I'm not being facetious, I was quite excited when the Red Sox acquired Eric Gagné in August. I mean, you might remember my ramblings about the dude (see Eric Gagné and I Jinxed Gagné).
But now he's gone, declining arbitration with the Sox and signed to the Brewers.
As you know, I lived in Southern California for six years that straddled the millennial. And while I was a moderate Anaheim Angels fan (I followed them closely in 2002 when they won the World Series) my true American League allegiance was 2,975 miles to the northeast.
My National League allegiance, however, was free. Thus I became a Los Angeles Dodgers fan. Now, I don't really bleed Dodger Blue like some of my friends, but I do like a good Dodger Dog now and then. And you have to admit that Vin Scully calls the best baseball on television. (All apologies to Jerry Remy, but it's true.)
The Dodgers weren't great then, however 2003 was when Eric Gagné won his Cy Young Award. He was unstoppable. Between 2002 and 2004 he had 152 saves, the most in a three-year period in major league history.
That's like, Papelbon-good (for you Sox fans in the room).
This is why it pains me to see the Boston fans jump all over him like they have been this year. I know his ERA was way over 6 and he blew a few games. But if Papelbon or Timlin or Okajima or one of the other closers went down in September or October, Gagné would have stepped up.
I have no doubt right now in some alternate universe that Eric Gagné made the cover of Sports Illustrated as a key factor in the Red Sox World Series victory.
Anyway, here are a few photos from a game I went to in June of 2004 where Gagné and the Dodgers shut down the Yankees. Yes, that second-to-last shot is of Hideki "Godzilla" Matsui sullenly walking back to the dugout after striking the hell out against Gagné.
The series in 2004 was notable also because the first time the Yankees had played in Dodger Stadium since Game 5 of the 1981 World Series - which didn't turn out so great for the Bronx Bombers, either.
Anyway, good luck to Gagné.
