Adam and Leave; Arroyo and Out

I know this is the reality of modern sports, but will there ever be another Boston sports hero that finishes his career in Boston?

Adam Vinatieri and Bronson Arroyo aren't really comparable, but losing both this week is hard to take. Adam, more than anybody besides maybe Tom Brady symbolizes the absolute best of times in Boston sports. His clutch kicks in the Snowbowl, never mind winning field goals in two Super Bowls cemented his reputation as a Boston sports hero for all ages. Any now he''s gone. Can't blame him, really. He's unquestionably the best kicker in the game, and should be paid like it. In the scheme of things, kickers don't make that much anyway, so the Patriots should have come up with whatever it took to keep him. Sure, Belichick has proven that nobody is irreplaceable, but isn't there still some room for sentimentality in sports?

Bronson proved why Vinatieri was right to follow the money. He didn't. He placed love of the city of Boston and the Red Sox above his agent's advice, and his own best interests both financially and career wise. He'll be better off as the number two starter in Cinncinnati than in the bullpen for the Red Sox, but Bronson was just a Boston guy. I can't think of any recent Red Sox player (or really any professional athlete), that you really felt liked being in Boston as much as Bronson. He really seemed to be a part of the city. Tom Brady is still more Southern California than he is Boston. You truly believed Bronson loved this town, and there aren't many others you could say that about.

Both of these moves may be in the best interest of the teams' futures, but both of these moves suck for the sports sentimentalist in me.