With A Whimper…

Congratulations to all Bosox fans. Not to gainsay what is probably the most historic professional sports moment of my life (so far!), but let me be the first to whisper it: It was actually kind of a dull game.

Comments

[Guy]

It was a dull series. The Yanks Sox series was the most riviting baseball in...well, most riviting I've ever seen. The acutal Series was anti-climatic for everyone else, 'cepting maybe Bostonians

[Tim Cavanaugh]

This year's ALCS was definitely rivetizing, but I was more riveted by the Sox' most notorious World Series: 1986, a balls-to-the-wall suspense-filled contest in which, unfortunately, evil triumphed over good (or at least, slightly less evil).

[Syd]

Game one was pretty good. Well, there wasn't any pitching and not much defense, but the Cardinals caught up twice. The other three, the Red Sox took over and led all the way.

[Rick Barton]

It was actually kind of a dull game.

That's because it was a baseball game. What? Who said that?... Sorry, I don't want to pick on the "national pastime".....sure I do. It just isn't football! BTW, Go Broncos!

"Baseball been bery bery boring to me".

[Joe Majsterski]

Both the NLCS and the ALCS were way more entertaining than the the WS. It's a shame.

[Eric II]

The Red Sox had 85 seasons out in the wilderness. Philadelphia's four pro sports teams have gone without a title for an equal number of seasons between them. Here's hoping that the Eagles make 86 a lucky number for the city of Tastykakes and scrapple as well.

[Jason Bourne]

Congratulations to the Redsox (and this is coming from a Yankees fan who has loyally followed them since 1977). However, I must add that historic drought is largely the fault of Boston - bad management, racism, etc., all played a factor.

Tim Cavanaugh,

Sorry, but the 1986 World Series was theirs; they just let the Mets pick it up and take it away.

[Jason Bourne]

Now if only Steinbrenner would get suspended again. 🙂

[Jason Bourne]

I suppose the Cubs and White Sox will be wanting the World Series now. 🙂

[Cedarburg]

This is a wonderful moment.

Hopefully, we'll never have to hear Dan Shaunessy, Doris Kearns Goodwin, or John Updike wax poetic about the tragedy of the BoSox ever again. Now, they're consigned to being just like Angels, D-Backs, and Marlins fans--just another bunch of schlubs who have seen their team win it all in the last ten years or so.

I wait, with great amusement, to see how New Englanders--a pathetic, self-centered, self-loathing, perspective-lacking bunch of mofos as you will ever meet--react to being actually forced to be happy about something. I'm pretty sure the reaction will be drunkeness, followed by rioting and looting, followed by rampant work absenteeism on Thursday, followed by a complete loss of identity.

Which is all very sad.

[kevrob]

I'm sorry, Good triumphed in 1986, though mainly due to an incredible managerial blunder by the Beantown skipper.

"Jason Bourne" is a Yankee fan. It explains so much.

Kevin

[sourav]

Maybe now that this tidy little drama is over, they will dissolve major league baseball.

A football fan can hope.

[Syd]

Now that Boston's won the World Series maybe they can manage to finish in first for a change.

[Greg]

It was only fitting that the series be anticlimactic -- the real drama was in the ACLS, and nothing can overshadow the come from behind victory against the Yankees. They are, and always have been, the True Enemy, the Evil Empire. To send them packing in the Bronx after the most amazing turnaround in baseball history was the pinnacle of drama; the World Series was but the denouement.

[CTD]

I'm with Gary - baseball is boring. Only one guy at at a time wears a mask, there are no cute "managers", and almost no one ever gets hit by a chair.

[Eric II]

The defeat of the Yankees was like the scene in Return of the Jedi where Darth Vader threw the Emperor to his doom. Sure, the Death Star hadn't been destroyed yet and the Imperial Fleet was still standing, but at that point, the Empire's demise became inevitable.

But it was fitting that the epilogue involved the Cardinals. With their nine titles (two over the Red Sox), large-market status, and genteel fans, they're much more of an Evil Empire for the NL than the Cubs, who are more like the Ewoks.

[Warren]

Put another check mark in the "I couldn't possibly care less about something this boring"

The only sports I can be bothered with are college basketball and women's tennis.

[cdunlea]

I wait, with great amusement, to see how New Englanders--a pathetic, self-centered, self-loathing, perspective-lacking bunch of mofos as you will ever meet--react to being actually forced to be happy about something. I'm pretty sure the reaction will be drunkeness, followed by rioting and looting, followed by rampant work absenteeism on Thursday, followed by a complete loss of identity.

Yes, well, fuck you too. Now pass the sour grapes this way, please.

[Steven Crane]

I'd hardly call St. Louis a "large market", even though it would seem that all of StL catches Cardinal Fever every year. Maybe "J" will agree or disagree.

And I hate to break it to you, Eric II, but this is the Year of the Steeler.

