Fanciers
October 12th, 2004
A USA Today piece discusses Faithful, a book that Stephen King and Stewart O’Nan are writing on the horrors of being a Red Sox fan.
I am torn between the fact that I was born into a natural antipathy towards the Sox and a genuine appreciation of the team when it is any good. I have to admit that they have been fun to watch the past two years, and I’m not saying that just so I don’t end up on David Ortiz’s hit list. I’m reminded of what W.P. Kinsella wrote in “The Night Manny Mota Tied the Record”:
…baseball fans. The true word is fanciers. Fans of the game itself. Men having favourites, but not blind prejudices, here because we love the game. Not Sunday fathers dragging young sons after us, or college kids guzzling beer and cheering ourselves hoarse, but steady, long-term, win-or-lose fans.
That said, the Red Sox are going to get clobbered by the Yankees. And don’t give me any grief about the size of the Yankee payroll; look at who’s number two on the list.
Update: Just to make sure I’m understood, I’ll say it now, before the series even begins. I think the Red Sox will beat the Yankees. I don’t want them to, but I think they will. In six games. You can bet I’ll be watching the Cardinals-Astros series, because whoever ends up playing the Sox are going to be my new favorite team for the month.
Update #2: Heh!
October 12th, 2004 at 4:11 pm
Grief. Grief. Grief.
It’s not just that the Yankees have such a huge payroll, it’s the differential in payroll compared to the other teams. The spread between payrolls #1 (Yankees) and #2 (Red Sox) is the same as the spread between payrolls #2 and #13 (Diamondbacks).
I am looking forward to seeing tonight’s game though. I’m rooting for the Red Sox of course, but I’m willing to grant that Derek Jeter’s cute.
October 12th, 2004 at 4:43 pm
Red Sox! Red Sox! Red Sox! :)
October 12th, 2004 at 4:49 pm
I have two comments.
The first is, “Buckner! Buckner!”
And the second is, “1918! 1918!”
October 13th, 2004 at 12:49 pm
So the Yankees might have won Game 1.. in the immortal words of the girl at the bar last night, “it doesn’t fucking matter”!
October 19th, 2004 at 3:41 pm
It would be very interesting if the Red Sox can win again tonight…
October 21st, 2004 at 4:35 am
[…] same spirit, I will admit that the Red Sox deserve this one. (I will also remind you that I predicted it, and I didn’t even think it would make it to seven games.) If it […]