Thursday October 21, 2004

Congratulations, 2004 Boston Red Sox!

As a season ticket holder, I was fortunate enough to see you play at home at Fenway in Games 3, 4, and 5. And while Game 3 was probably the 2nd most painful loss I've been witness to in my lifetime (second only to last year's Game 7, *ugh*), I was there till the finish, in the frigid cold. (After all, no matter how painful... how many playoff games does one get to go to in one's lifetime?)

In the bleachers, I found myself able to stretch out... all the while hoping, praying that you would come back from an over-10-run deficit. Alas, it did not happen and Fenway park emptied in relative silence.

But I can honestly say that I consider myself truly blessed for the opportunity I had to share the drama of Games 4 and 5 with you men and the thousands that turned out at Fenway that night.

Game 4, postponed one day because of rain, was miraclulous. On the verge of being swept in four games by your hated rival, the New York Yankees, you came to the ballpark ready to play. I came consoling myself with a single thought... "any reason they can't win tonight? no" And down to your last three outs, you pulled it together and scratched across a run a against arguably history's best closer: a walk, a stolen base, a base hit. Tie ball game! Then three more incredibly intense innings stretched into the next day's cold early hours before Papi's heroics. Incredible!

Then Game 5, starting in the evening on the same day Game 4 had ended. "Any reason they can't win this game tonight?", I said, "no". We came to the ballpark so very tired from the previous evening's ballgame. But you game us another game for the ages!

After Derek Jeter hit that killer triple down the right field line, giving them a two run lead, we were silent, stunned, all of us. But your pitching and defense prevailed and after an inning of so all 35,000+ of us were right back in it. But you didn't blink, you didn't doubt yourselves for a second. A blast by Papi and another manufactured run on a sacrifice fly by Varitek, and we were headed to extra innings again. Stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down, Go Sox! Into the 14th inning it went....

Then Papi came to the plate with Damon in scoring position and put on THE BEST at-bat I have ever seen. And this I will remember for a VERY long time. Foul ball after foul ball sprayed off, more foul balls, more foul balls, a LONG drive down the right field line... could it be? no, another foul, another foul. And then... a flare, dropped into center field, Damon comes across... and pandemonium in Boston. High-fives and hugs with complete strangers, we all couldn't care less. We felt what I felt... blessed.

So you went back to New York and you did it. Game 6, Bellhorn, Schilling... amazing. And then, last night, Game 7... I'm still stunned. You did it, and now we're going to a World Series at Fenway Park!

It's not over yet. Not by any means. You still have four more games to win. But we'll be there, all 35,000+ of us, cheering. We do believe, and we wish you all the strength and wisdom in the world to keep believing in yourselves.

Thanks, guys.