To this day, Kevin Youkilis is still one of my favorite baseball players of all time. You say you’ve never heard of him? Well.....
In the early 2000s when the Boston Red Sox were reemerging as a baseball powerhouse, “Youk” as he was called was in the middle of it. So allow me a moment to sing the praises of Kevin Youkilis, and how my love of the Boston Red Sox and Youk is just what this country needs right now. You heard me right!
Youkilis is a product of one of America’s great baseball towns, Cincinnati, Ohio. The city that gave us Pete Rose and Barry Larkin also gave us ‘the Greek God of Walks’. That is how Youkilis was described in the movie “Moneyball” for his ability get on base.
And he could do so much more! Youkilis finished his career with a very respectable 32.6 WAR (wins above replacement) stat. Beyond his ability to draw a walk, he could hit. Kevin was a career .281 average, finishing with over 1,000 hits in his Major League career. During that stretch, he set a Major League record for not making an error in the field and was a great leader for that team. He was a driving force for Red Sox teams from 2005 until his skills started to show some decline in 2011.
Have I sold you on how awesome he was as a player yet?
Youkilis was a central part of my beloved Red Sox. The Red Sox were (are still) must see TV for me during the summer as I watch the baseball season unfold. More often than not, my hopes are dashed for a successful season that includes a World Series banner. But my love affair with the Red Sox continues win or lose.
And I loved Youkilis too, especially his knack to do whatever he could with his abilities for the good of the team. Need a walk, he’ll work to make it happen. Opportunity to get hit by a pitch and get on base, he’ll lean in. He was never, NEVER the best player on any Major League Baseball team he played on during his entire career.
Youk will never be confused with a hall of famer, despite my deep respect of him. What he did was work hard, earn his pay and gave all that he was blessed with to make the organization stronger. He absolutely made mistakes, but Youkilis was absolutely someone that teammates would love to play aside.
Which is what made June 24, 2012 such a bad day for me.
Even the ‘Greek God of Walks’ started to show a decline. So on that fateful day, the Red Sox traded Youk to of all places the Chicago White Sox. This player I loved, that to this day I still have a Red Sox jersey with his #20 on it, was suddenly on the south side of Chicago playing for a team I really didn’t like. I was able to rationalize in my mind that this was still OK. Youk was getting a chance to play, hopefully for a title in a year when the Red Sox were destined to finish last in the AL East standings. The White Sox did not end up in the playoffs that year. And then it got worse!
There is only one baseball franchise I like less than the White Sox, and it is the New York Yankees. Prior to the 2013 season, Youkilis signed a contract with the evil empire and he played his final season of big league ball in pinstripes. For that final season, Youkilis was now trying to beat my beloved Red Sox.
The lesson learned for me through all of this is simple. My enjoyment of the game did not change when my favorite player was suddenly gone. The Red Sox remained my team, through thick and thin even when they traded away my absolute favorite player.
The reality was that even though Kevin Youkilis made all kinds of lasting contributions to the team I love, he was a temporary part of the organization. In fact, #20 has been worn by 37 players for the Red Sox throughout history, including Wade Miley and Ryan Lavarnway since Youkilis last competed in that uniform.
With his departure, I was reminded of a simple adage; that the name on the front of the jersey was more important that the name on the back. You can absolutely love a player for your team, like me and Kevin Youkilis. But his part of the team I root for and love is simply a small blip on the timeline of life. Youkilis as a Red Sox was just a moment in time. The team will march on without that player, only to be replaced by another favorite player on down the line. Baseball is a great sport because it is such a reflection of our lives. In many ways, that is the beauty of baseball as it so eloquently shows that time marches on.
It is that same lesson that I hope the the citizens of our country can learn. Taught to me by Kevin Youkilis and I pass along to you. Love and respect our institutions; our government and our symbols of freedom. The freedom and liberty we all are graced with is what is important. It’s not about the individuals that occupy those seats of government or the house where our leader lives. Rather it is about the ideals that have set us apart as a country from our very beginning. The players on a baseball team and the elected leaders of government at any level are temporary. The institution itself lives on while the individuals that occupy those offices are fleeting, momentary. So maybe Youk cannot help save our country, but we can use this story to improve it.
The name on the front of the jersey is more important than the one on the back; the President, your governor or mayor, congressman or any of the symbols of freedom those individuals are elected to protect. That is the front of the jersey so to speak and what is really important.
Live life with respect, and remember how temporary anything we’re discussing right now is in the grand scheme of life. Lift up our ideals, our liberty and the process to make change. And if you feel a change is needed, get involved and be a part of the change. Join the process, and remember we’re all playing for the same team; the name on the front of the jersey.
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