That’s a clown trade, bro. Or words to that effect.
Like many Boston Red Sox fans, the brother of three-time All Star Kevin Youkilis wasn’t shy about going on Twitter to slam the trade that sent the beloved veteran first/third baseman to Chicago yesterday.
Scott Youkilis is a chef and restaurateur in San Francisco. The Youkilis family is originally from the Cincinnati area.
Scott concluded his series of trade-related tweets by admitting, however, that “Twitter is too powerful for its own good.”
Love that #teamyouk may be changing sox real soon. #Chicago is better town anyways!
— Scott Youkilis (@chefyouk) June 23, 2012
@ Oliver_Klozoph I wonder why? Bobby V is a joke
— Scott Youkilis (@chefyouk) June 23, 2012
Yep. This is the ugly side of sports in Boston
— Scott Youkilis (@chefyouk) June 24, 2012
#whychicagoisbetterthanboston closer drive from Cincinnati
— Scott Youkilis (@chefyouk) June 24, 2012
The Sox-to-Sox trade happened because Rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks has been on fire, and management concluded that there was no longer any room in the lineup for Youkilis, 33, on an everyday basis.
But this story by Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham seems to sum up the the reasons why Youkilis, who tripled in his last at bat for the team, is held in such high regard by Red Sox fans:
Kevin Youkilis was a member of two World Series teams and played parts of nine seasons for the Red Sox. He was a career .287 hitter with an OPS of .875. Beyond the statistics, it’s accurate to say he played as hard as he could every second he was on the field.
How do you trade a guy like that?
…Youkilis was never the swiftest, strongest, or most graceful athlete on the field. But nobody played with more passion. Umpires and opposing players felt that passion, too. It was all part of the package.
Abraham agrees with his chef brother that Youk did not see eye-to-eye with first-year manager Bobby Valentine.
As part of a new chapter in life, Kevin Youkilis recently married Tom Brady’s sister Julie and they have a baby on the way. “Be happy for Youkilis, not sad,” Abraham writes.
Watch Kevin Youkilis’ last at bat and other Youk highlights from Sunday’s Red Sox/Braves Interleague game: [iframe src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/kWP4smEFt1k” width=”460″ height=”315″]