I just got through reading Dustin Pedroia's conversation with Rob Bradford, and I came away pretty impressed. (If you haven't read it yet, catch the highlights over here.)
Most of all, I just think that Pedroia's really honest here. Remember when everything came out at the end of last year and essentially every player in that clubhouse skirted around discussing what really happened? Whenwhether it was a matter of saving his own face, or not ratting out a teammateit was like pulling teeth to get anyone to admit that there was even a problem?
Right, well in this interview, there's none of that. Without hesitation, Pedroia addressed every issue. And while in some ways, it sounds like he's making excuses, I don't think that's the case. He admits that he shouldn't have called out Bobby V or taken that (what I'm sure was a hilarious) photo when his manager was passed out. He admits that he should have found a way to make it to Johnny Pesky's funeral. But in doing so, he's just trying to explain his thought process, however wrong it may have been. He's just being open and honest. He's being accountable. What more can we possibly ask for?
Personally, it would have been nice if he spoke out on the whole "That's not how we do things around here" issue a little sooner. It might have gone a long way had he taken this stand"It came out wrong. I messed that up. No question about it. Obviously I don't want to call out our manager by any means. I've never been put in that situation before and I didn't know how to respond. I regret that all that happened."immediately after incident took place.
But hey, there's nothing we can do now. And it's not like Pedroia was the only one screwing up. There's barely a guy in that clubhouse who hasn't made a big mistake or two over the last year.
It's just nice that some of them are finally ready to own up, so everyone else can move on.
Rich can be reached at rlevine@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Rich on Twitter at http:twitter.comrich_levine