Jonny Gomes' trash talk about Yankees could reheat rivalry with Red Sox
In an offseason that sees the Yankees sign former Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury away, Gomes' big words could help reignite rivaly that has become stagnant.
Robert Sabo/New York Daily NewsThis isn't exactly Pedro Martinez fanning the flames of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, as he did better than anyone a decade or so ago. But Jonny Gomes wasn't shy on Thursday about telling the world he's not particularly impressed by what the Yankees have done this winter, Masahiro Tanaka and all.
As Gomes said at an event in Boston, 'It's about winning the summer. It's not about winning the winter.'
He went on to say that the Red Sox still have the championship belt, that it's flattering to think the Yankees felt the need to go spend '$500 million' to catch up - and yet they still have 'some questions.'
Hey, it's a start.
Let's face it, we were all spoiled by the insane levels of intensity The Rivalry reached back in 2003 and '04. It was great fun, great theater, and it hasn't felt nearly the same since then.
Maybe it can never be quite like that again, but at least we seem to be moving in that direction. The Yankees are chasing the Sox now, which should ratchet things up a notch, and Jacoby Ellsbury just changed uniforms, which can't hurt.
Both teams need to be championship-caliber to have anything approaching the best of the Torre-Francona years, and for now the onus is more on the Yankees to prove they spent their money wisely this winter.
But it would be nice if Gomes is ready to play the role of the villain that Pedro perfected for a few years, whether it was drilling present-day hitters or threatening to do the same to Babe Ruth, if someone wanted to dig him up, as a way of thumbing his nose, pre-2004, at the famed Curse of the Bambino.
Yes, between Pedro and then Curt Schilling on the Sox side, and Alex Rodriguez on the Yankee side, the villain quotient was off the charts. That led to a couple of famous brawls, unmatched drama and epic Octobers.
Gomes may not be that type of villain, but at least he's not afraid to offer strong opinions about the Yankees. And who knows, maybe newcomer Brian McCann will take offense to a Big Papi bat flip and block the plate on a home run trot, the way he did with Carlos Gomez last year.
We can hope, anyway.
Of course, it all starts with both teams playing for high stakes, and even with all of their spending this winter, the Yankees are far from a lock to be back in the postseason in 2014. Gomes made that point while taking what sounded like a shot at the way the Yankees do business.
Speaking of Ellsbury, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and perhaps Stephen Drew, who remains unsigned, Gomes said, 'We lost some core players, but at the same time, this organization is extremely deep, and the majority of the core group guys are back. We're champs and we have to uphold the title.'
The Sox are much better at producing homegrown players these days, but don't forget, their stunning turnaround season in 2013 was built largely on the seven free-agent signings, one of them being Gomes, on which GM Ben Cherington hit the jackpot.
Gomes was actually complimentary of the Yankees in some ways, even predicting that CC Sabathia would return to 'ace caliber' next season.
At the same time, he noted that McCann 'hasn't been in the American League before' and Tanaka 'hasn't pitched a game over here.'
In truth, the Red Sox are hardly guaranteed to return to the postseason, never mind repeat as champs. They had a magical season in which everything went right for them, especially in October, when they were perhaps one huge David Ortiz home run away from being taken out by the Tigers in the ALCS.
But now, at least, the Sox still rate an edge over the Yankees. For all the money the Bombers have spent, they're still awfully thin in the bullpen, and their infield, minus Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez, is full of uncertainty.
Which raises the question: now that they've blown past the $189 million tax threshold, why not spend on a reliever and perhaps Drew for infield protection?
Even if David Robertson thrives as a closer, the bullpen ran out of gas last September. And Drew would ease concerns about whether Derek Jeter can still play shortstop as he closes in on age 40, or give them a much-needed option at second or third base.
Above all, the Yankees need Tanaka's vaunted splitter to live up to the hype, so they can match up with the Red Sox pitching-wise, but for the moment, his rather mysterious presence alone adds intrigue to The Rivalry.
Maybe someone can tell him before these teams meet in April that Gomes doesn't seem all that impressed.
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