[Eryk Boston]

Baseball season is now over and the election will be done in a few days(I pray). Oh god, does this mean we have to get back to dealing with our own lives?
As a Long time Sox fan (yes, Boston is my real name) who still bears the scars of 86 and only recently was able to admit in therapy that they lost last year let me admit the WS was dull but so what? No one who saw the interminable slugout with the evil empire can deny we deserve the title and a one-sided ass whupping of a WS was a nice finish. And let me send a hearty "bite me" to those who were assured of a Sox loss to whomever they played. Does this mean a I really need to go to law school now?
Go Patriots. 22 in a row isn't too much to ask and I'll need the fix.

[kevrob]

St. Louis isn't a large market, but it has an historically large catchment area for major league fans. Prior to the 1955-1967 sojourn of the Philadelphia Athletics in Kansas City on their way out to Oakland, and the 1961-62 expansions, there was no MLB team further South or West, excepting the AL's Browns, now the Balmur O's. Washington's Senators were the Southernmost team in the East, and they, like the Brownies, stunk on ice. For many who lived in the South and West, the Cardinals were major league ball, especially once you could listen to the games on radio. If you travelled in your job, you might make it to St. Louis a couple of times a year, and even get to take in a game at Sportsman's Park. In a way, they were like the Atlanta Braves once Ted Turner put their games up on satellite. If you had no home team of your own, the Braves would do. The Toronto Blue Jays, especially once SkyDome was built also come to mind as fulfilling this function for Canada, and the victorious Red Sox claim the attention of 5 New England states, and a good chunk of Connecticut.

The Cards' traditional advantage as a regional team has diminished some, as Kansas City acquired the Athletics, lost them, then replaced them with the AL Royals. But, as I've said before, baseball is tribal, and for many a son in Texas or Georgia, it may have taken a while to start rooting for the home town Astros or Braves against the Cardinals, who were probably Daddy's team. As a member of the National League since 1892, they have a history few franchises can match, and are a good draw on the road.

Now, for small markets, let's talk Milwaukee, San Diego and Pittsburgh.

Kevin

[too many steves]

Winning is never dull.

I was a little kid in '67, in college in '75 and '78 (with a bunch of obnoxious New Yorkers), a new father in '86, and, well, a year younger in '03. 1986 was the worst - they were one out away in Game 6.

Beating the Yankees was great and the best baseball of this postseason, but winning the World Series is incredible! Not that I had anything to do with it.

Woooooo-Hooooooooo!

[John M. Joy]

I'm pretty sure the reaction will be drunkeness, followed by rioting and looting, followed by rampant work absenteeism on Thursday, followed by a complete loss of identity.

Exactly. Usually I'm simply apathetic about how any team, in any sport, is doing. When one of the local teams (including and especially the local colleges) starts to rise in the rankings, I start hoping they lose, since championships tend to bring with them hooliganism, and the associated police and cleanup costs, and rise in insurance rates.

JMJ

[Jason Bourne]

I've always found this petty jealousy of Yankee success to be rather amusing. Oh well, we'll have to wait another year for number twenty-eight. 🙂

[joe]

I do sort of feel like they're just another team now.

But they're just another team who won the World Series!

[joe]

And what do you mean a boring game? Don't you like pitching?

[Eric II]

"I'd hardly call St. Louis a "large market", even though it would seem that all of StL catches Cardinal Fever every year."

Not in the same league as New York and Boston, but it's typically had a payroll in the top 10. Besides the loyal support, they've got a pretty widespread fan base in the Central Mississippi. Kind of like the Braves in the Southeast.

"And I hate to break it to you, Eric II, but this is the Year of the Steeler."

Now that's funny. The Steelers will be lucky to make it out of the Divisional round. The Pats or the Colts, on the other hand, could conceivably trip up the Eagles.

[Yankees Fan]

To all the hataz out there in Boston...to all you punk-ass chumps who were chanting, "The Yankees Suck" when I came to Fenway to see your team play the World Champion Anaheim Angels, you're a rude obnoxious bunch of jerkoffs, but congratulations.

[joe]

Just make sure you put that Babe Ruth face into thet recycle bin.

[Eric II]

"you're a rude obnoxious bunch of jerkoffs"

Yep. Now if only they could imitate Yankee fans and throw garbage onto the field because their star player wasn't allowed to use catfight techniques to get to first base.

[JDM]

"When one of the local teams (including and especially the local colleges) starts to rise in the rankings, I start hoping they lose, since championships tend to bring with them hooliganism, and the associated police and cleanup costs, and rise in insurance rates."

Please go hang yourself.

"I'm pretty sure the reaction will be drunkeness, followed by rioting and looting, followed by rampant work absenteeism on Thursday, followed by a complete loss of identity."

I think that deep in their heart of hearts, all Sox fans were secretly rooting for Houston, and a game 7 loss to Clemens for the Red Sox.

