Red Sox Nation: One Final Question
October 20, 2004
In Red Sox Nation, there is one final question that begs asking: Why not us?
There are so many (too many?) thoughts to ponder this morning, as an entire region of sleep-deprived and mentally and physically exhausted fans wake up, sip the proverbial cup of coffee, and try to shock their bodies and minds back into reality.
But Red Sox fans know that this reality, as euphoric as it may be, is a far cry from what it was a mere 72 hours ago.
In the aftermath of the 19-8 beating the Olde Towne Team suffered on Saturday night, the Red Sox and their loyal fandom were left with next to nothing. The ever so fading glimmer of hope for a World Series run remained just a tiny, barely recognizable flicker on the horizon. No team had ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the history of baseball. In fact, no team had ever even forced a game 7.
Then it happened.
In the three days to follow, we witnessed the most grueling, intense, heart-pumping, edge-of-your-seat postseason baseball the world has ever seen. The 2004 Boston Red Sox, in this series, as if we had any reason to believe the contrary, have come to define the word team. The heroes are too many to mention, but we all know who they are. The managerial moves have been brilliant; that is not to be overlooked in a series like this.
But most importantly, the Red Sox have come to the aid of each other when it was needed most. It would be an understatement to say that we have witnessed an endless barrage of heroes rising to the challenge and exceeding all of our wildest expectations. These twenty five brave souls, with unprecedented odds stacked against them, have somehow (incredibly!) pieced together three straight victories and have restored hope to a desperate Nation of adoring fans.
We have been here before against the Yankees, but never under these circumstances. Finally, for once, the pressure is on them. They are the ones who risk being on the losing end of the greatest comeback in the history of athletic competition. They, with their inordinate payroll, are the ones who, with a loss tonight, risk being considered the greatest financial failure in sports history.
Make no mistake about it - something is terribly wrong in Yankee country. The invincibility of 72 hours past has evaporated. Their team has become sullen, full of disdain, and even, perhaps, fearful. There is an aura of uneasiness, an eerie feeling of uncertainty and mortality that permeates their locker room and The Stadium itself.
In last night’s post-game press conference, Yankee manager Joe Torre, for the first time, looked befuddled. When asked who his starting pitcher would be for tonight’s game, he mentioned first “canceling his dinner plans” for tonight and then figuring out the pitching situation. Rather than invoke a sense of confidence in the well-rested Kevin Brown, who is expected to take the hill tonight for the bad guys, he wavered when asked specifically about his starter for game 7.
And exactly where has the “class” in the Yankees organization gone? From Sheffield’s comments last week about the Red Sox being a “walking disaster,” to A-Rod’s Little League-like karate chop on Bronson Arroyo, to the 55,000+ arrogant dissenters pelting the field with baseballs and other garbage in protest of correct calls, the Yankee mystique, in a span of just 7 days, has turned from one of class, charm and grace to that of hostility, equivocation and yes, all of a sudden, distress (shall we call in the Riot Police again?).
Is this the Yankee championship machine we’ve grown so accustomed to?
In a series that has seemingly had more ups and downs than all of the roller coasters in America, it has finally come down to one game. The Red Sox find themselves in enemy territory for the final contest, trying to pull off the greatest comeback, against the greatest odds, that there ever could have possibly been.
Amazingly, we find ourselves on the verge of Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, perhaps the most anticipated athletic contest of our lifetime; or better yet, of all time.
Very simply, Red Sox fans, we have the pleasure of being immersed right smack in the middle of an event in which the potential impact in the world of sports has never been greater.
Truth be told, this is exactly where this team wanted to be.
Countless times in the past, they have brought us to the brink; given us the slightest taste of blissful elation, only to let us down. Will this finally be the time that they exorcise the demons that have haunted us so mercilessly?
Don’t even think about changing the channel tonight. You are about to witness history.
Why not us?
(And you all know what happened after that)
Stumble it!