to the big leagues’? I mean, seriously, who do you think would do that? Whoever says that, we don’t want him. Kid’s pitching his [rear] off. That’s part of what we tell these guys in spring training. ‘Do your job, if you can really help us, you’ll help us. It might not be on your timetable. That’s just the way the game is.’ “

Okay, so they paid attention to what Buchholz said and how he said it. What about you? What about the guy who sat along the third base line at McCoy Stadium? Or the clown behind home plate? Or the lady in left field? Guy gives up a home run – and gets booed?!? Sox fans haven’t even done something like to Daisuke Matsuzaka, and he’s been brutal this year. But in Pawtucket, at Triple-A, I guess the fans there think that makes sense. I don’t. I’m pretty sure Clay Buchholz feels the same way.