Thursday, October 28, 2004
It Changes Everything, It Changes Nothing
3 years ago, in the middle of a South Asian Politics class, I made a list of 10 life goals. One of them was to live to see the Red Sox win the World Series. I am now one for ten. Next to fall off that list? Who knows. Climbing the 7 summits or going to outer space seem hard, but at the time seemed no harder than watching the Red Sox win the World Series. If this is possible, so are they.
Our team dominated that crap out of the Cards, who were a totally inferior squad. We never trailed in the whole series, something that has happened only four times. The heart of the Cards order never got going, and without that strength, their mediocre depth and starting pitching couldn’t carry the load. Meanwhile, as has been the case since August 1st, everyone contributed something on our team. The future looks bright for the Red Sox, there hasn’t been an MLB team this good since the late 90s Yankees. Dynasty? Perhaps. We’ll see what happens in the offseason, as we have four major free agents (Cabrera, Pedro, Varitek, and Lowe.)
But who cares about the damn future? It’s all about the present. I loved seeing Manny win the MVP, he’s been so solid for us the last four years and has taken quite a bit of flack. No more. Same for Lowe, Pedro, and everyone else.
I was talking to my brother on the phone right after we won. He was in the process of going room to room in the Wash U dorms bumming shots of people so he could celebrate as only an 18-20 year old could. I ranted for a while about how this changes everything for Boston fans and he agreed. “It may even change the whole city!” he yelled. What does he mean by this?
Well I don’t buy into this whole win it for all the old fans who have been waiting their entire life to see this, spiel that Sports Guy, Shauhgnessy, and most writers are getting into. I will enjoy not hearing about the curse from casual baseball fans who don’t follow the Red Sox, and not seeing idiotic graphics like “World Championships since 1918: 0” on Fox. That annoying part of following the Sox vanishes forever, as does having to hear crap from Yankee fans. That is sweet.
More importantly, it will (hopefully) change the attitude of Boston sports fans towards their players and towards the Sox. Not the “woe is me,” attitude, that only existed in a small minority of fans in the first place. The part of Boston fandom I hope falls by the wayside is the turning on star players, the manipulation of angst by negative media of a paranoid fanbase. This paranoia was driven by the fact that no fans had actually seen the team win the World Series, and weren’t sure if it was actually possible. Well now we have discovered the simple formula for winning a championship: build a team, from top down that is good enough. How can we complain about Pedro falling off, or Millar being in a slump anymore? These guys gave us what we had been fiending for all these years. They are heroes. I want to hear no more bitching, rather enjoyment of a team that is almost always, win or lose, fun to follow.
During the game, when we were up 3-0 in the 7th I found myself thinking: “How will this change what the 2005 Red Sox season is like?” Almost instantly, I was hit with a stunning reality: it wouldn’t change things at all. When I move back to Boston, I’ll still catch as many games as possible, trying to see if they can pull out the game, the series, the division, a playoff spot, a championship. I’ll still listen to Sean and Jerry on Friday nights as they banter about meaningless crap on during some pointless game in June against the Devil Rays. I’ll still have my players that I unconditionally love, and those that drive me crazy. I’ll still think I could do a better job then whomever we have managing us. I’ll still go to the games when I can and complain about the seats being to small, as I enjoy a Fenway Frank and taunt the other team. In that way, nothing will have changed.
Having said that, I wish I was in Boston to celebrate. When I envisioned us winning in my dreams, I never thought it’d be in the Marly Bar at 130 in the afternoon in Newtown Australia, watching with one other Red Sox fan and a handful of half-hearted supporters. But you just never know where life will take you. And I’m thrilled I got to see our team win. For me, who became a fan in 1987, I only had to wait 17 years. That’s not so bad. I’m planning on celebrating properly all weekend. To Abe, Nick, my brother, my Dad, the Dans, (Leavitt and Harris) the Matts, (Dorfman and Carey) Chris Dunham, and everyone else who watched at Melissa’s apartment those lazy summers, or who went with me to a game, we will celebrate our victory in proper fashion in due time. We don’t have to rush, we will be champions forever. To anyone and everyone who has followed the Sox, I raise a toast. To the World Champion 2004 Boston Red Sox.
