Monday, October 29, 2007

Head In The Clouds



"Just relax, we're gonna have a parade." --Curt Schilling, two months ago (according to Tom Werner).

Jason Varitek, shorty after the game, was asked about Red Sox fans. He said that we were the "extra guy." Then, you could see it in his eyes. He'd just left out half of us. Very quickly, he ammended his statement, adding that we were also "the extra woman." Great job, Jason. In a world where we use the male default (my 10-game plan at Fenway is called the "10th Man Plan"), I am proud to go the opposite way. We Sox fans truly are the 10th Woman!

During the game tonight, Kim asked me if I'd be sad, considering this could be the last baseball we watch until spring. It's always sad. But the best kind of sad is happy-sad. Every year, Joe Castiglione ends the final broadcast with a poem that you all probably know. This year, we flipped on Joe in the ninth to hear his final call. As many of you know, I grew up with the Red Sox on radio. I was just starting to listen on my own around the time Castiglione was hired by the Sox, 25 years ago. So he and radio in general will always have a special place in my heart. Anyway, I have video-taped for you (meaning I pointed it at my 1980 Olympics radio, along with the Rico Petrocelli pin I bought this season, and kept in my pocket right up until just now) the end of the broadcast tonight. It contains tonight's final call, and the poem. I like how my all-time favorite, Ken Coleman, started the tradition, and Joe honors him, along with Bart Giamatti, the poem's author, every year.



Oh, and the other two things I did to help the Sox win: 1. Not jinx J. D. Drew's fine post-season by breaking out the "great job, Drew" speech too early. (Great job, Drew. I was worried when AJM came out of nowhere in the comments and said so, and I thought "shhhh!" but couldn't say anything. So, yes, AJM, he's done well in the post-season!)

2. A lot of times, I'll do a post, and the time of day will reflect when I started writing it, as opposed to when I finished. I always go to change it to the ending time, but if it's, say, 2:02 AM, I might change it to 2:04, in honor of 2004. Eventually I started changing them so anything close to an :04 was changed to exactly :04. At some point recently, I finished a post and it was six minutes after the hour or something, and I went to change it. But I thought, Wait. We have to win this year. So I made it say :07. Ever since then, if I had to change it, I'd change it to a time ending in 7 or :07. Now, in 2007, we have our 7th championship.

We're getting up early tomorrow. I'll get all the papers. If you're new to this blog, stay tuned. I'm here all winter. My mom and I are writing a book centered around the 2007 World Champion Boston Red Sox, out in 2008, and I'll keep you updated on that. Plus there will be quizzes, and, in the next few days, World Series parade pics/video.

Sweet dreams, all, though they couldn't be better than real life. It doesn't feel like 2004--and that's perfectly okay. This was just as sweet. Different, but no less effin' awesome. Congratulations Red Sox. Each and every one of you. We love you. Good series, Rockies. Good job, mom and dad and friends (physical and internet). We never gave up. See you at the parade!

Comments:
Thanks, Jere. That was awesome. I had wanted to hear Joe do that.
 
You're welcome! Okay, now I'm really going to bed.... Will be easy to wake up tomorrow..... I hear the parade is Tuesday, by the way. This'll be good. Get up early tomorrow, then go to bed early tomorrow night so I can again get up early for the parade.
 
Jere, it's Monday morning, dark but bright in my heart. And you're right...we NEVER gave up. I'd love to hear the Joe C. call, becuase only EEI can carry the home radio broadcast. TIC had to change to ESPN after the pregame. But all is well in our world, Better than well. You're the best!
 
Thanks, Peter. Press play to hear Joe!
 
The only thing in the world of baseball that gives me bigger goosebumps than Joe C's poem reading each year is James Earl Jones' "Baseball, Ray..." speech in "Field of Dreams." Thanks for the memories.
 
Thank you for posting the Joe C clip - a major downside of living in NYC is that I don't get to hear him driving home from work like I did when I lived in Hingham.
 
There's something to be said for keeping it short. And Tek had no time to think up a PC answer. I would have said the same thing--no one thought he was slighting us women.

And think of the children!
 
Please read the whole thing again. Jason DID say man and woman. You totally missed what I was saying. Like when RS Bat Boy told me to "have faith in my team" after I clearly showed it for four years on this blog. Stop skimming, everybody!

But yes, I guess he did leave out the children, but he did say, "man, woman, whatever...," so that includes kids and transvestites.
 
Sorry, Jere...didn't realize that there was a "don't jinx the no-hitter"-type thing going on here with Drew. Just wanted to give him his props. Although, to paraphrase the great Manny Ramirez: "I don't believe in no jinxes, man. I believe you make your own destination!"

Great season for the Sox, and certainly a lot calmer, less-stress inducing postseason (even when we were down 3-1 to the Tribe) than in 2004. And great job again with the blog this season, Jere.
 
Jere,
Right after the game ended, all I could think about was your YouCastr episode about 2090. Do you suppose all those NY fans ate that gear for breakfast this morning?
Also, I really enjoyed everyone's comments about anti-jinxing by wearing the same clothing, etc. My sleep-deprived brain kept thinking: "Ask not what your Red Sox can do for you, ask what you can do for your Red Sox." (My apologies to JFK, or was it RFK?)
What a fun season! I always look forward to reading your blog!
Can't wait for Kwiz season!
 
What a great season, and thanks for posting the radio clip, and all the blogging all year long. It's such a pleasure to read. Like Amy, I kept thinking about your bit on 2090 from YouCastr. Anyone spotted in public after this with one of those shirts on (and you know that someone will) should be rushed into an MRI machine-- there is so much we could learn from their brain...

And much like so many of us, I had the anti-jinx going as well, in the form of a Youk shirt. They never lost when I was wearing it, so I had to keep it going (at least for the games). It's about time for some laundry.
 

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