Thank you Mookie Betts

Oecow

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Oct 19, 2005
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Central PA
One of 4 jerseys I have purchased over the last 20 yrs. Fair winds Mookie Betts. You will be missed
 

CaptainLaddie

dj paul pfieffer
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Sep 6, 2004
36,684
where the darn libs live
Mookie is my favorite non-Pedro Red Sox ever.

I am non-plussed at the moment. He is awesome, and everything every team should want to have play 20 years in their uniform. The Dodgers are lucky.
 

santadevil

wears depends
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Aug 1, 2006
6,472
Saskatchestan
Thanks Mookie!
Your 2018 MVP season was a blast to watch. So many highlights (some posted above) and so many good memories through the years

My little guy is going to be crushed and I'm sad you're leaving as well
Can't wait until the Sox announce the signing of your 11/385 contract on December 20, 2020
 

brs3

sings praises of pinstripes
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May 20, 2008
5,200
Jackson Heights, NYC
Thanks, Mookie!

Markus Lynn Betts. Born to play MLB. Future Hall of Famer, At least you won't have to hear people here lamenting your huge salary in 2032! Perhaps you return after your big contract to collect hit 3,000 in a Sox uni.
 

bankshot1

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Feb 12, 2003
24,651
where I was last at
Thanks Mookie

Mookie is the reason we are baseball fans. He plays hard, was a 5-tool player and looked like he was having a blast making impossible plays in right field. He is a guy you want to wear your colors.

For a long time.

Best of luck in LA Mook.
 

BroodsSexton

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Feb 4, 2006
12,630
guam
Here’s hoping that he chooses a Sox uniform. Hard to imagine, though, with the contract that is coming.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Oct 1, 2015
24,375
Mookie is my favorite non-Pedro Red Sox ever.

I am non-plussed at the moment. He is awesome, and everything every team should want to have play 20 years in their uniform. The Dodgers are lucky.
Yep this is exactly me. It's Pedro ---> Mookie ---> everyone else. I was telling friends about him when he was in the minors, telling them I can't wait for this guy to make the bigs, because he's gonna be a superstar. To be fair, I didn't necessarily see 2018-level star, but I thought he was going to be really really good. And it turns out he's such a fun player to root for; absolutely nothing (that we know of) to dislike about him.

It totally sucks to see him dealt away.

He gave me so much baseball joy, and I am hoping against hope that if/when he declares for free agency, the Red Sox sign him again. I want him back, very badly.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
72,430
Mookie, you were the best 5 tool player the Red Sox have had for a long long time. I enjoyed watching you play. I enjoyed watching you hit, I enjoyed watching your run, I enjoyed watching you throw.

You will be missed immensely. Hope you come back in 10-12 months.
 

Brianish

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Dec 11, 2008
5,556
I went to see Deven Marerro play for Lowell in 2012 in his first series after he was drafted, but all I remember was how a kid named Mookie dominated the game instead. Then I got to watch him do it for another seven years.

Thanks, Mookie.
 

Tyrone Biggums

nfl meets tri-annually at a secret country mansion
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Aug 15, 2006
6,424
One of my favorites. Good luck in LA. Hope they win this year and when its ready to retire he comes back to Boston for his number to be retired. Not likely but one can dream.
 
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thehitcat

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 25, 2003
2,376
Windham, ME
Thank you Mookie. You were a joy to watch in the field and at the plate for the Sox. I'll miss your joie de vivre and your sudden power from your small frame (Camden Demolisher!). That 13 pitch AB Grand Slam is one of my all time favorite HOLY SHIT DID YOU JUST SEE THAT Red Sox moments in my 45 years of watching and remembering this team. Thank you for everything. Good luck this year and in the rest of your career (just please for all of us, don't go to the Yankees) and in your life after baseball. You are always welcome back home and we'd love to have you back with the team someday.
 

Bleedred

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Feb 21, 2001
9,963
Boston, MA
I love this guy as a player. Everything about his game is exciting and his disposition and seeming joy for the game was infectious for players and this fan. Someone stated it above. My favorite Red Sox of all-time, other than Pedro. Or better yet, my favorite position player of all-time. Thank you Mookie.
 

Marbleheader

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Sep 27, 2004
11,726
So glad he won a title here. Go get paid, Mookie. One of my favorite players in any sport.
 

Shaky Walton

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Nov 20, 2019
717
The Happ 13 pitch AB gets its own post. It should. It was glorious.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g59FR48AJNM&ab_channel=MLB
I watched that at bat on my phone at a concert, in line for drinks with a friend who is a Yankees fan. And when Betts hit it out, even Yankees Fan celebrated like his team had just hit a walk off. That's how cool that moment was and how transcendent a player Betts is.

