2007-10-29

The Day After. Meh.

I feel like the biggest killjoy in the world for saying this, I really do. At the risk of drawing eleventy-seven shit tons of ire, I'm just going to have my say and be done with it:

I am simply not that stoked about the Sox winning the World Series last night.

Hear me out. My feeling about all of this is simply: "Well, of COURSE they won the Series." Of course they did. Did we really expect that they WOULDN'T? Hell - they'll probably win it a couple of more times between now and the year I start having the hot flashes. Because the Red Sox are a machine now, like the Yankees during the latter half of the 50's up through '64. If anything, we'll be surprised if they don't make it to the Series next year, and in the next few years to come.

And, too, there's a palpable difference between going 80+ years without a win, and THREE. The night the Sox "reversed the curse," our neighborhood erupted into an impromptu Red Sox/Dominican Pride parade. I ran down to the corner and loved the shit-eating fuck outta everybody: the drunks spilling out of The Fireside, the chicks in their goddamn stupid PINK baseball caps, the neo-hippies who would've been wearing Crocs if they'd been popular that fall...it was a rare moment of unconditional love for all mankind for me.

Last night we heard a few fireworks, and not much else. Truth be told, I was in bed before the 7th inning, because I just knew they'd cinch this by Game Four. There was never any doubt in my mind.

The morning after the 2004 win, I rode the Orange Line with a dozen or so happy, exhausted, gob-smacked passengers, and we all just sat there and smiled stupidly and beatifically at one another. This morning the subway ride to work was like any other.

Look, I'm not saying that it ISN'T great. But the trip wasn't nearly as exciting as it was three years ago. The 2003-04 Red Sox were a team of self-described "idiots," a bunch of unkempt-looking scrappers who defeated the odds and made history. Now? Well, like I said, what we've got is a well-oiled (and obscenely well-paid) machine. True, you'd have to have a heart of stone to not have gotten a little choked up when Jon Lester got back on the mound, and who the fuck doesn't love Ellsbury now?

I'm sorry. I'm happy, but I'm not beside myself.

I expect there will be a few friends and family members who won't speak to me after reading this. I'll be booted out of the "Nation," my passport destroyed, doomed to wander alone in the wilderness.

Maybe the Celtics fans will take me in.

lisamcc at 1:05 p.m.



6 comments so far
Erin
2007-10-29 13:49:32
I experienced the same thing in Atlanta with the Braves back in the early 90's. At the beginning it was insane, the entire community was collectively happy and excited about the same thing...and we all had "Tomahawk chop" elbow. But then year after year of success, it became expected and the magic was gone.
-------------------------------

vikkitikkitavi
2007-10-29 16:30:56
Well, that explains why Yankees fans are so joyless.
-------------------------------

Lynette
2007-10-29 22:05:03
Those subsequent wins are much more fun if you're not still living in Boston. In Austin, there's a ton of Boston transplants. And they had a sh** kickin' time of it last night. I however, found out about the win after the fact because I watched a pay-per-view movie that allowed my brain to shut down for about 1 hr 37 mins. I love the win. But it's probably because I don't live there any more.
-------------------------------

somnambulist
2007-10-30 05:23:10
No excommunication from me. And for the record, I wasn't very sure about it until after Game 1 of the World Series (and even though I was still 100% sure, that Okajima gopher ball scared the hell out of me). Francona can be so damn infuriating all year, but he usually manages the hell out of the playoffs. And the bats seem to collectively go limp for a week at a time sometimes. But I do agree they're getting better: next year we almost certainly have Ellsbury and Buchholz, and we might even get Masterson by midseason, and that's a FULL rotation of quality young starting pitching locked in for at least the next 4 years. And most of these guys definitely come through in the playoffs (pretty much everyone but Crisp did something impressive). But anyway, I am more looking forward to the total destruction of the Colts next weekend at the hands of the Patriots, because I hate Peyton Manning almost as much as the Yankees (the Colts only made last year's Super Bowl on two plays: a completely bogus pass interference call on Hobbs, and Reche Caldwell dropping the game-icing touchdown). Now if you want to talk about "expecting to win" - the Patriots are the team we expect to win. Take away some bogus zebra calls in the playoffs (Denver, Indy) and you're potentially talking about 6-of-7 Super Bowls territory.
-------------------------------

LisaMcC
2007-10-30 07:25:38
Crisp doesn't have to do anything impressive in my book -- his name alone is plenty entertaining. Coco Crisp. That's just awesome.
-------------------------------

mumma
2007-10-30 20:41:54
Just to let you know, I have one of those pink hats and I love it...especially when I wear it down here among all the New York Yankee fans!!! I know this win is "different" from the last one, but even tho they have the bucks, etc., they have an exciting young roster for next year...and boy, did they shine!! God bless 'em all. Love you anyway...
-------------------------------

previous | next