No Casey, no striking out, just joy. By now you all know that the Sox won the series. I can hardly fathom that not only did they win in 2004, but now they’ve won again. They had never won since my grandfather had been alive, and now they’ve won twice. It’s quite a new feeling for the Nation. It feels different. Much different than 2004. There was such a huge weight on them that year. It seemed like everyone knew they were somehow doing the impossible. This year it seemed more than possible, it seemed very likely.
Who I admire most is actually Terry Francona, not only does it seem like he knows that group of guys on both a professional and personal level, but that he trusts them. He knows when pitchers are done, he knows when someone needs rest, he knows when to put someone else in and when to stick with someone. I think he’s a great “players manager” and I think the next few seasons will be equally spectacular.
I also admire two of the most senior members of the Redsox line up, Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell. Lowell came through when everyone needed him to and was just totally and completely solid in the playoffs. And Tek, well, he’s just a classy guy all around. Papelbon and Beckett are simply money on the mound, but Tek and Lowell are two of the rocks that that team is built on. Rookies look up to those guys and they really inspired and helped make the younger guys confident going into a situation like that for the first time.
Speaking of which, it’s now occurring to me just how young this team is. In a perfect world, if everyone stays together for the next few years, contracts are resigned (and they had better resign Lowell), and everyone stays healthy, we’re looking at quite a team for the next 5 years or so. They may not win the Series every year, but I have little doubts that they’ll be playoff bound on a regular basis.
Others describe the happening in RedSox nation so much better than I do. I’ll let them handle the news. All I wanted to say was how proud I am to be a Sox fan, how happy I am that they won, and how excited and privileged I’m going to be to see them play over the next few years.
GO SOX!
I’ve attempted to not carry-on too much about the Sox (except on Twitter, where I continuously ran my mouth about ’em since…oh…the moment I started actively posting on Twitter), but, late last week, I was actually reprimanded on the SCAD message boards by my online professor, who asked that I step out of my ALCS-comeback-induced, Tessie-themed, cloud of euphoria. I guess I was exuding it without so much as a word. Needless to say, I skipped all of this weekend’s due dates for that class. =)
As I eluded to on Twitter earlier today: 2004 was the story of a lifetime. This one just feels good…it’s like when the Pats won the 2003 Superbowl; it’s an affirmation. This team, our team really is good. It wasn’t a fluke. In Theo We Trust.
Anyway, here’s another link for you, to add to your collection of great links spattered throughout the post. This one is from Bill Simmons, my most-read sports journalist…who nails the feeling of the residents of Red Sox Nation. (And makes a good point, saying that this team is in a better position than the Yankees in 1996. Wow. Think about that. As Joe Castiglione would say: Can you believe it?)
http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/071029&sportCat=mlb