The marriage between the Red Sox and Nomar Garciaparra has ended, due to irreconcilable differences. I'm sad. I've watched Nomah play in Fenway for the past seven years. He has epitomized Boston and the Red Sox. He has faced and overcome adversity. He was a professional. He played with style, making the most difficult play seem easy. He had tremendous range and played with heart. His work ethic was never in question.

I would have enjoyed watching him play in Boston for his entire career. At the end we would have all cheered as his No. 5 was placed on the right field wall with 1, 4, 8, 9, and 27. All former Red Sox greats. In my mind Nomar still is one of Boston's greats.

I'm not the only one saddened by the move. MLB.com reports players sad to see Nomah go. Clubhouse tensions, huh?

Perhaps the tensions were in the front office. Boston.com writes about the "Tale of two cities." The article describes the relationship over the past few months.

Besides the players and myself, few did not welcome the change. The Boston Herald's Gerry Callahan says there was "No room for Nomar's negativity. The Globe's Dan Shaughnessy wrote "it was time for him to go."

The way Boston's writers have turned on Nomar bothers me. He obviously did not give them enough copy. How much more could he have given?

For Nomar, the trade may be turn out to be a good thing. He's been reunited with former teammate and good friend Todd Walker. The two played well together last year leading Boston to the ALCS. Besides Chicago writers have got to be more forgiving than Boston.

The Chicago Tribune's Rick Morrissey writes seeing Nomar in a Cubs uniform was "so odd and so right, all at the same time. Now that he's gone, I hope he stays in Chicago.

He is an old-school player who should play for an old-school team. Chicago fits the mold. Like the Red Sox, the Cubs have a really good shot at getting the NL wild card this year. With its current staff, they are in good position to make a run every year. He'll play in another one of baseball's oldest ballparks, Wrigley Field. The dimensions of Wrigley should also help Nomar's numbers. And of course the Cubs have history, albeit cursed. It could be the perfect fit.

Cubs fans and players will surely love to have him. The Globe and Mail says that Cubs fans are less serious about the curse than are Red Sox fans. That should make Garciaparra's transition a little easier. MercuryNews.com reports that Nomar apologizes for stealing spotlight away from Greg Maddux. Maddux was going for his 300th career win on Sunday. He came up a little short.

I'm not so sure the Sox are better. The battle cry from the Red Sox front office has been "Defense, Defense!" Well, they certainly have addressed that need. Orlando Cabrera may even be a better shortstop than Nomar and has a Gold Glove as evidence. Add his speed, Cabrera could end up being a steal. Boston.com reports "in short cabrera stand up teammate. I like Cabrera. If the Sox were smart they would lock him up now for a few more years.

Doug Mientkiewicz is also a former Gold Glove winner. He's an Olympic hero, winning in Sidney in 2000. He has lots of potential and can play defense. But how much playing time will he really get?

Is Cabrera and Mientkiewicz enough for Nomar? No. Is it enough to get them to the playoffs? World Series? Only time will tell.

The Sox also acquired Dave Roberts from L.A to also help out. He's a speed demon who also is a defensive-minded player, meaning he doesn't have much offense. Again, I believe playing time will be an issue. There may be room in right.

The Providence Journal suggests that not much has changed based on Sunday's performance. The newspaper's Web site reports, "But when the afternoon was over, there were the same lingering problems for the Red Sox: spotty setup work from the bullpen, an offense too dependent on the long ball, and a fundamental gaffe or two."

With the addition of all this speed and contact hitting, will I finally see a successful hit-and-run? More stolen bases? Sacrifice flys? Sacrifice bunts? Doubtful. The "Moneyball" philosophy does not believe in sacrifice, except when it comes to trading great players.

Reader comments: Do you think the trade helped or hurt the Red Sox? Will it bring them to the playoffs?

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