ASNN

what a long strange trip...

Well, they did it. The Red Sox have won the World Series in decided fashion, sweeping the Cardinals in four games. Before I reclaim my life tomorrow morning, I'd like to knock back a few margaritas and share some thoughts, memories, and statistics with you all. You'll forgive me if I talk as if I am the Red Sox; all of us in the Red Sox Nation is a part of this team, of the '86, '75, '67 teams.

This was an amazing team. This was a team that never quit. That sounds like a cliche, and it generally is - but consider that no team has achieved the gritty accomplishments that this team has achieved. They epitomize that famous quote by Yogi: "It ain't over 'til it's over." Think of it: the Sox were down 3 games to 0. One more win and their archrival New York Yankees would advance to Yet Another World Series. Game 4 saw the Yanks up 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth with the best closer in postseason history, Mariano Rivera, on the mound.

Every kid who has ever played baseball at the park, or listened to the hometeam on AM radio, or visited a beautiful pro ballpark, has dreamt of this moment. "Bottom of the ninth" is like a secret mantra murmured at every Little League game, in every young fan's vision of his future greatness. And here it was, but with a sour note: three outs from going home in disgrace, being swept by the "Evil Empire".

And then a walk. Kevin Millar, a key personality in the Sox clubhouse, drew a hard-earned walk to start off the inning. Little did anyone know that one measly base on balls would turn an entire franchise so dramatically.

Dave Roberts, a rabbit on the basepaths, replaced Millar as a pinchrunner. Roberts was a late-season acquisition from the(/my) Los Angeles Dodgers, and had become a situational player for the Sox. Everyone in the stadium, seeing the substitution, knew Roberts was stealing. Rivera threw over to first a couple of times because HE knew Roberts was stealing. Roberts almost got picked off because EVERYONE knew he was stealing.

Roberts ran on the first pitch. He successfully swiped second base on a close play, but got himself into scoring position. Bill Mueller ("Miller") singled up the middle to score Roberts, and suddenly the best closer in the game was vulnerable. When the game finally wrapped up, twelve innings and 5 hours 2 minutes after the first pitch, the Red Sox had won.

The following night saw fourteen innings and 5 hours 49 minutes (most in postseason history) and another improbable Sox win, and a return to the eye of the storm (New York) for Game 6.

The following night saw Schilling take the mound, having undergone a radical medical procedure to suture his nearly-ruptured ankle tendons out of place to allow him to pitch. He dominated, and the Sox beat the Yankees in New York to become the first MLB team to ever force a Game 7 after being down 0-3 in a best-of-7 series.

The following night saw a beatdown, where the Sox completely shut down the Yankees in Yankee Stadium and became the first team to ever win a best-of-7 series after being down 0-3. At that point, they completed most improbable feat in all of sports, having only ever happened twice (both times in hockey) in... well, in a LOT of chances. (Maybe 120 times in the major sports that have best-of-7 series...)

They went to the World Series to face a team that had obliterated the National League, winning 105 games (to the Sox' 98) and had sewn up first place MONTHS before. The talk was that it would be a tough series. While I hesitated to choose sides, having chosen the Yankees in 5 in a fit of bitterness, I believed the Sox would win in a long series, 6 or 7 games. Most people chose the Sox in a similar number of games.

Boy, were we wrong. After the Sox won the first two, I thought that the Series would not return to Boston, meaning the Sox would win in 4 or 5. I thought it would be 5. Rather, they completely obliterated the Cardinals in 4 games. They swept the Cardinals, never trailing in the series, and leading the Cardinals in 34 of the games' 36 innings. Their final three starters pitched 20 innings with ZERO earned runs. It was never close.

You might find it odd that I devote paragraphs and paragraphs to the ALCS against the Yankees, and just one to the World Series. The fact is that after coming back in Game 4 against New York, then winning the final three games in most improbable fashion, the World Series was a formality. No one could make that kind of bold, arrogant statement at the beginning of the series, but looking at it now, it really was a formality... a beautiful, delicious formality. ;-)

So now, 86 years after last winning the World Series, the Red Sox are champions again. A fanbase that has suffered so thoroughly through seasons of mediocrity, as well as seasons of excellence ended early (usually by the Yankees), finally has a reason to rejoice. As a fan that has "only" suffered for about 20 years, I can rejoice alongside the fans that remember their defeat to these Cardinals in '67, even the elderly fans that wanted to see just one championship in their lives. It's unreal. Decades of Pesky's late throw and Bucky "F'ing" Dent and Buckner and Aaron "F'ing" Boone... gone. Erased.

The only team EVER to come back from 0-3 to win four straight, the only team EVER to win 8 straight postseason games. One of four teams to never trail in a World Series. For my money, the greatest team ever. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2004 World Series champions: the Boston Red Sox.

Posted by pcg at October 27, 2004 11:40 PM