Competition is a heck of a thing. The deep, intractable desire to win at all costs can cause you to say things in the wake of a loss that, if said in any other context, would have you sent off for evaluation.
That’s why I can understand how Boston Red Sox rookie Josh Winckowski could say something so very silly – borderline criminal – after losing 3-1 to the Chicago Cubs at beautiful and historic Wrigley Field.
“A little underwhelming,” Winckowski said of Wrigley Field, per MassLive. “Fenway kind of has a presence to it. I really didn’t get that here, to be honest. I said to my mom last night, this place is very stock standard, if you ask me. I didn’t really feel anything, to be honest. It kind of just felt like another ballpark.”
I can only hope your mom set you straight, son.
Like I said, I can excuse some Big Mad-ness after a loss where Winckowski pitched well, but lost because his defense couldn’t make plays on a bunch of dribblers. I’ll chalk up his disrespect of a National Historic Landmark as nothing more than an effort to hide the tears.
Wrigley Field, which was constructed more than 100 years ago and just completed a renovation that restored a lot of the original beauty, is unquestionably one of the most special ballparks in baseball. I don’t really have to compare it to any other park – Fenway or other – in order to compliment it. It sits in the middle of a neighborhood, its seating is almost entirely intimate, and the bleachers are fun as hell.
I have been to a number of “stock standard” ballparks in my day, and whatever Wrigley Field is … it certainly ain’t that.
The Cubs and Jordan Bastian had some fun with the comments: