Loyal Sox Blog reader that he is,
Bronson Arroyo sent this heartfelt goodbye note to let readers know how much he appreciates us all, and how much he'll miss us.
Dear Red Sox Nation,
I think it was Joe DiMaggio who said, “I may have gotten
a bad break, but today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the
earth.”
As sad as I am right now, I want to thank Theo for picking me
up off the slag heap back in ‘03. If it wasn’t for him taking a flyer, who
knows what might have happened? I might be singing Goo Goo Dolls songs in some
biker bar in Daytona Beach.
Instead, I got to come to Fenway. Probably the highlight for
me was making A-Rod look like a douche on national TV — twice! I swear I wasn’t
trying to hit him in that game, but, hey, I was fine with just standing on the
mound and laughing when Tek rearranged his face. And then there was the
“Slappy” play. That Photoshopped e-mail with the purse? So funny! You can do an
awful lot with Photoshop. I’ve tried to tell Aimee that so many times.
There have been some bad times, sure. Tim McCarver calling me “Brandon” over and over kind of pissed me off.
It’s Bronson, dude. As in Charles Bronson. Do you have a death wish, Tom? Just
kidding!
But actually getting to record an album was a dream and a
half. I mean, getting to meet Leland Sklar? For me, that was right up there
with winning the World Series. Getting to carry that trophy all over Red Sox
Nation? Getting to see places like Brockton and East Millinocket? That was
awesome. Like I told Theo, I’d rather pitch out of the pen here than start
somewhere else.
Maybe playing for the Reds might not be so bad. I’ll only have
to get the “ox” removed from that tattoo I got.
Thanks again for everything. See y’all in interleague....
-Bronson