From Punchline to Punchout: The Jacoby Ellsbury Story

by Red on August 4, 2011

Run, Heidi, run!

Last year, he was our comic relief. The team softie.

We [and, specifically, I] questioned his heart, his fire, his moxie.

Today, he’s rapidly becoming a goddam legitimate MVP candidate with his switch permanently fixed in the “asskick” position.

How, exactly, did this happen?

On opening day back in April, had someone told you that by August 4, Jacoby Ellsbury would have played in more games than any other Red Sox player; be second only to Adrian Gonzalez in hits and average; have more home runs than Youk and the Elf and almost twice as many stolen bags as Crawford, you probably would have checked his or her thermos for the hard stuff or convinced yourself you pulled a Chuck Heston and woke up on the Planet of the Apes.

But it’s real. And it’s spectacular.

When last night’s game began, it was all about Wakey. When it ended, for the second night in a row, it was all about Jacoby. And the Ellsbury Comeback Special is one of the most entertaining story lines of this season. It also gives us another reason to believe in the possibility of a third World Series appearance in eight years.

So, to paraphrase Billy Madison [and my buddy Alexis' tweet from last night], man am I glad I apologized to THAT guy.

Oh and how about the shots of the guys in the dugout while Ells’ home run sailed outta dodge? Check the screen cap below and see how Papelbon has assumed the “full Spider-Man” while new guy Mike Aviles busts with the “raising my fist in response to awesomeness” stance that he likely didn’t get to employ much in Kansas City.

BTW, for what it’s worth, I totally called that home run.

12 comments
VJ in Stuttgart
VJ in Stuttgart like.author.displayName 1 Like

Nice to see Ells get his dues. He has stepped it up a notch and for that we are grateful.

Let's hope Bedard can do the same.

Chris in LA
Chris in LA

If he's not named player of the week they'll be hell to pay.

Nikki in Denver
Nikki in Denver like.author.displayName 1 Like

He was never a punch line to me! ;) So happy he's becoming the player we knew he would eventually be! Just glad it's happening while he's still on our team!

rapid_roman61
rapid_roman61 like.author.displayName 1 Like

Ellsbury has also gotten alot of crap for being the teen idol of pink hats, which he has no control over. (BTW, I hate that term pink hats.) He has taken his game to a higher level this year, and only Scott Boras could be more excited than Red Sox fans.

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