Sports

Crawford: Boston media was ‘worst thing I’ve ever experienced’

Carl Crawford hated playing for the Red Sox.

The outfielder, who was traded to the Dodgers at the July deadline, said the Boston media “was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” according to CBSSports.com. Crawford understands now it was a bad decision to sign there, but never got over the criticism he took for underperforming after inking a seven-year, $142 million contract.

“I took so much of a beating in Boston, I don’t think anything could bother me anymore,” Crawford told the site. “They can say what they want — that I’m the worst free agent ever — and it won’t get to me. But it bothered me the whole time there.

“Look how they treat [John] Lackey. Adrian [Gonzalez] hit 30 home runs (27), and they talked about him not hitting home runs.”

Crawford admits he didn’t play up to his contract. He hit .296 in nine years with the Rays, but then just .255 his first season with the Red Sox. He averaged 45 steals per season in Tampa. In Boston? He had just 23 in 161 games over two seasons. Injuries played a part.

“I get it, I didn’t perform,” he said. “I got the money. I didn’t perform. I gave them every reason.”

Still, Crawford believes the treatment by the media in Boston was unfair and not just to him.

“They love it when you’re miserable,” Crawford said. “Burying people in the media, they think that makes a person play better. That media was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.”