Former Boston Red Sox infielder Nick Punto expressed regret about not attending the funeral of Johnny Pesky last week during an interview with WEEI. Only four current Red Sox players attended the funural, sparking local controversy on why so many players made the decision not to attend the funeral of the legendary player.
Punto, who was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford, said it was a decision he'll always look back on and regret. What he had to say is after the jump.
"There was a note on our chair at like 4 o'clock in the morning, when we showed up [after arriving home from New York]," Punto said. "I know for me personally -- I can't speak for my teammates -- for me personally, that's going to be something I regret -- not going to bed at 4:30 and setting that alarm for 10 o'clock and just going. When I reflect back on that season, that will be one of the things that I definitely regret not doing. So, that's me personally. Yeah, it was definitely one of those nights where we got those letters and I'm sure guys were half-asleep when they were reading it."
Punto would also discuss perceived leadership issues on the Red Sox, stating that different players led in their own way, and that Bobby Valentine's much-discussed communication issues were improving as the season progressed. Punto also denied reports that the players had demanded Valentine be fired.
David Ortiz, who attended the funeral along with Vicente Padilla, Clay Buchholz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, stated last week that the amount of players attending the funeral was probably understandable considering the team's late arrival that morning. He's hopeful the Red Sox can move on.
"Hopefully people don't start making a big deal about it," he said. "We don't need that right now. We need to continue playing and focus on trying to win some games and get into the playoffs."
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