After not attending Johnny Pesky's funeral, Dustin Pedroia wants to make sure that everyone knows where the Red Sox stand on the matter.
He wants to be very clear that the players have a special place in their hearts for Pesky, it's just that the players' schedules can make things difficult at times.
"I'm sure everyone had a situation why they weren't there," Pedroia explained to CSNNE.com in a lengthy interview with Maureen Mullen. "I wish I could have been there. Obviously, everyone knows how we all feel about Johnny. We all love him. We're all here for his family and everybody.
"I don't want to say anything that offends anybody," the second baseman continued. "The only thing I could say is that we're here for his family and Johnny, he was the best, man. We all love him, and that's about all I can say."
Pedroia also touched on how difficult it has been playing this season with all of the controversy surrounding the team. He explained how each time that stories have cropped up, it's not just the individuals involved that feel the impact of them.
"It's tough," Pedroia said. "We're all family, man. That's the way we view our team. And when things are said about one certain guy or another guy, it doesn't just affect that person. It affects everybody. I think that's the tough part as a team to stay together is when something's pulling you in another direction."
However, he promises not to give up on this season and to do whatever it takes to win back the fans that may be frustrated with the team.
"I hope that hard work and wins will win back the trust of the fans and the city because I love this place," Pedroia said. "I love the fans. They treated me great and we plan on making them happy soon."
Lucky for Peroia, there's still plenty of season left for him and his teammates to make good on that plan.
