For years, I’ve wanted to start a blog, and hopefully said blog would lead into some writing opportunities down the line. But I’ve always had other things to do, other commitments and so forth. Also, there’s never been any definitive starting point, no moment that could become the genesis.
The Boston Red Sox, my team, will be playing on Wednesday night in the World Series. After just coming back to win the ALCS. What better way to start off than this?
For the last ten years or so, I’ve been a Red Sox fan, despite living in Detroit. Sadly since then, Red Sox Nation has spread across the country, picking up bandwagon fans all the way. As a non-NE Sox fan, I’m kinda saddened by this, as I developed my love for the Sox in a more natural way. I became a Boston Red Sox fan for many little reasons at first. Nomar, my favorite player. The uniqueness of Fenway. The Red Sox sharing the same Red ___ pattern with my even more beloved Detroit Red Wings. And, that games were on TV a lot of the time. Also, it allowed me an everyday thing to do in summers that, for reasons that won’t be explained here, had a tendency to suck. No matter what happens, the Sox will play today. And tomorrow. And the next day.
This season, for both myself and the Red Sox, has been somewhat interesting in different ways. For the first time in my baseball life, the Detroit Tigers were actually expected to be good, and were good. Combined with my jaw surgery and many cheap Tigers tickets, my summer was largely spent at Comerica Park, with one eye on the field and the other on the right field out-of-town scoreboard. Also, this year featured the Red Sox jumping out to a huge divisional lead, watching the Yankees creep back in, and the Red Sox hanging onto the division.
Going into the playoffs, the only team that I was really concerned to play was the Cleveland Indians. The Angels always lose to the Red Sox, and the Yankees always lose to the Angels. Cleveland seemed to have a season like Detroit did in ’06, where they always won miracle finish games, with large comebacks and walk-off home runs.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox caught a little fire late in the season, then swept the Angels with the broomsticks of Papi and Manny. The Angels were just lit up by the Red Sox, the series was a sweep in every sense of the word. Bring on, Cleveland.
Up until this point, everything has just been intro. Really. 435 words in, and I haven’t even gotten around to my intended topic. But for a Red Sox postseason, would anything be more fitting? It took them until Game 5 to really get their game up to speed. Game 1 was a blowout, and the next three games were all about Cleveland finding their footing and the Red Sox doing just enough to barely lose.
Honestly, could the Red Sox have it any other way? I remember joking after Game 4 that the Sox have Cleveland right where they want them. And the same logic from 2004, that of “well, if we win the next one, we’ve got Pedro with Beckett, then Schilling, then it’s Game 7 and we’ve got the momentum. And just like 2004, it worked out that way.
Game 5, Josh Beckett. You thought you can rattle him, Indians? Josh Beckett is clutch defined, a worthy heir to Curt Schilling. You think exes can throw him off? Josh Freaking Beckett is not one to make angry. On the other side of the ball, Youks hits one out, the bats are woken up, and a pattern of destroying the Cleveland bullpen begins. On to Boston, where Curt Schilling comes up big as usual, with J.D. Drew (J.D. Drew!) changing his career in Boston with a 1st inning grand slam.
Now, going into a Game 7, one must know that they are watching something that will stay memorable forever, for either good or bad. And with a shaken Dice-K going for the Sox, and early innings that seemed to go perversely against Boston, it seemed to be going bad. Yeah, the Sox got a run in the first three innings. But they could’ve gotten a lot more. And, Dice-K was breaking down, letting Cleveland get two runs back. And the offense was getting shut down. And Okajima had guys on third and first, with one out. This just seemed to be turning into a classic comeback game, with Cleveland constantly threatening, and the Red Sox about to lose control completely…and Lowell, Pedroia and Youkilis turn the DP, inning over. Up come the Red Sox, and a fluke bounce goes Boston’s way. One Lugo bunt later, and Dustin Pedroia (Dustin Pedroia!) hits one into the Monster seats, and all of New England sighed with relief. 5-2, Red Sox. The t-shirt presses were getting warmed up, and the calendars for next week were getting cleared. And in the next inning, six more runs. Pedroia hits a bases-clearing double, Youks hits one off the Coke bottle, 11-2, let the celebration begin.
The 9th inning was just ceremonial, and the Red Sox are AL champions again. And in a day where I went from a blissful Sunday morning and afternoon, to a college dorm that seems to get more dull and depressing by the week, it was nice to end October 21st with shots of Big Papi in swim goggles, Schilling holding the AL trophy, and commercials for Wednesday night, the World Series, Game 1, Colorado….against Boston, at Fenway Park. And the Nation rejoices.
