You guys, I'm still basking in the glow of the Sox win. :)
However, without casting a shadow on the day, I wanted to share an article that nearly boiled my blood. In the wee hours of Monday morning, when NESN's coverage was over & I was digging into the internet's coverage, I found this article on Boston.com. It's by Tim Dahlberg, who is an AP sports writer.
Essentially, the main idea is "with victory comes new risk for Boston. They're not warm and fuzzy anymore, and no longer seem all that lovable." He also compares us directly to the Evil Empire: "Put pinstripes on these Boston Red Sox, move them to the Bronx, and America would have the same love/hate relationship with them as they do with George Steinbrenner's multimillionaire minions."
Humph. I, and I'm sure most of you, strongly disagree. So, as late as it was, this is the response that Mr. Tim Dahlberg got from me:
From: me@myemail.com
To: tdahlberg@ap.org
Date: Oct 29, 2007 2:03 AM
Subject: not so warm & fuzzy?
I wish I could write a more coherent response to your article about the Red Sox, but it's awfully late and I've been up watching my team win the World Series. That's right - I said "my" team, because that's how Red Sox fans views their players: as family. These guys are our baseball heroes and we maintain faith in them, in Terry, in Theo, and in the owners.
I myself have had some concerns like those you mentioned. I've been worried that Sox fans will come to expect success, like Yankees fans did for so long. I've been worried that having the second highest payroll in the MLB and the freedom to spend that money would lead to some bad decisions (like Gagne may turn out to be). In the end, however, knowing Bostonians and Sox fans like I do (you're not from here, are you, Tim?), I don't think that will happen.
Did you see Mike Timlin and Tim Wakefield on NESN after the game tonight? Timlin praised Wake for stepping down and leaving room for the younger pitchers to start in the series. Wakefield was close to tears at the end. This is who the Red Sox are - good men who work hard at this game and never, ever assume that success is guaranteed. They are a true team and a group of guys who always seem amazed and humbled by the support of their fans.
You can keep your pinstripes in the Bronx, thanks. That's not our thing here in Boston.
Stacey (my last name)
Portsmouth, NH
UPDATE: To his credit, Mr. Dahlberg wrote me back to say, "Hope you enjoyed the parade . . . thanks for writing." So while I still disagree with the point of his article, I'll give him points for politeness.
4 comments:
I agree with you about old school fans..but I definitely think the next generation of sox fans is different... look how spoiled they are sports wise? Two Sox World Series in four years, a million (roughly) Patriot Super Bowl Wins. And now BC #2 in the nation? How can younger fans expect anything less than victory?
You tell him girl!!!!!!
Those comments by timlin during the interview with Wake were my favorite Sox moment of all time
Oh, my gosh, you expressed my thoughts exactly. I have long been a fan of the Red Sox for those same reasons you listed, and although I too have shared your concerns about the whole idea of hubris within our fandom and the pitfalls of expecting success, I believe that the prevailing mentality of "our" Red Sox nation is one of mutual and unconditional support for a classy team of talented professionals who go out, give their best, win some and lose some, but who support each other in the process and who never give up. Here I will mention proudly that in 2004, when the Red Sox dropped game 3 to the 'evil empire' by a score of 19-8, and others were giving up, I was proudly and emphatically saying there was still more baseball to be played, and that the Red Sox were a comeback waiting to happen. A coupla championships later and my faith proved well placed. (I kinda tend to think it applies to the Patriots as well, but I digress.)
Anyway, many praises for your post here and for your blog in general. I love it!!! Got linked here originally by a comment you made about the tours at Smuttynose in Portsmouth, recommending it highly.
In the spirit of continued overzealous feedback, I hope you're doing okay with your "liberated" new/old bike. I read that post as well and it made me laugh and I'm crossing my fingers for you that your riding prospects remain good safety-wise and enjoyable as well.
Take care / Peace out!!!
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