"To boo, or not to boo, that is the question.

Actually, it's not much of a question. Showing up to boo Carl Crawford tonight will necessitate Tampa Bay Rays fans having to show up in the first place, always a tricky proposition, even with the first-place Red Sox in town. Then there are the large numbers of annoying Boston fans, another constant reality, sometimes to the point of slight majority.

There will be a fair number of Rays No. 13 Crawford jerseys in left field. There will be reaction when his name is announced as he digs in at the batter's box during the first inning, or maybe the second inning, since Crawford currently bats sixth for Boston, or maybe it will be in the first, since the Sox come in crushing baseballs. They're hot, and so is Crawford, finally.

If I was a Rays fan, the first time around I'd cheer.

Crawford isn't expecting boos.

"It wasn't a decision to not stay in Tampa. There wasn't an option to stay there, so it wasn't hard at all," he told reporters Sunday in Toronto. "There's no way you can stay with a team if a contract is not even offered to you. Hopefully (the fans) will be smart enough to realize that."

There are smarter ways to come back home than question the intelligence of fans who'd dare boo you, but Crawford makes an incredibly valid point:

He was never staying. The Rays were never keeping him.

It was beyond forgone. It was a no-fault deal.

The Rays couldn't use 40 percent of their payroll to pay Crawford, a concept that could arise again with Evan Longoria and David Price. And Crawford wanted more money and an annual shot at a ring, minus the LeBron 360 Theater.

You cheer him that first time up because in so many ways, Crawford gave the Rays everything they wanted for a dozen seasons. He was a high draft pick who kept on coming, who worked hard, who never caused much trouble (I'm not saying he was saint) and was a large reason why the Rays won two AL East titles and a pennant.

And Crawford hasn't said many bad things since leaving Tampa, nothing malicious. That never was and never will be his deal.

There really should be no hard feelings, folks.

Save your boos for Kelly Shoppach, or head-in-the-sand St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster."