If there were such a thing as a Blue Collar All-Star team, I think Jonny Gomes should be on it. All he does is give the team 100 percent every time he suits up. Oh yeah, I know some give 110, 200 or even 1000 percent. You and I both know that is a bunch of hogwash.
But Gomes is a legit 100 percent-er, always, every play. I don't believe he can do it any other way. When he was with Tampa Bay I wasn't fond of him. When you would see a fight involving two teams you would always seemingly find Gomes in the middle of it. A good example would be the photo of him with Coco Crisp in a headlock. Another would be his running in from right field to knuckle the head of Shelby Duncan while trying to bust up a double play.
When he came to the Reds in 2009 I became a true fan. He brought so much enthusiasm and motivation to the team that it was impossible not to like him. He is a gamer. He will never be an MVP or go to Cooperstown because he is not overwhelming on paper. But, as the St. Louis Cardinals found out recently, the game is not played on paper.
Gomes has had some outstanding games and some very nice streaks. But what he brings to a ball club is what they refer to as an intangible. You can't see it, can't compute it, but there it is. I don't think everybody gets that. Boston manager, John Farrell gets it. He has favored Gomes over platoon partner Daniel Nava for most of the playoffs. The significance of that move is that Nava was in the top 10 in the American League with a .303 BA in 2013. He also drove in more runs than Gomes. But if you look at the statistics, the Red Sox won almost all games Gomes started during the playoffs.
Is he a good luck piece? You bet, but there is more than motivation and enthusiasm in Gomes. He is a slugger and a very under-rated defensive player.
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