Jere, age six, and Jene (aka "The Eck"), age nine, at Fenway Park, July 1982. Don't worry, me at six, only twenty-two more years...

It's the eve of a day many of us never thought would come. The day a new championship flag is hoisted above Fenway Park.

Looking at the picture of a young me, I am reminded that baseball isn't about winning. But sweet Gedman who art in Framingham, it feels good to get a taste.

I really hope anybody who decided to jump on board this past season continues to discover all that is beautiful about following the Red Sox and don't lose interest should the team fall out of contention at some point down the line.

I couldn't have hoped for a better way for this to have happened. And not only with the way we came back against the yanks in historic fashion. But the way this ownership group came in and seemingly knew exactly what I wanted. They kept Fenway and improved upon it. They brought in a GM who really knows the game, and just happens to be a life-long fan. They came up with a ticket package that was the logical next step for me: 10 games per year. They put a team on the field that's the perfect mix of talent and likability. (Neither of which is sacrificed to get the other.) To call them the "anti-yankees" might be becoming a cliche, but that is one cliche I'd tattoo on my ass any day of the week. The anti-yankees. World Champions.

And the way I witnessed Red Sox fans turn into a nation--it just seemed like we all got to the point where we decided that if this team needed one more thing to get that championship, it was us. One hundred years from now, people will look at the attendance numbers and say, "Look at this increase right before the '04 championship...Did they know the Red Sox were going to win? Maybe ticket prices went down or something?" Not quite, Future Boy.

Part of the reason we all travel to see the Sox, supposedly, is that Fenway sells out. But every trip I've gone on, I would've gone on anyway. And this year, I'll be taking my longest trip to see the champs.

Tomorrow, I'll be cheering and thanking on behalf of every Sox fan I have ever known. Look for the pics here.