Thanks for so many great memories, Mookie Betts. I'm going to miss rooting for you like I've missed few others.
 

loafasaur

New Member
Jul 16, 2005
2
Game 162, at Fenway versus the O's, Mookie hustles all the way around from first on a surprised Birds outfielder to score the winning, walk-off run. Watching on the telly, I thought, "What a baseruner! What a play! I sure hope it isn't Mookie's last play in a Red Sox uniform." Sadly, it was just that. Fare well, Mr. Betts!
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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Sep 10, 2017
5,959
The Happ 13 pitch AB gets its own post. It should. It was glorious.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g59FR48AJNM&ab_channel=MLB
In retrospect, with the shot of Dombrowski's smile after the homer, that was probably the closest the Sox came to giving him an extension. If you got a few substances into Dave, he may have drawn up the 12 yr/$420 million offer that night.

In all seriousness, that was the embodiment of Mookie the competitor. Not flashy and not a leader off the field of play, but he brings a calm fire every game. How many position players can literally impact a game for 10 straight minutes like that AB and not lose focus.
 

OurF'ingCity

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Apr 22, 2016
8,469
New York City
The Happ 13 pitch AB gets its own post. It should. It was glorious.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g59FR48AJNM&ab_channel=MLB
Came here just to make sure someone had posted this. This play was the tipping point in making Mookie my all-time favorite Red Sox player since Pedro left. Thanks in large part to some of the very well-reasoned posts on this site I've made my peace with Mookie leaving, but it still hurts a lot and doesn't yet quite seem real. It's not going to be fun seeing Mookie in a Dodgers jersey (and then, potentially, in the jersey of yet another team come next year).

But none of that changes how much joy Mookie brought me during his time with the Red Sox (and I say that as someone who tends to not get very sentimental about sports). In some ways this makes the 2018 World Series all the more sweeter because it would have really sucked if Mookie had left without a Red Sox championship ring.
 

DeweyWins

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Jan 24, 2012
56
Huntsville, AL
Eck's "It's time to party!" rings through the ears of my mind when I think of this play.

On one hand, I feel like I just sent my kid off to college, and to a school I don't even like.

I am definitely on the bandwagon of Pedro --> Mookie --> everyone else (no offense, Big Papi!). Mookie was such a dynamic player all-around. For the time he was here, Mookie was more than anyone could have expected. I watched a 2014 Spring Training video this morning with Betts wearing #11 (that was weird to see!). With Pedey or Mookie, we have had some really good production from players under 6' tall. He plays much larger than his physical stature. That is one reason why teams might not offer him the number of years he would like to see in a contract. I'd offer 8y/$300M, no questions asked apart from passing a med exam.

It stinks when we raise them, bring them up, and have to watch them go, or in this case, send them out. I'm sure we'll make an offer to him after this season (provided he doesn't sign an elusive extension) and I'm also sure our offer will not be enough to bring him home.

Morning ramble about Mookie done now. Peace!
 

mr_smith02

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Nov 29, 2003
4,352
Upstate NY
Absolutely loved watching Mookie play this game that I love so much. I have to admit it will sting for quite a while that he won't be wearing our laundry any longer. Wishing #50 all the luck in the world on the West Coast!
 

ElcaballitoMVP

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Nov 19, 2008
3,932
Man this one hurt. We all figured this was going to be the end result, but seeing Mookie in a Dodgers uniform is going to be tough.

Losing your best player because you can't budget. Not a good day to be a Sox fan.

Thanks for making the game fun to watch, Mookie. Watching him grow from an athletic young 2B into a gold glove caliber OF, watching him hit lasers all over the field, watching him run the bases, watching him dance with JBJ and Beni after a win. I'm going to miss it all.
 

pokey_reese

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Jun 25, 2008
16,247
Boston, MA
One of the greatest players to root for in Boston history, Mookie was the single greatest argument I could ever make to my wife as to why we should be watching baseball instead of something else, or be sitting in the baking August sun in Fenway for just a few more innings. He was a player who could appeal to everyone with talent and charm to spare. I'm gonna you, thanks for everything, and we wish you the best of luck wherever you go from here, secure in the knowledge that you will be forever loved in Boston.
 

mwonow

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Sep 4, 2005
7,095
The Happ 13 pitch AB gets its own post. It should. It was glorious.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g59FR48AJNM&ab_channel=MLB
Add me to the group of folks who have Pedro, Mookie and Papi in their personal pantheon. Also, to the "I feel ill today" and "I'm not wishing good things on Henry & co." groups.

Got a little dusty here around pitch 13. I'll be thinking about it as the Sox limp along for the next bunch of years, and Mookster brings hardware to f'ng LA
 

Pitt the Elder

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Sep 7, 2013
4,417
I'm too old to have sports heroes, let alone guys 10 years my junior, but Mookie was the best all-around Red Sox play I've had the honor and privilege to cheer for and my all-time favorite of anyone not named Pedro. It was immensely satisfying to watch him rocket through the farm system as an unheralded prospect (Feats of Mookie!) and blossom into one of the best in the game. He's also an all-around great guy and everything you could ever hope for in a franchise player. I was hoping Mookie would play his entire career in Boston and I'm not only saddened that I will miss the opportunity to cheer for him more, but also that my one-year-old son won't come of age cheering for Mookie the same way I cheered for Boston legends like Roger, Boggs, and Larry.

