Red Sox

Some fans take it hard! This one seems to have peed his pants!

Congratulations to the team, magnificent!
To all the fans, it's over, the jinx is no more!!!

A Red Sox Fan of Fifty-One Years Contemplates the Red Sox 2004 World Series Trophy..... and bursts into song:




'At last'

'My love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song

At last
The sky above is blue
My heart was wrapped in clover
The night I looked at you...'





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As a born-and-bred New Englander I am shocked SHOCKED! at this behavior.

Don't you people realize that the Celtics have not won a championship since 1986? That the Bruins haven't hoisted the Cup since 1972?

Ah, woe is us!

(That feels more like it.)

On the way to work this morning I stopped at a local convenance store to get my usual coffee. What was interesting was the other patrons (I live deep in Red Sox territory). It was not exuberance but rather a sort of hushed daze. Hung over? maybe. But it more likely it has yet to really sink in, that one of the core components of our world view has forever changed.

Sorry Dice, typo yes. Should have been MLB, NHL, and NBA.

And I couldn't be happier!

Sports Illustrated reported that something like 87% of all New England TVs were tuned to the ALCS - can't imagine what the area ratings were for the fall classic.

I keep smilin'. Sleepily, but still smilin'.

I am so grateful to our 2004 crop of Red Sox heroes who have finally brought a World Series Victory to Boston.

I also want to express my thanks to all the Red Sox players of the past fifty-one years that I have been a fan, including the famous and the not-so-famous, the stars and the journeymen players.

Below is the 1953 Red Sox team that introduced me to baseball. They finished fourth (I think) in an eight team American League. They played before expansion, before free agency, before designated hitters, and in an era when most games were played in the afternoon.

Ted Williams is not listed as a starter because he joined the team late in the season, having spent two years or so as a marine fighter pilot in the Korean War.



THE 1953 BOSTON RED SOX

REGULARS

-----------------------BA HR RBI
1B Dick Gernert .253 21 71

2B Billy Goodman .313 2 41

SS Milt Bolling .263 5 28

3B George Kell .307 12 73

OF Jim Piersall .272 3 52

OF Tom Umphlett .283 3 59

OF Hoot Evers .240 11 31

C Sammy White .273 13 64

Other position players:

Gene Stephens (.204, 3, 18), Floyd Baker (.273, 0, 24), Ted Lepcio (.236, 4, 11), Johnny Lipon (.214, 0, 13), Del Wilber (.241, 7, 29), Ted Williams (.407, 13, 34), Al Zarilla (.194, 0, 4), Billy Consolo (.215, 1, 6), Karl Olson (.123, 1, 6), Gus Niarhos (.200, 0, 2), Jack Merson (.000, 0, 0), Dom DiMaggio (.333, 0, 0), Clyde Vollmer (.000, 0, 0), Al Richter (.000, 0, 0)

STARTERS

------------------W-L ERA SV
L Mel Parnell 21-8 3.06 0
L Mickey McDermott 18-10 3.01 0
R Hal Brown 11-6 4.65 0
R Sid Hudson 6-9 3.52 2
R Willard Nixon 4-8 3.93 0
L Bill Henry 5-5 3.26 1
BULLPEN
R Ellis Kinder 10-6 1.85 27
R Ben Flowers 1-4 3.86 3
R Ike Delock 3-1 4.44 1
R Hersh Freeman 1-4 5.54 0
L Bill Kennedy

I became a fan in '79, when I started college. Can still remember standing on the roof of the Shelton dorm (BU), hearing Fenway fans cheer Yaz.

The lineup:

# Pitchers
16 Tom Burgmeier
22 Bill Campbell
41 Dick Drago
43 Dennis Eckersley
44 Joel Finch
31 Andy Hassler
42 Chuck Rainey
49 Win Remmerswaal
25 Steve Renko
28 Allen Ripley
46 Bob Stanley
21 Mike Torrez
30 John Tudor
45 Jim Wright

# Catchers
39 Gary Allenson
10 Bob Montgomery
50 Mike O'Berry

# Infielders
3 Jack Brohamer
7 Rick Burleson
17 Frank Duffy
1 Jim Dwyer
4 Butch Hobson
12 Stan Papi
2 Jerry Remy
5 George Scott
11 Ted Sizemore
5 Bob Watson
20 Larry Wolfe

# Outfielders
24 Dwight Evans
19 Fred Lynn
17 Tom Poquette
14 Jim Rice

# Other Positions
27 Carlton Fisk
8 Carl Yastrzemski

Not sure exactly what age I was when I became a fan, pretty young though and what I remember most was Yaz. He was my favorite.

My daughter at 5 is a Red Sox fan. We allowed her to stay up for the first inning of each game. This morning she asked me if the Red Sox where the champions. It was a wonderful feeling to be able to tell her yes!

Another reason to live out west. The games started at 5:00, not to mention the fact that all scores are actually printed in the paper in the morning.

First game I went to was in 1986 with my dad, against the Detroit tigers. I can still remember what it was like seeing the inside of Fenway for the first time. Oil Can Boyd pitched, and they won. That's the year I started watching baseball and collecting baseball cards.

Priceless!

Another reason to like them - Schilling came out for Bush!

We honor him for his pitching and his perseverance not his politics

Schilling represents everything that Kerry is not.

Can't we keep the politics off at least ONE thread? ....ple-e-e-e-a-s-e!

Yea, and God is the reason Schilling can throw a great splitter.

Way to go, Slappy!
I hear the Valkyries descending.