Carl Crawford: Boston media loves it when players are miserable

Carl Crawford hopes to make his Dodgers debut on Opening Day. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) As Carl Crawford rehabs from Tommy John surgery and works

Carl Crawford hopes to make his Dodgers debut on Opening Day. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

As Carl Crawford rehabs from Tommy John surgery and works toward his Dodgers debut, he's finding it hard to forget the misery he experienced in his two seasons with the Red Sox -- especially when it comes to the Boston media.

Crawford told CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler he made a mistake in signing a free-agent contract with the Red Sox following the 2010 season, but the media magnified his suffering.

"It just wasn't the right place for me at the end of my day. I didn't do my homework. Maybe they didn't, either," Crawford said. "At the end of the day, it just wasn't the place for me."

Crawford takes responsibility for his sub-par on-field performance in Boston, which ended with his injury and inclusion in the subsequent blockbuster trade to the Dodgers. The .296 career hitter dropped to .255 in his first year in Boston.

"I get it, I didn't perform," he said. "I got the money. I didn't perform. I gave them every reason."

Crawford said the Boston media jumped at every chance to criticize him while he struggled.

"I took so much of a beating in Boston, I don't think anything could bother me anymore," he said. "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 (actually 27), and they talked about him not hitting home runs."

"That smile turned upside down quick," Crawford said. "I think they want to see that in Boston. They love it when you're miserable. 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."

are in no hurry to rush him