Sports Redux: Nomah

Show of hands: who teared up at the top of the second inning last night? This Bostonist feels no shame in owning up to a pair of misty eyes. The sight of Nomar Garciaparra getting choked up as the Fenway crowd welcomed him home on Monday night was one of those goosebump moments that felt by those inside the ballpark, in the broadcast booths (as noted by Dennis Eckersley) and all of us tuned to radio or television feeds. That wasn't just a standing ovation - that was a moment that had been in the making since July 31, 2004, when Red Sox fans were shocked at the sight of the freshly-traded Nomar walking down a hallway within the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

There were things said and felt then, but all involved are older now, wiser now and armed with hindsight that includes two World Series trophies. Nomar's got a Red Sox ring. And while it's interesting to play around with the idea of Nomar joining the Sox again one day - he wants it - we can all recognize that the Nomar Sox fans enjoyed was something unique to Boston. He's been an injury-riddled player with moments of greatness in Chicago, Los Angeles and Oakland. It's only here that he's been Nom-ah.

While baseball is a game that often gives appreciation to players and moments in the past, it's supposed to be balanced out by buckling down and focusing on the present. Unfortunately, John Smoltz's home debut and the need to preserve that precious one-game lead in the standings was overshadowed by the arrival of Nomar and - we can't forget this guy - Orlando Cabrera, as the Sox were shutout by young Brett Anderson. While Anderson earned his 6-0 win, Boston helped out the cause by again forgetting how to score runs. Fortunately, this mini-skid the team is experiencing has yet to have catastrophic results, as the Blue Jays helped us out big time by defeating the Yankees, 7-6. If the weather holds out today, expect the Boston side to skip the sentimentality and get right down to actually winning ballgames.

Looking for your first chance to see Rasheed Wallace as a member of the Celtics? Free agents are available to sign on Wednesday, and Wallace will, from the sounds of things, be signing his name as quickly as humanly possible. Expect a press conference to follow - while the word is Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday, our money's on Wednesday. Next up on CelticsWatch? Grant Hill.