But as a whole, Red Sox fans are reserving their adoration for the new left fielder. He will be heaped with praise if and when he is part of a World Series winner — for that often gives any player a pass.
Crawford also will rise in the popularity charts if he begins to post the numbers he did in Tampa Bay, or at least numbers that fans can live with, knowing that the organization is paying him $142 million.
One place that should not waver in its treatment of Crawford is Tampa Bay, his home for nine seasons as a member of the Rays. Crawford returns to Tropicana Field on Tuesday for the first time since leaving to sign the lucrative offer from Boston, and the reaction could be mixed.
Crawford himself felt the need to pre-empt any negative reaction, telling reporters in Toronto on Sunday that he hopes the fans recognize that he never even received an offer from Tampa Bay. There was no option to stay, he said, so hopefully there won't be anyone angry at their former star.
However, there will be those that feel slighted by one of their own. There will be those who have distaste for athletes who follow the money. There will be those who morph in their minds what Crawford did as a member of the Rays, making him seem overrated just so that they can feel better about seeing him on their field in another uniform.
Then there will be those who get it. Those who stand and applaud Crawford when he comes to bat in either the first or second inning, and when he takes his customary spot in left field.
The Rays were a foundering franchise for several years, highlighted by Wade Boggs' 3,000th hit, fights with the Red Sox, the drafting of Evan Longoria and David Price and, underneath it all, the solid play of Carl Crawford.
If there was a constant in the organization's short history, it was Crawford. The fact that he had severely priced himself out of Tampa Bay's market, making a departure a foregone conclusion long before the 2010 season came to an end, is not his fault nor should it be held against him.
Crawford was the guy playing All-Star caliber ball for a losing team for several years, and the one who continued that brand of baseball when finally surrounded by capable parts in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He helped dig the Rays out of the depths of the American League East. That doesn't mean he was not allowed to seek a new challenge.
The Rays haven't been around long enough to hold many of the ceremonies you see on the field at Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium, where old-timers are showered with praise, presents and perhaps a video tribute. Although he is no old-timer, Crawford's return gives the organization its first chance to truly recognize one of the building blocks.
Crawford should receive a hearty applause in his return. Those that turn their backs on him are turning their backs on one of the foundations of the franchise and one of the primary reasons that they now have a product for which to cheer.
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