True Confessions
You know, I'm just getting this feeling it's the Red Sox year to win the World Series. So a true confession or two is in order.
- It won't be the end of the world if the Red Sox win the World Series. I know, I know, but it won't be.
- Not only that, it won't even be that bad.
Look, let's be real. The only reason the Red Sox haven't won a World Series since 1918 is not the Curse of the Babe. It's the "curse" of playing in the American League and, more specifically, the American League East. The Red Sox simply were never able to get to the World Series often enough to win it again. Not because they weren't a great team. They were. No, it was because the Yankees were, most years, a better team. The most dominant team in baseball. I don't care who you are, who you traded, and how great your players are, if you play behind the most dominant team in baseball, you won't even make it to the championship very often. And, well, to quote an old New York Lotto commercial, "You gotta be in it to win it."
So all those years without a World Series win turned the Red Sox into a great tragic team in the eyes of many Americans. Not necessarily Red Sox fans, but to the rest of us. The Cubs? No, because mostly they suck. The White Sox? Do you realize it almost never gets reported that the White Sox haven't won a World Series since 1917? You hear about the Cubs and Red Sox all the time, but how often do you hear about the White Sox? That's pretty much because the White Sox mostly suck too. The Red Sox have almost never sucked, though. On the contrary. So their inability to win becomes something great and mystical, not the rather mundane reality it is. If they played in the National League, they'd have won before now. If they played in the A.L. West, even, they'd have probably won by now.
So it will be something of a relief for the Red Sox to win the World Series. In the eyes of many, it will make them into just another team instead of baseball's great tragic team.
One last thing - Rick, spruce up your Amazon.com wish list. I have a feeling that you're winning this bet.
Comments
Sounds like you've made it to the last stage of grief: acceptance. Not quite sure where I am in this whole thing. Might be shock, as in I still can't believe the Yankees lost, especially with how puny the Cardinals are looking right now. Could be denial, since it's still no lock the Red Sox will win. Remember - one win at a time for the Cardinals. Or fear or despair, as in I'm not looking forward to those "twenty oh four" chants next season if the Red Sox do win.
Posted by: Jon | October 27, 2004 06:35 AM
Yes there will be plenty of choices in the 10 to 20 dollar range for you to choose from, but don't give up yet, there was one team who managed to lose a 7 game set after being up 3-0.
Let's see, who was that team [grin, chuckel, snort].
Posted by: Rick DeMent | October 27, 2004 10:47 AM