Thank you, Mookie. This is a sad day and you will be missed.
 

JimD

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Nov 29, 2001
8,681
Thanks Mookie for giving it your all in every game, and always with the joy of a little kid playing the game. I'll be rooting for you no matter what uniform you wear, and am holding out the (probably slim) hope for a joyous reunion on Opening Day 2021.
 

chrisfont9

Member
SoSH Member
Thanks Mookie for giving it your all in every game, and always with the joy of a little kid playing the game. I'll be rooting for you no matter what uniform you wear, and am holding out the (probably slim) hope for a joyous reunion on Opening Day 2021.
This. All I can add is how much fun I had watching him. To me, this video is the perfect Mookie moment.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZkDvcriOT0
 

Zomp

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Aug 28, 2006
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When my son was born, more than almost anything I wanted to bring him to a Red Sox game. A year later, on May 2nd 2018, I did. Mookie Betts hit 3 home runs that day. I always assumed that as my son grew up watching baseball, Mookie would become his favorite player because A) he was the best player on the team he was born to support and b) because he could always say at his first game Mookie Betts hit 3 home runs.

Even if Mookie comes back in Free Agency, this doesn't feel right. Players like him should be a one team guy. Classy off the field as well.
 

brandonchristensen

Loves Aaron Judge
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Feb 4, 2012
38,144
When my son was born, more than almost anything I wanted to bring him to a Red Sox game. A year later, on May 2nd 2018, I did. Mookie Betts hit 3 home runs that day. I always assumed that as my son grew up watching baseball, Mookie would become his favorite player because A) he was the best player on the team he was born to support and b) because he could always say at his first game Mookie Betts hit 3 home runs.

Even if Mookie comes back in Free Agency, this doesn't feel right. Players like him should be a one team guy. Classy off the field as well.
To me, he's seemed more like a Lebron James. With his unflinching desire to go to Free Agency, he was likely going to be a hired gun, best in the league, but not necessarily faithful to anyone.
 

CreedBratton

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Dec 6, 2009
3,753
My all time fav player behind Ortiz. Thanks for being an utter joy on & off the field! This one stings.
 

ilol@u

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Mar 2, 2009
4,231
Foxboro
1. David Ortiz
2. Pedro Martinez
3. Mookie Betts

Thank you Mookie for the championship. Go get paid - you deserve it.
 

jaytftwofive

New Member
Jan 20, 2013
1,182
Drexel Hill Pa.
Best Red Sox all around player of this century. Wish we still had him. It's going to be a long year. They will regret this trade and not trying harder to re-sign him. Thanks Mookie!
 

Detts

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Jul 20, 2005
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Greenville, SC
I still feel like a jackass after all these years for responding to a status request on the minor league forum while here in Greenville that he was too scrawny to make it.

Looking forward to your HoF speech. No one has a better smile than you.

And I sincerely apologize for underestimating you.
 

JCizzle

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Dec 11, 2006
20,530
I'll never forget following Alex Speier's #feats of Mookie when they first popped up once and a while and progressed to nearly daily. Such a lovable player and guy.
 

CarolinaBeerGuy

Don't know him from Adam
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Mar 14, 2006
9,419
Kernersville, NC
I'll never forget following Alex Speier's #feats of Mookie when they first popped up once and awhile and progressed to nearly daily. Such a lovable player and guy.
100% this. I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving Mookie. I’m going to hold out hope of signing him for the next 350 or so days.
 

pdub

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Jun 2, 2007
516
I hope he comes back as a free agent but won't blame him at all if he goes somewhere else to maximize his money. One hell of a player, didn't believe this would happen.
 

CarolinaBeerGuy

Don't know him from Adam
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Mar 14, 2006
9,419
Kernersville, NC
I hope he comes back as a free agent but won't blame him at all if he goes somewhere else to maximize his money. One hell of a player, didn't believe this would happen.
I don’t blame him at all. He was honest about his intentions all along. Does it suck? Yes. I already miss my avatar. Make me proud, Mr. Devers.
 

fiskfan75

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Nov 14, 2006
42
Thank you Mookie! You made every game a joy to watch...win or lose. Always a pro..always trying to improve. I hope this is a trial separation only. You're a Red Sox..Boston is your home!
 

PhabPhour20

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Silver Supporter
Jan 5, 2007
230
Spankee Country, CT
1. Pedro Martinez
2. Dustin Pedroia
3. David Ortiz
4. Mookie Betts

Mostly I feel bad for my kids. My heart has long since shriveled and dried up, but theirs still beat with joy.

"Of course, there are those who learn after the first few times. They grow out of sports. And there are others who were born with the wisdom to know that nothing lasts. These are the truly tough among us, the ones who can live without illusion, or without even the hope of illusion. I am not that grown-up or up-to-date. I am a simpler creature, tied to more primitive patterns and cycles. I need to think something lasts forever, and it might as well be that state of being that is a game; it might as well be that, in a green field, in the sun."