Our team dominated that crap out of the Cards, who were a totally inferior squad. We never trailed in the whole series, something that has happened only four times. The heart of the Cards order never got going, and without that strength, their mediocre depth and starting pitching couldn’t carry the load. Meanwhile, as has been the case since August 1st, everyone contributed something on our team. The future looks bright for the Red Sox, there hasn’t been an MLB team this good since the late 90s Yankees. Dynasty? Perhaps. We’ll see what happens in the offseason, as we have four major free agents (Cabrera, Pedro, Varitek, and Lowe.)
But who cares about the damn future? It’s all about the present. I loved seeing Manny win the MVP, he’s been so solid for us the last four years and has taken quite a bit of flack. No more. Same for Lowe, Pedro, and everyone else.
I was talking to my brother on the phone right after we won. He was in the process of going room to room in the Wash U dorms bumming shots of people so he could celebrate as only an 18-20 year old could. I ranted for a while about how this changes everything for Boston fans and he agreed. “It may even change the whole city!” he yelled. What does he mean by this?
Well I don’t buy into this whole win it for all the old fans who have been waiting their entire life to see this, spiel that Sports Guy, Shauhgnessy, and most writers are getting into. I will enjoy not hearing about the curse from casual baseball fans who don’t follow the Red Sox, and not seeing idiotic graphics like “World Championships since 1918: 0” on Fox. That annoying part of following the Sox vanishes forever, as does having to hear crap from Yankee fans. That is sweet.
More importantly, it will (hopefully) change the attitude of Boston sports fans towards their players and towards the Sox. Not the “woe is me,” attitude, that only existed in a small minority of fans in the first place. The part of Boston fandom I hope falls by the wayside is the turning on star players, the manipulation of angst by negative media of a paranoid fanbase. This paranoia was driven by the fact that no fans had actually seen the team win the World Series, and weren’t sure if it was actually possible. Well now we have discovered the simple formula for winning a championship: build a team, from top down that is good enough. How can we complain about Pedro falling off, or Millar being in a slump anymore? These guys gave us what we had been fiending for all these years. They are heroes. I want to hear no more bitching, rather enjoyment of a team that is almost always, win or lose, fun to follow.
During the game, when we were up 3-0 in the 7th I found myself thinking: “How will this change what the 2005 Red Sox season is like?” Almost instantly, I was hit with a stunning reality: it wouldn’t change things at all. When I move back to Boston, I’ll still catch as many games as possible, trying to see if they can pull out the game, the series, the division, a playoff spot, a championship. I’ll still listen to Sean and Jerry on Friday nights as they banter about meaningless crap on during some pointless game in June against the Devil Rays. I’ll still have my players that I unconditionally love, and those that drive me crazy. I’ll still think I could do a better job then whomever we have managing us. I’ll still go to the games when I can and complain about the seats being to small, as I enjoy a Fenway Frank and taunt the other team. In that way, nothing will have changed.
Having said that, I wish I was in Boston to celebrate. When I envisioned us winning in my dreams, I never thought it’d be in the Marly Bar at 130 in the afternoon in Newtown Australia, watching with one other Red Sox fan and a handful of half-hearted supporters. But you just never know where life will take you. And I’m thrilled I got to see our team win. For me, who became a fan in 1987, I only had to wait 17 years. That’s not so bad. I’m planning on celebrating properly all weekend. To Abe, Nick, my brother, my Dad, the Dans, (Leavitt and Harris) the Matts, (Dorfman and Carey) Chris Dunham, and everyone else who watched at Melissa’s apartment those lazy summers, or who went with me to a game, we will celebrate our victory in proper fashion in due time. We don’t have to rush, we will be champions forever. To anyone and everyone who has followed the Sox, I raise a toast. To the World Champion 2004 Boston Red Sox.
# posted by Marmaniac @ 1:33 AM 
