Tags
baseball, Boston, Boston Red Sox, Fenway, Fenway Park, Red Sox, Sox
I head off later today to Boston with my nine year old grandson Eli for a trip to Fenway Park, planned months and months ago, to see the final three games of what has turned out for me to be a wonderful 2018 baseball season. (If you haven’t seen my earlier post about our first trip to this Red Sox temple, check out A Seven Year Old’s First Trip to Fenway.)
All three of these games will be against the Yankees, but these three games will have no major bearing on the playoffs. Rather, for me they will be a celebration of what has been the best regular season record in the 118 year history of the team. Their record, prior to these last three games, is 107-52, two wins better than their previous franchise record.
I could write pages on why this year has been so successful (see my earlier post, Success Has Many Fathers… for at least some the reasons I believe my heroes have done so well). And I could also list dozens of reasons why it has been the single best season in at least the 68 years since my grandfather first took me to Fenway when I was seven.
Yes. They won the World Series in 2004 after almost a century of not doing so. And then they won the WS twice more within the succeeding ten year period. The 2004 win was certainly the highlight of my (baseball) life as a long suffering Sox fan.
But, in some ways, this year has been at least as wonderful. Ever since Spring Training when the Sox went 22-9 (.710), they have played at a pace between .675 and .700+. Do you know what that means to a baseball fan, especially to a Red Sox fan?
It has meant that almost seven out of every ten games the Sox have played, they’ve won – sometimes on hitting, sometimes on starting pitching, some on relief pitching, some times on fielding, sometimes on base running, and often even when they were down as many as six or seven runs. They never lost more than three games in a row the entire season.
For me, that meant that I could go to sleep most nights ‘celebrating’ a victory. Also, it meant my wife Ellen did not have to sleep beside a disgruntled bed partner. And that went on for SIX months, half a year. Simply unheard of for this obsessive baseball fan.
Now, I’ve been reading and hearing for months that the season doesn’t matter if the Sox don’t at least make it into the World Series…and for some, they have to win the WS to make 2018 truly a special year.
Not so for me.
Of course I want them to win it all, and I’ll not be a happy camper if they don’t go far into the playoffs.
But nothing can take away how wonderful this season has been. How delightful it has been to see this group of 25+ players, along with their coaches, their staff, their ownership do what no other Red Sox team has ever done, and to see the joy on their faces seven out of every ten games.
Isn’t there some over used meme about getting there being half the fun?
In fact, I think one of my daughters wrote her college essay on the Ursula La Guin quote, “It’s good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.”
For me, this year’s Red Sox journey has been what matters.
Ed Scholl said:
Well said! I Felt a little bit of that emotion in 2012 when the Nationals did so well and had the best record in baseball. But they only had 98 winsthat year. The Red Sox accomplishment is of another order of magnitude. Congratulations, and I hope they win a few more games this weekend against the Yankees.
Kevin said:
Good blog there Rick
That’s the difference between the Yankees and Red Sox – it’s a failure every year if the Yanks don’t win the WS, especially if they are supposed to. Probably has much to do with the 27 titles they own, and/or the demanding attitude of The Boss (Steinbrenner, not Springsteen).
I for one don’t share that attitude – glad you don’t either – it’s healthier
Enjoy your time with grandson; since you can’t root for the Yankees please at least root against the A’s. Much better ratings will be had when the Yanks and Sox square off for the pennant.
Kevin
Chris Boutourline said:
Best year evah! challenged only by the “Impossible Dream” season of 1967 when “Sox Nation” began to form and I first went to Fenway. I have a soft spot for ’75 too. These games against the Yankees could be fun if the Sox can win the first game and the A’s do their part vs Angels. The games will get intense if the Sox come close to sending the Yanks to Oakland.
David Price said:
Interesting blog Mr Miller but the eternal question regarding the ‘fall choke kings’ that are your Sawks is the importance of ‘it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish’. In most people’s book winning the WS is paramount. Isn’t this the reason why teams play? Not sure if current Sox fans would agree with you in giving up a chance of a WS just to say they won 107+ games? I know I wouldn’t, neither would the entirety of the baseball world but I’ve heard they’re a funny lot down Yawkey Way these days so who knows? Numerous teams are coming good just at the right time so perhaps your boys won’t have to give up anything after all! VERY confident of a Yankee renaissance at this stage but we shall see. After tonight’s performance, I’d be extremely worried if I were a Sox fan as they look average at best. The dreaded choke appears to be setting in already. Finally, I know I’m biased but if Andujar doesn’t get ‘Best Rookie Ever!’ then I may stop watching ball and become a hairdresser…
Richard said:
D,
Not giving up on WS. Would certainly like to win it all.
But unlike another Yunkee fan (Kevin above), you miss my point about the joy of a terrific long season. But then most Yankee fans are spoiled by the 27 WS wins and can’t understand some of the finer points of living (baseball).
Yanks do seem to be peaking at the right time. Can both they and Oakland lose?
I guess I’d like the Yankees to lose the Wild Carc game, and Oakland then lose to the Sox.
Humminbirdrfo said:
Europe, and in Ancient Russia
Plasticuwv said:
ancient and medieval Latin,
Professionalree said:
“Julia’s Garland” (fr. Guirlande de Julie)
Superchipsugi said:
, text and illustrations to which
Batterieseqc said:
drafts of literary works
Telecasterulx said:
From many manuscripts of Antiquity
Flukeate said:
then only a few have reached us
Wirelessdcd said:
new texts were rewritten
Infraredjda said:
Century to a kind of destruction:
Foamzzf said:
European glory, and even after
Rubberuio said:
consists of the book itself