Friday, October 17, 2003
This one hurt. This was supposed to be our year and this hurts more than anything I can recall. Five outs away, the game in hand, cut down by a manager, who went with his heart over his head, now doomed to the debate of Red Sox lore while a nation of Sox fans mourn. It’s going to be a long while before time blows away the salt from our dried-up tears.
It easy to second-guess Grady Little for not taking Pedro out in that eighth inning, lord knows we will be doing it until the Sox win the Series. His neglect to not pull Pedro will destine him to the company of Bucker and Bucky Bleeping Dent in future discussions of the hard luck Sox. But as much as I want to fault him, I can’t. I’ve always believed you can’t go wrong when you go with heart. Sometimes it works and others, well, it doesn’t. But he went with his gut, and honestly, who else would you want on the mound other than the best pitcher in baseball, tired or not. Unfortunately Little’s heart broke all of ours.
And now we are left with the Yankees once again in the World Series. That is really the hardest part of this to digest. It’s not so much that we lost a game seven, it’s that we lost it to the hated Evil Empire. Once again the Yankee mystique came through much to our distain and we are left at home forced to watch them battle for their 27th championship. It’s really too much to take, the aura of luck around that team. And they are lucky. After all, it was nothing more than a pop-up that somehow found a way to drop in that cost us this game. Bambino or not, somehow the ghosts of Yankee’s past swept through the Bronx and dropped that bloop just beyond the reach of the Sox fielders. That was when my cynical Sox side kicked in. I just knew the game might have been lost then, as if that Boone home run was destined to happen. I guess sometimes good can’t always win.
So we are left with the proverbial wait ‘till next year. As much as Red Sox nation is sick and tired of this notion, it’s our ill-fated reality. But, wasn’t this team fun? It was a great ride this year. This was a Sox team unlike any I can remember in my lifetime. They tore the cover off the ball, gave us so many great come-from-behind moments including that improbable victory over the A’s in the division series. As much as this hurts now, it really was a great season that just came up a little bit too short…again.
But, they’ll be back next year and we’ll make a run at it again. The only thing left to say is thank you. Thank you Red Sox for giving us all something to believe in and something to be passionate about. That game seven, as heartbreaking as it was, is why we all love this game and this team. Opening day is only six months away, until then, how about them Patriots?
It easy to second-guess Grady Little for not taking Pedro out in that eighth inning, lord knows we will be doing it until the Sox win the Series. His neglect to not pull Pedro will destine him to the company of Bucker and Bucky Bleeping Dent in future discussions of the hard luck Sox. But as much as I want to fault him, I can’t. I’ve always believed you can’t go wrong when you go with heart. Sometimes it works and others, well, it doesn’t. But he went with his gut, and honestly, who else would you want on the mound other than the best pitcher in baseball, tired or not. Unfortunately Little’s heart broke all of ours.
And now we are left with the Yankees once again in the World Series. That is really the hardest part of this to digest. It’s not so much that we lost a game seven, it’s that we lost it to the hated Evil Empire. Once again the Yankee mystique came through much to our distain and we are left at home forced to watch them battle for their 27th championship. It’s really too much to take, the aura of luck around that team. And they are lucky. After all, it was nothing more than a pop-up that somehow found a way to drop in that cost us this game. Bambino or not, somehow the ghosts of Yankee’s past swept through the Bronx and dropped that bloop just beyond the reach of the Sox fielders. That was when my cynical Sox side kicked in. I just knew the game might have been lost then, as if that Boone home run was destined to happen. I guess sometimes good can’t always win.
So we are left with the proverbial wait ‘till next year. As much as Red Sox nation is sick and tired of this notion, it’s our ill-fated reality. But, wasn’t this team fun? It was a great ride this year. This was a Sox team unlike any I can remember in my lifetime. They tore the cover off the ball, gave us so many great come-from-behind moments including that improbable victory over the A’s in the division series. As much as this hurts now, it really was a great season that just came up a little bit too short…again.
But, they’ll be back next year and we’ll make a run at it again. The only thing left to say is thank you. Thank you Red Sox for giving us all something to believe in and something to be passionate about. That game seven, as heartbreaking as it was, is why we all love this game and this team. Opening day is only six months away, until then, how about them Patriots?
