The Kate Khronicles : The Boys Are Back! Red Sox Strong!!

Monday, October 21, 2013

The Boys Are Back! Red Sox Strong!!

I'll admit it. In all honesty and full disclosure...I had written off the boys up at Fenway Park. As a lifelong diehard Red Sox fan, I was sorely disappointed with the reported shenanigans in the clubhouse. I used to be so proud of them...win or lose. It was how you played the game, right? It was how you conducted yourself and acted like part of the team...no "I" in team, right?

I just couldn't bring myself to care anymore. If they didn't, I reasoned, why should I?

I tried. Really, I did. I attempted to distance myself from all things baseball so I wouldn't set myself up for heartbreak and disappointment again. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it. I followed them. Kept up with the box scores. The stats. The trades. The highlights and lowlights of each game. I even went to a game. And applied for a job with the organization. Couldn't help myself. Deep down I still loved the old team. My team. The Boston Red Sox. Like it or not, they're mine. Always will be my home town team. I can't turn my back on them.

I wasn't alone. A lot of fans and sports-beat writers wrote them off. Many stayed away, too. No one held out much hope that the team would amount to anything until they rebuilt their ranks. These were the building years, they said. New manager. No big-ticket stars on this team. Lot of new faces. A few weary, banged up players. Un-tested pitching. Elder statesman, David Ortiz, was getting up there in years...could the team and Red Sox Nation still count on his clutch hitting? Could we still count on feisty Pedey?

Yet wonder of wonders, under the radar, the Sox moved up in the standings, took first place...and stayed there. And still no one thought their chances of surviving the post-season were very good.

Then the scraggly play-off beards appeared. And the wins kept coming. A sense of team spirit and team pride arose.

With tenacity and hard-work, they ground out win after hard-fought win. Slowly their old die-hard fans took notice. With apprehension, they tip-toed back into the fold and held their breath with cautious optimism. Could it be? Is this for real?

Could they go all the way? Was this team the new improbable dream?

Answer ... YES! The boys are back! Without the fanfare, no trumpets blaring. Just a team of hard working ball players pulling together for a common goal. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!