"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!