Perhaps thirteen is an unlucky number after all. In this case thirteen is the number of days it took for this baseball season to fall apart. On October 16 I was feeling pretty good. The Rockies had won the NL pennant the day before and the Indians beat the Red Sox 7-3 to take a 3-1 lead in the ALCS. Everything seemed to be going my way. Then the Red Sox suddenly forgot how to lose and brought their amnesia with them to the end of the World Series. As a resident of the Eastern Time Zone it was just past midnight on October 29 when the Red Sox won it. It's not often that my heart is broken three times in one postseason, but it happened this year.
I don't blame the Rockies' loss on the eight-day layoff. People always bring up the six-day layoff when talking about last year's Tigers, but they forget that the 1995 Braves and 1996 Yankees both won the World Series after six-day layoffs. It certainly didn't hurt those teams. The Rockies may have had two extra days, but I don't think there's some magic maximum number of days you can be off before it starts hurting you. A long layoff is a long layoff. I don't think it affected the Rockies as much as people think. They just got outplayed by a team that was on fire. The way the Playoff system is currently constructed that seems to be the key to winning the World Series, and the Red Sox simply had everything going their way.
Over the past few weeks I've been pretty open about my hatred of the Red Sox and Boston sports in general. I think it's time I moved on from the subject, since it only makes me angry and I've pretty much beaten it to death. I just want to make one last statement about it though. I've seen several people during these Playoffs saying that we should all be happy for the Red Sox and their fans because of the 86-year drought that ended in 2004. These people seem to think that the Red Sox deserve more titles after going so long without any. Sorry, but no. I've said it before and I'll say it again: if you get to see your team win it even once you're a very fortunate person. Check out the droughts some of these other franchises have:
Cubs: 99 years since last title Indians: 59 years since last title Giants: 53 years since last title Rangers: Never won a pennant (47 seasons in Majors) Astros: Never won a World Series (46 seasons in Majors) Nationals: Never won a pennant (39 seasons in Majors) Brewers: Never won a World Series (39 seasons in Majors) Padres: Never won a World Series (39 seasons in Majors) Mariners: Never won a pennant (31 seasons in Majors) Rockies: Never won a World Series (15 seasons in Majors) Devil Rays: Never had a winning season (10 seasons in Majors)
The median age in the U.S. is about 35. That means that the average fan of over a third of the Major League teams has never seen a World Series title. Six other teams (Pirates, Phillies, Orioles, Tigers, Royals and Mets) have waited more than 20 years since their last one. The idea that anyone should be sympathetic to a team with "only" one title in the last few years is insulting.
Now that your team has won this one, Red Sox fans, you officially have no right ever to bring up the 86-year drought again. You are no longer a tormented fanbase. Your team is the new Evil Empire. People hate the Red Sox for the same reason they hated the Yankees back in the day. They know the Red Sox are the top dog and that they have plenty of resources available to acquire the best talent. Seeing the top dog win it is fun for fans of that team, but for the rest of us it's boring and makes an unmemorable story.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for the true blue Red Sox fans who humbly appreciate the fact that they were able to experience this after so many years as an also-ran. As far as I'm concerned though, any fan who feels a sense of entitlement because of a defunct drought or a sense of personal superiority because of his team's success is unworthy to share in the joy of a championship. Your team won it. Be grateful and remember that you were lucky to witness it. Anyway, that's all I have to say about that. Hopefully I'll have no reason to say anything bad about Boston for the rest of the year.
Now that baseball season is over there's a void in my life. In a way it's a relief when the season ends, because you don't have to be nervous about the final outcome anymore. Still, I just spent seven months waiting for this anticlimactic ending and it'll be several months before the hope of a better one gets here. Oh well. The NBA season starts tomorrow and the Bulls are considered a favorite to win the East. Unfortunately, there's another East team everyone's talking about this year, and they hail from the city of...Boston. Sheesh. Still, the Celtics haven't proven they're legit yet and the Bulls have made the Playoffs the last three years. It should be exciting. There's also the NFL, but I just haven't been able to get into it this season as much as I was last year. It doesn't help that the Bears aren't doing very well and that the only team anyone seems to be talking about is New England. I think I'll just continue following the NFL lightly this year. I have a feeling that I shouldn't get too emotionally invested.
Thank you ian2813 for your very insightful commentary. I am a Red Sox fan. Now before you start to hate me let me just say that I only climbed on the Red Sox bandwagon 6 years ago. I am one of the fans you spoke of who truly feels grateful for the opportunity to see his team win. I've never really been a baseball fan in the past, I've always been partial to football and boxing. Thank you for pointing out the droughts of other teams around the league. 'Deserve' is not a word that I use. In my opinion, no one deserves anything. One should 'earn' what they attain. My favorite motto is 'The harder I work, the luckier I get.' I also want you to know that I was pulling for the Bears last year once the Pats were done. In fact, I said from the beginning of the year, last year, that it was going to be Da Bears and the Pats in the Superbowl...well, I was half right. Let me just leave you with this thought, not all fans of sports in the North East are arrogant and self righteous. Some of us actually have a brain and are able to appreciate talent no matter where it's found. I also appreciate your intelligent commentary.
Fletchersmith - Thank you for your comment. It's unfortunate that Red Sox fans have a reputation for being punks (like realist27 here) rather than humble and intelligent like you. I don't have a problem with Boston fans as long as they can be mature.
realist27 - I'm not a Rockies fan, I was just rooting for them to win the World Series. I understand that reading someone's profile is beyond your capabilities though.
Hi Ian, Thanks for the great writing and the hope you helped keep alive during this bummer of a World series. It's tough to go against the general thinking that one team is that much better than another but i do, and you did a admiralble job. Your right, Boston won cause they were hot and the Rox were way off their game. Darn it anyhow!
I too was wondering how i'm going to fill the gap after baseball and will revert back to my old standby... Go fishing. Don't know if your into it but it's a wonderful way to relieve stress and the mental things that can build and ail you. You get to spend time in the outdoors and might even be able to ut some quality food on the table. After a day on the river or lake, not sure why but, all the thing that bugged you before have suddenly become minor and easy to deal with.
Anyway, i'll keep an eye out for your posts and good luck with you and your Chicago teams in the future.
backer - Thanks for the kind words. I've never been much for fishing, but I know some people who really like it. Perhaps I'll give it a shot sometime. Good luck to the Rockies in 2008.
I'm a fan of all Chicago sports teams (that includes both the Cubs and White Sox). When one of my teams isn't playing I'm a big proponent of rooting for the underdog. I spend more time thinking about sports than I probably should, so I decided I needed a blog where I could share these thoughts with the world.
