Good-bye, Yunel

Originally, I was going to write about the All-Star Game and about our boys (and I will... just not right now).  But then, during a break between classes, I saw the words  "Escobar gone? :(" while checking Facebook.  Immediate reaction:  OH NO THEY &^*#$ DID NOT.  I scrolled down, and there it was, from both the Blue Jays and the Braves fan pages.

What I have feared has come to pass.

I feel gutted.  I feel like I've been punched in the stomach.  After all this time where the Braves repeatedly said they wouldn't trade Yunel...

I know that it's a good short-term WIN-NOW trade for us.  I like Alex Gonzalez (welcome aboard, Gonzo!) and I know he's a good player.

But at the expense of Yunel?  My boy.  My baby.  Every year, I'm afraid they will trade Yunel, and every year, I breathe a tentative sigh of relief.

As if that weren't enough, then there is this barrage of "Escobar is a bad teammate" or "Escobar has no friends" or "Nobody takes Yunel seriously" or "He infuriates the coaches on a regular basis" or "He doesn't get along with his teammates, otherwise he'd still be in Atlanta," etc.  The one that hurt me the most, though, was the one about Bobby hating him.

I can't and I won't believe that.  I don't know why I am taking this so personally, but I truly am heartbroken.  My darling boys wouldn't just turn on one of their own.  I have a hard time believing that even Tim Hudson didn't like him.  I have seen many games, where Hudson will turn around and point at Escobar and shout "Attaboy!"

And what do you mean about flashy shows, Mark Bowman (and everybody else who says so)?  I've been to a lot of games, and I catch them on TV if I can't attend them in person.  You're out of your tree.  He rarely even smiles on the field, even after he's made some RIDICULOUS play.  Sometimes, after Martin has prodded him a bit, he'll crack a boyish grin, but...

My baby's gone.  :(

I am only consoled by the fact that I will be in Toronto soon.  And I'll be able to watch him play live again.  It just won't be in an Atlanta uniform.  And if he comes to Atlanta, I'll be obligated to root against him.  It also means that there will be no more of this in Atlanta (one of my very favorite highlights of Yunel's).

What a bitter pill to swallow.