Boston Red Sox Celebrate Losing the American League East

(Photo by Michael Ivins-Pool/Getty Images)

I have something to admit to you, loyal reader: Since the start of football season, my attention towards baseball has drifted a bit.  This is more to the fact that as of the beginning of September I knew my Red Sox would not catch the Yankees, but would not fall to the Texas Rangers, so the drama had gone away.

There was plenty of drama in the National League Wild Card race, as well as the American League Central division, but I'm one of those fans who couldn’t give a care about other teams.  My priorities are watching the Sox win and Yanks lose (sadly it has been the opposite of late).

This brings me to the point of this article.  At the All-Star break, the baseball world was on a platter for the Red Sox.  They were dominating everyone, especially the Yankees, who they had beaten in eight straight meetings. 

I was already trying to figure out who would win the N.L. Pennant so I could work on getting tickets and booking flights since trying to get a World Series Ticket in Boston is like trying to convince the federal government to agree on something, it just isn't going to happen.

Then the second half of the season started and the Red Sox weren't so dominant anymore.  They got blown out by the Washington Nationals in John Smoltz's debut and blew a nine run lead to the Orioles.  We own them. What are we doing blowing leads like that?

Then the worst, the Yankees started kicking us around.  It wasn't even competitive for most of the second half.  They were just kicking our teeth in. 

Our A.L. East lead got smaller and smaller until it was gone for good.  The team had to then focus on a familiar mistress, the A.L. Wild Card. 

This year the team had the pitching staff to bury the Bronx Bombers and they did, for a brief moment in time.  This year the Wild Card doesn't even feel right, it feels dirty and that we don't even deserve it.

Last night the Red Sox lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, eight to seven, but still found enough joy to celebrate Texas losing and the fact that they stumbled into the Wild Card.

I remember in 2004 when the media made a big deal about the Sox spraying Champaign in the locker room when they clinched the Wild Card and how the Yankees who had clinched what seem like their 1,000th A.L. East title didn't even blink an eye.

2004 was different, the Yankees were used to the post season they'd been there many time, and most of the time they were there as the East's Champion, the Sox weren't and where compelled to celebrate.

Now, like the Yankees, the post season is the norm for Boston and there is no need to celebrate it.  Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that my boys are there and that anything can happen, but in a season where they should have and could have won the A.L. East celebrating the Wild Card seems like celebrating failure.

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