The Sheila Variations

Harassed Mentally Unbalanced Wife of a Red Sox Shortstop

Nancy is married to a Red Sox shortstop. A dude who is now at the top of his game. At the top of the game, in general. He has become a celebrity. He's good-looking. He becomes one of the untouchables. One of the Gods.

Nancy was completely unprepared for what would happen when they moved to Boston. Or - she thought she was prepared, but nobody can prepare you for such a paparazzi onslaught. She's also a drunk. She thinks she just "drinks socially" but it is impossible to "drink socially" when you live in Boston and you are the wife of a famous Red Sox shortstop. She is caught out, here, there, everywhere, drunk, sloshy, getting in and out of cabs. Her behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Her husband does press conferences, asking the press to back off, because obviously "my wife is shy". This does not stop the bloodhounds. They smell her weakness. They stalk her everywhere. She does time in a rehab. When she comes out, after a couple of months, a barrage of photographers wait for her at the gate.

She is a PR nightmare for the Red Sox front desk. She tells reporters to "screw themselves". She says things at press conferences like, "I f***ing can't stand baseball. I prefer football." She doesn't bond with the other Red Sox wives.

She's a mess. She wears sunglasses. She doesn't know how to be gracious. She can't bear the attention.

She's slowly being driven insane by the flashbulbs of the cameras.

Here are some photos detailing the disintegration of her personality.

Nancy, coming out of O'Reilly's Cask and Flagon at 1:30 in the morning.

Nancy, stumbling out of Maxwell's Pub at half past midnight.

Nancy, staggering out of Lucky's Tavern, at 1:30 in the afternoon.

Someone from the Providence Journal took this photograph of Nancy at Fenway Park on July 31 - at the moment that her husband hit a grand slam. This was her response.

Later that night, she was caught by the Boston Globe, drinking by herself at Fitzgeralds.

Needless to say, when she heard the cameras clicking, she was not happy.

On August 2nd, her husband hit another grand slam. She slept through it, in the stands.

Then someone woke her up and told her about her husband's grand slam. This was her response.

The next day, she was besieged on the streets of Boston wherever she went.

Naturally, she did not handle it well.

Not at all well.

It's a long day for Nancy.

She's screaming something along the lines of: "Grand slam Shlamslam! I don't give a crap!"

And things go downhill from there. Quickly.

On August 4th, Nancy offers a meek apology to the press. She is wasted. She slurs the word "sorry". That afternoon, her husband hits a home run. Nancy is in the stands. This is her response.

I don't think Nancy is cut out to be the wife of a major league star. She just doesn't understand the rules of the game.

Posted by sheila | TrackBack