As we celebrate this greatest of days, October 27th, and move into year three of the current blessed era, I think I'll show you some stuff you've never seen.

I was at my parents' house that night--they were on vacation, to which I still say, "terrible scheduling job!" I had my video camera because I wanted to film the (greatest) lunar eclipse (of all time). I set up my camera on a tripod, pointed it at the moon, and let it roll while I watched the game, occasionally moving it slightly when the moon would drift off the screen. Remember, we didn't know the Red Sox would win the World Series that night. I'd planned to go with friends to the Riviera in NYC for a possible Game 5. But on this night, the plan was to go to parents' house, watch Game 4 by myself, and tape the moon.

As the night went on, I knew an historic moment was about to occur, so I turned the camera on myself. I remember walking around, holding it to my face, saying, "this is the last you'll see of the 'old' baseball me..." or something like that, when we were a few outs away. Here's the moment Doug Mientkiewicz jumps up after catching the toss from Foulke.

As you can see, I was down on my knees. What a moment. Much of that series lacked drama on the surface. Over those last few innings, and dare I say games, it was only a matter of time. The world had already changed when we beat the Yanks. In Game 7 of that ALCS, the tables had turned to the point where Yankee fans, for once, knew they'd lose. And even before Game 4 of that World Series, we Sox fans actually knew we'd win for a change. A total protonic reversal. So until that last inning, it was just a waiting game. But to see that last out, man... My mind still has a hard time grasping that that was a moment that did happen. One of the many people I talked to on the phone shortly after that moment was Pat, who said, "Do you believe it?" He really wanted to hear my answer, it wasn't a rhetorical question. I said, "I don't know!" He told me to believe it, because it just happened.

I had to work the next day, and I was an hour away from Danbury, where I worked at the time. So I got up really early. It hadn't been a dream, fortunately. I walked out of the guest bedroom to find myself bathed in light. I walked to the window. Hell hadn't frozen over, but heaven had indeed dawned:

So glad I had the video camera. As I started taping, this bird started flying around. My mom would say it was my Grandpa. My dad might say it was my Nana. Two Red Sox fans who had seen eight Red Sox championships between them, and saw this one from above. Ah, being spiritual when it's convenient--it really is the way to go!

They say every cloud has a silver lining. But a Red Sox World Series cloud has a GOLD lining, that goes on and on forever in both directions...

And closer.

And closer still.

Then it was on to work, before cruising on that same cloud to Boston for the Rolling Rally. As some of you know, I made a movie which featured my footage of that rally, along with some I shot when the team later brought the trophy to the New Haven Green. And, of course, sped-up shots I got of that wonderful, pink, ascending, eclipsing moon, just above and to the left of where the sun would soon rise over a happy Red Sox Nation. Click below to watch the movie.

Labels: movies