THE RED SOX WON THE AMERICAN LEAGUE PENNANT!!!! WOO WOO!!!
Okay. Thanks. Had to get that out of my system.
It might surprise you to know I haven't lived in the Boston area since I was four, and since then I've lived in some pretty serious baseball towns...including Detroit and Los Angeles.
So why am I still one of the Fenway faithful?
I sometimes joke that it's genetic but that's not far wrong. My parents were Sox fans. My uncles, aunt, and cousins are almost all Sox fans. My brother - who also hasn't lived in Boston since he was a kid - is an ardent Sox fan. My younger son - who has never lived east of Ohio - has always had a Red Sox banner on his wall and his son has slept under a Red Sox blanket all his life.
For us, it's not just the team we root for, it's a family connection. Not matter where we are, we have that same touchstone. And, believe me, it hasn't always been easy. If you're a baseball fan, you've probably heard of the Curse of the Bambino - credited by many for keeping a World Series Championship out of Boston for 86 years. A curse that was finally broken in 2004.
I remember that night. I was home. My Detroit-Tiger-fan-hubby had already gone to bed. I was sitting in front of the TV, my dad on my landline phone at my right ear, my son on my cell phone at my left, and other family members frantically messaging via the laptop in front of me. We couldn't be together but we're weren't about to celebrate alone. After the final out, I cheered, I danced, I shared the joy.
A few days later, my uncle - who was especially close to my mom - told me he didn't know which was sweeter, the win or hearing Mom celebrating in the background when he called my dad. By the time the Sox won it all again in 2007, Mom was gone.
Now we're back to the World Series. I'll do my best not to be too distracted but if I'm a little late visiting everyone, please bear with me. It's not just a baseball game. It's a family thing.
GO SOX!!!!
Joke of the Day:
