For love or money, Panda leaves behind a trail of broken hearts

Pablo Sandoval is going to the Boston Red Sox. It was bound to happen. Money is after all an irresistible seductress. I heard the news while walking my dog, Roxy in Washington Square. My good friend and die-hard Giants fan Mary Ann sent me this text: "Panda's going to Boston for 5 years and 100 million dollars. I can't believe it. I'm so bummed." My response was a prolonged, "Nooooooooo." But despite my immediate reaction of sorrow and disbelief. I too knew there was no guarantee that love would be enough to keep Panda a Giant for life. Free agency by definition is all about the money, and Boston played hard ball with San Francisco's beloved third baseman. I listened to the so-called experts spew numbers and statistics proclaiming Sandoval's decline over the years. They justified management's hesitation to signing him during spring training. Of course there is no debating #48's production when it counted most, the playoffs and World Series where he was an MVP in 2012 and had astronomical numbers this October. Panda was undeniably a critical piece in winning the three championship rings in the last five years.
On Facebook, the Gamer Babes page was full of disappointed fan reactions.  For women there is an emotional attachment to all the players they follow. It's a component that men and numbers just can't categorize. More than a hundred female fans on the page posted how they were "teary eyed," "sad," and "I'm in mourning."
Seeing Panda in that Red Sox uniform will be painful for millions of Giants fans who showed him so much affection over the years through thick and thin. Rumors are swirling about why he took the deal, with criticism about his weight being one of them. Kung Fu Panda's post on Twitter tonight can offer a bit of comfort: "To the greatest fans in San Francisco! Leaving the #SFGiants & this city I love is the most difficult decision I have ever made. I have grown up w/you, laughed & cried w/you & you have blessed me w your support, friendship & love. It has been an unforgettable@SFGiants career, a great run &3 World Series championships in 5 yrs w/great teammates, coaches, front office & fans. I will always remember you w love & my heart will always be in #SF." As parents must one day bid their grown children farewell, so too must Giants fans say so long to one of their own who brought them so much joy and success over the past 12 years. But even as we thank him for the memories and wish Pablo Sandoval the best, all bets are off when his Red Sox come to town!