A Moment to Remember

Posted by Mike Giardi May 20, 2008 at 10:27 am

Jon Lester doesn’t want me to think about that dark day a couple of summers ago, the day when we all learned he had cancer. He claims its not anything he preoccupies himself with, so why should I? Or any of you? Good in theory, but hard to accomplish.

Last year, it was impossible to not think about his diagnosis and subsequent recovery. It was too soon. And that was before the quiet southpaw capped a 2007 comeback by earning a win in the deciding game of the World Series. How could we not frame that evening in the back-story?  It was just too fitting; perhaps a reminder from the baseball gods that Jon Lester deserved that moment, deserved to feel that good just a year removed from such a dark period in his young life.  I felt good for him. All of baseball did.

There were rumors in the months that followed of a possible trade to Minnesota for Johan Santana. Lester was definitely on the table, and that was hard for some in Red Sox Nation to fathom. They had such a tie to him, wanted so much to see the Washington native become a finished product and help anchor the rotation for years to come. Fans got their wish when the Mets finally sealed the deal for the established ace, but there’s been more than one reference to Santana this April and May, and the typical second-guessing, “Why did Theo hang on to Lester?’

At the start of spring training, Lester was different. 20 pounds heavier, and oh how the staff and brass raved. If I heard that the Sox were “bullish” on Jon and his talents, well, you know…Perhaps that was as I sign that at least I was moving on. But even then, almost every story written about the kid had some link to his diagnosis in 2006. When could we - the media, the fans - let it go?

I didn’t know the answer. Until last night. Sometime after 10 o’clock. Jon Lester threw the last of his 130 pitches. It went past Kansas City’s Alberto Callaspo, into catcher Jason Varitek’s mitt, and that was it. A fresh new chapter in this tale, one that sent chills racing up and down the arms of all 38-thousand crammed into those seats at Fenway, and to the millions watching at home, on the couch, or chair, or lying on the floor with their dog (that was me).

Jon Lester had pitched the game of his life, a no-hitter. He turned into the pitcher we had all heard about during his run through stops like Portland, Maine, and Pawtucket, Rhode Island; the pitcher we had seen flashes of as a rookie in 2006 and - on a couple of occasions - in 2007. Jon Lester is finally where he wants to be, not just in his body and mind, but in the hearts and souls of a rabid fan base. Said Mike Lowell, “It shows his ability has come full circle. Besides the no-hitter, he shows he can really shut down a team, because he has that kind of stuff.” Yes, Mike, yes he does. I just saw it with my own eyes.