VERNON WELLS: NICE GUYS FINISH FIRST

I lived in Toronto for ten years. In that time, I worked a lot of hours in the bar/restaurant industry, and went to a lot of the games at the Skydome. Yes, it has since been re-named. No, it will not be referred to by that name here.

Because of my job and my passion for baseball, I got a lot of looks at Vernon Wells. I can say, first person, that Vernon is a really nice guy. I am not hearing this through someone else. This isn’t something a friend said. This is directly from me. I have met Vernon a few times. He is a nice guy.

Humor columnist Dave Barry once said, “If somebody is nice to you but not nice to the waiter, then they are not a nice person.” As a veteran of the industry, I am able to speak to the truth of that. I have dealt with many celebrities and/or athletes. Many of them were nice, many more were not.

I won’t outright name anyone who was a complete jerk, as there were a few, but one in particular stood out for his arrogance and overall jerk-waddery. I will give you two hints to his identity; he used to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs and his name rhymes with Die Tomi.
But I digress…

Vernon was always very cool to everyone. He was gracious and soft spoken to the staff, kind to those who approached him and always smiling. He really was pleasant to be around.

Knowing Vernon was a nice guy helped increase the enjoyment of watching him play. He could hit, he could run, he could field very very well. He was going to be the cornerstone of the Jays, and former Toronto GM JP Ricciardi signed him to a ridiculous contract because of it. This, of course was JP’s legacy, ridiculous contracts, but the city called T Dot thought this one was a good idea.

Well. We all know how that turned out. Vernon began to struggle. Living up to that massive albatross was too much. Slowly, JP’s foolishness transformed into resentment for Wells. He became as much of a pariah in Canada as ARod has become here in New York.

Me? I felt bad for Vernon. I knew what a great guy he was, and couldn’t blame him for the contract. Would you have said “no” to that money? Of course not. And there wasn’t a whole lot of talented bats surrounding Wells. He was on an island more often than not.

So, he got traded. That had never happened to him before, and surprise surprise, his numbers stayed low.
Now I live in New York again, and Vernon is in town too. He has made no secret of how he has always wanted the Pinstripes. He has approached the field with joy and verve. He is flashing that smile I have seen up close.

And he is showing it on the diamond. Two home runs this week. He has been a bright spot in a doom and gloom week for the Bronx. But his bat is not alone this time, and he has been all but forgotten by opposing pitchers for now. Nobody is worried about the “Nice Guy” Vernon Wells.
They should be. He is already showing them why.

 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


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