[cdunlea]

I too was waiting to see Clemens humbled at our hands, but I'll take Suppan making an ass of himself and showing exactly why the Sox released him--twice.

[Adam Soudure]

I, for one, was happy to see the Red Sox win, if only to stop talk about this bloody curse. Enough already! I tend to agree with Cedarburg about not having to read/hear about the tragic SAWX from those pompous sports writers. Also, what is it about some sports fans that start rioting when their team *WINS*? Get a grip, people. I've celebrated pretty hard when my team has won before, but I don't recall it unleashing an urge to fight with people and destroy property. WTF?

[Mo]

I loved how the Sawx are trying to position themselves as the underdog. For a team with the second highest payroll in the majors they SHOULD have finally won one.

And yes, New England fans are obnoxious and whiny (explain the "Yankees Suck" chants after the Pats winning a Super Bowl and how this doesn't prove the point).

[Stevo Threadkiller]

CTD: "I'm with Gary - baseball is boring. Only one guy at at a time wears a mask, there are no cute "managers", and almost no one ever gets hit by a chair."

And I'm with you -- and whatever happened to Beautiful Manager Elizabeth of the WWF anyway?

I'm a St. Louisan, but this is our busy season at work, so I'm only peripherally aware of the Series. The Cards lost again, right? They're out of it? Congrats to the Red Sox fans. It's only a game. (But wait until next year ...)

[Jeff]

Baseball is less relevant that what passes for mainstream political discourse.
Elizibeth is dead. Drug OD last year.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/lexlugermug1.html

[John M. Joy]

Please go hang yourself.

...and you can go fuck yourself.

Now that we have that out of the way...

I don't make people subsidize my recreation. Frankly, I'm getting damned annoyed at those who compel me to subsidize theirs, either directly (via taxpayer-funded stadium construction projects, or whining to the local recreation commission to fund their softball, or whatever, league), or indirectly (via "nuisance" costs, like the aforementioned).

JMJ

[Eric II]

"(explain the "Yankees Suck" chants after the Pats winning a Super Bowl and how this doesn't prove the point)"

It's something of a tribal calling card. Kind of like "Remember the Alamo!" for Texans or "What's a dentist?" for Brits.

[James Kabala]

Syd,
Yes, I would feel a little better if the Red Sox had finished first during the regular season. However, if there was ever a time when the wild card team deserved to win, this was it. They beat the Yankees in the playoffs, they had beaten the Yankees in the season series, and, as the impartial (as far as I know) Steve Sailer reports, they outscored their regular season opponents by 949 to 768, compared to the Yankees' 897 to 808.
Anyway, the Sox can follow the Patriots' example - now that they've got the monkey of ever winning off their back, they can get to work building a dynasty.

[Stevo in Mourning]

"Eliz[a]beth is dead. Drug OD last year."

No sh? I hadn't heard. Wow, I'm actually rather bummed. More than when I heard Ray Charles died, although not quite as bummed as when I heard about Roger Dangerfield.

Belated thoughts to Miss Elizabeth.

@-->--- / RIP

[cdunlea]

"I don't make people subsidize my recreation. Frankly, I'm getting damned annoyed at those who compel me to subsidize theirs, either directly (via taxpayer-funded stadium construction projects, or whining to the local recreation commission to fund their softball, or whatever, league), or indirectly (via "nuisance" costs, like the aforementioned)."

Well put. I consider it a point of pride that not one Boston team has a taxpayer subsidized team or stadium; they simply don't need to. All the costs of acquiring our sports franchises and building their facilities came from the owners' pockets.

As for the nuisance costs, however, you'd have to convince me that they somehow exceed the property taxes paid to the state by the clubs and the sales taxes generated by the merchandise. Don't forget the local merchants (of every kind, not just the bars) and the sales taxes they generate by the fans going to the game. All in all, it's a relatively small cost. Obviously, not everywhere is Boston, and from ballpark attendenance figures, most clubs do seem to be financial anvils hanging from the taxpayers' necks.

[John M. Joy]

Perhaps Boston ends up in the financial plus column when the bottom line is drawn (though this year that will remain to be seen, after whatever litigious fallout over that young lady's death occurs). But...

I don't live in Boston. Still, there are "fans" of various flavors around me, and their behavior affects me. Even if one could argue that the drunken rowdies are paying Connecticut's sales and excise taxes on their partying (and on some uptick in logoware sales due to the team's success), there's still the matter of the increased risk to my property (and life if the idiots decide to drive). Increased risk has to figure in the calculus of life, and requires that I take measures to protect myself and my financial interests - costs borne by me.

Since, frankly, I don't give a rat's ass about the outcome of a children's game (let's not forget that: we're talking about hitting a ball with a stick and running around in a circle), and don't, in any way, benefit from it, I'd rather the "jubilation" (and grief) be someplace else.

JMJ

[payday loan]

Thanks for that insightful comment! It makes interesting reading, especially when I need a payday loan .