There's Never a Wish Better than This
Does life get better than this?
Does life get better than watching your favorite team win the championship for the first time in 86 years, then celebrating with all of your friends and the entire city? How about that they did it by completing the greatest comeback in sports history? How about that the comeback was against the Yankees? Does it make the whole thing even sweeter that you've followed the team faithfully season after season?
Baseball season. Is there anything as great? The season begins in Florida, early in February, while snow still falls in Boston. Pitchers and catchers report first, and fans get their first glimpse of the season that will follow. From then until October, every pitch counts. Every game creates a new story. The team becomes a part of every fan's family. From the first game in April to the final out - September, or, if you're very lucky, late October - we're all hooked.
"The Red Sox mean nothing in my life," I've often said, "but they also mean everything."
I miss them already.
I already miss the daily baseball games. I miss the daily trek to Fenway Park, to see all the great folks I work with, to watch the lights go on as the sun goes down, to hear the crowd's applause as the starting lineups are introduced, to see the magic of it all happen every night, night after night. I already miss hearing "Sweet Caroline" in the middle of the 8th inning, and I already miss watching 35,000 fans sing along. I want to hear "Dirty Water" at the park one more time, before it all shuts down for the winter. Just one more game. Just one more time, I want to ask. I want to watch all the players warm up in the dusk, a hazy blue sky above the glowing field; I could sit and watch Fenway Park forever.
There are good things about the season ending: I've been worn-out by all the crazy work schedules, I've spent too many hours saving tables at crowded bars, my work hasn't been done in three weeks, and I just hung up clothes for the first time since the postseason started. It's funny though. Just when even I was starting to get tired of wearing Sox shirts day after day, just when I was sick of going to work and dealing with crowds and smelling like Fenway Park, it's all done. And now, I want nothing more than to have just one more game so I can continue to wear my t-shirts and get to Fenway. Part of me wants to make it all last - just a little bit longer.
It's like what I wrote a little earlier. The ride down the hill? Slid all the way down - had an amazing ride - but now it's done. That great book? Finished. Movie? Credits rolled. It's exactly how they say it happens: all good things come to an end. Who knows if the next trip down the hill, the next book, the next movie - the next season - will be as good as this one was. I don't think there will ever be a sweeter victory than the one of 2004, when the Red Sox came all the way back to win it all and take the championship for the first time in 86 years. I don't think life as a Red Sox fan will ever get better than it's been during October 2004.
Baseball season officially ended at 11:41 PM on Wednesday, October 27, when the Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium to win the World Series in four games. The victory parade in Boston ended a few hours ago. Life in Boston will eventually go back to normal, but it's nice to think that it will take a while for the glow to wear off. I like to think that Red Sox fans will be able to spend this winter still celebrating, still gloriously in love with their team and its historic win. I like to think that in a few months, when I'm looking back at all of this, when I'm flipping through all of the newspaper articles and commemorative memorabilia and magazines, that I'll still be wondering whether life gets any better.
Right now, it's hard to imagine that it does.
Does life get better than watching your favorite team win the championship for the first time in 86 years, then celebrating with all of your friends and the entire city? How about that they did it by completing the greatest comeback in sports history? How about that the comeback was against the Yankees? Does it make the whole thing even sweeter that you've followed the team faithfully season after season?
Baseball season. Is there anything as great? The season begins in Florida, early in February, while snow still falls in Boston. Pitchers and catchers report first, and fans get their first glimpse of the season that will follow. From then until October, every pitch counts. Every game creates a new story. The team becomes a part of every fan's family. From the first game in April to the final out - September, or, if you're very lucky, late October - we're all hooked.
"The Red Sox mean nothing in my life," I've often said, "but they also mean everything."
I miss them already.
I already miss the daily baseball games. I miss the daily trek to Fenway Park, to see all the great folks I work with, to watch the lights go on as the sun goes down, to hear the crowd's applause as the starting lineups are introduced, to see the magic of it all happen every night, night after night. I already miss hearing "Sweet Caroline" in the middle of the 8th inning, and I already miss watching 35,000 fans sing along. I want to hear "Dirty Water" at the park one more time, before it all shuts down for the winter. Just one more game. Just one more time, I want to ask. I want to watch all the players warm up in the dusk, a hazy blue sky above the glowing field; I could sit and watch Fenway Park forever.
There are good things about the season ending: I've been worn-out by all the crazy work schedules, I've spent too many hours saving tables at crowded bars, my work hasn't been done in three weeks, and I just hung up clothes for the first time since the postseason started. It's funny though. Just when even I was starting to get tired of wearing Sox shirts day after day, just when I was sick of going to work and dealing with crowds and smelling like Fenway Park, it's all done. And now, I want nothing more than to have just one more game so I can continue to wear my t-shirts and get to Fenway. Part of me wants to make it all last - just a little bit longer.
It's like what I wrote a little earlier. The ride down the hill? Slid all the way down - had an amazing ride - but now it's done. That great book? Finished. Movie? Credits rolled. It's exactly how they say it happens: all good things come to an end. Who knows if the next trip down the hill, the next book, the next movie - the next season - will be as good as this one was. I don't think there will ever be a sweeter victory than the one of 2004, when the Red Sox came all the way back to win it all and take the championship for the first time in 86 years. I don't think life as a Red Sox fan will ever get better than it's been during October 2004.
Baseball season officially ended at 11:41 PM on Wednesday, October 27, when the Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium to win the World Series in four games. The victory parade in Boston ended a few hours ago. Life in Boston will eventually go back to normal, but it's nice to think that it will take a while for the glow to wear off. I like to think that Red Sox fans will be able to spend this winter still celebrating, still gloriously in love with their team and its historic win. I like to think that in a few months, when I'm looking back at all of this, when I'm flipping through all of the newspaper articles and commemorative memorabilia and magazines, that I'll still be wondering whether life gets any better.
Right now, it's hard to imagine that it does.
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