From commenter Mattysox9: "You seem to want to lionize the '86 team. Now don't get me wrong- I was born and raised in Brockton and my Red Sox pedigree is without question (and parallel here in my current abode in DC). But I refuse to allow 20 years of revisionist history to make me misty over the team that crushed my baseball loving heart when I was 10. Oil Can was a whack job, Jim Ed couldn't score from second (twice), apart from Hendu and Baylor we had little clutch hitting (and Baylor on the bench while Greenwell struck out- unforgiveable.) and Johnny Mac made Grady look like goddamn John McGraw. So anyhoo, my point is this: 20 years later, I'm still mad Stapleton wasn't in the game, I'm still mad Clemens got yanked (or asked out), and I still hate Gary Carter's perm. And Keith Hernandez's mustache- he's the real chucker as far as I'm concerned. Thanks for getting me all upset all over again..."

Mr. Sox9, I was 11 at the time, and I'd like to point out that we do have many of the same opinions about 1986. I also am still pissed at Clemens/McNamara. I still hate Carter and Hernandez--and Orosco. Still mad they left Buckner in.

However, I feel this team should be celebrated in the same way the '67 and '75 teams are. A lot of these guys did everything they could to get us a championship, which would have been ours if we'd just gotten one more strike.

And, to me, 2004 makes it easier to celebrate them. Because of '04, I'm not still sitting here going crazy wishing we'd gotten that one more strike 20 years ago.

It all comes back to girlfriend/boyfriend comparisons (unfortunately): If that girl/boy hadn't broken your heart in the past, you never would have met that great person you're with today. '86 made '04 that much sweeter. Made it possible, in fact. Because the franchise--and our lives--would have spun off in a different direction had we won in '86.