Boston Red Sox: Our Father, Who Art in Fenway

The entire day revolved around the Sox.  School was a blur and dinner couldn’t be over fast enough that night.  Finally 8 o’clock rolled around, and little did I know 4 hours later I would finally know what “it” felt like.  They were up 5-2 with one out in the 8^th inning, 5 outs away from FINALLY getting past the Yankees and probably hammering the Marlins in the World Series. 

Then, Grady “Bleepin” (there's that bitterness again...can't help it) Little leaves Pedro Martinez in too long, the bullpen blows the lead, and Aaron “Bleepin” (I swear I'm over it now) Boone ends the series with a walk-off home run in the 11^th inning. 

The phone rang about 20 minutes later, breaking the silence I had sat in and not even noticed.  I picked up, really not wanting to talk to anyone, and all I heard was: “now you TRULY know what its like.”  I was pissed, but my dad was right.  I couldn’t eat, couldn’t go to bed, I couldn’t even move. 

And yet, I knew five months from right at that moment, I would be optimistic as they headed for spring training, and there was nothing I could do.  It was simply a way of life. Of course I woke up Opening Day of 2004 with the same four words on my mind that every Cubs and Red Sox fan has been taught to believe: “This is the year”, and sure enough, they took us all on a ride again.  However, this time, when we all least expected it, the impossible happened. 

It was ACTUALLY true. 

My father really hadn’t been lying to me my entire childhood. First, the biggest star of my childhood Nomar Garciaparra was seen sulking on the bench while his teammates were in the middle of one of the greatest regular season games ever against the Yankees.   Nomar’s counterpart Derek Jeter would risk life and limb diving into the stands for a ball, making Nomar’s actions in-excusable to Red Sox fans. 

He was then traded for Doug Mientkiewicz at the trade deadline on July 31st.  The Sox also signed speedy bench player/outfielder Dave Roberts, who later on would forever assert himself into Red Sox lore.  I expected to be hurt the day Nomar retired or left, but it was as if I could feel myself growing up:  it didn’t matter who was there, as long as I saw a World Series in my lifetime. 

I knew at this point it was all about getting the job done, no matter what needed to happen and at any ones expense. The Sox swept the Angels in the American League Division series, and as if the baseball god’s wouldn’t have it any other way, they would play the Yankees in another ALCS.  And of course, typical of any Sox fan, this was finally it.  They couldn’t lose to the Yanks again. 

Could they? 

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