Saturday, December 29, 2007
16-0
September 3rd, 1956. The Red Sox, behind a balanced, 20-hit attack, and shutout pitching by Tom Brewer, destroyed the Washington Senators, 16-0, in front of 13,000 at Griffith Stadium, completing a doubleheader sweep. What a great day that must have been.
In other news, my week one prediction ("the Patriots are goin' nowhere this year") has proven to be completely wrong, as the Pats finished the season winning every single game. The key for that club, though, is winning the Super Bowl. If the Colts win, they will have won two in a row, and will be the toast of football. So if they wanna keep up this whole "Boston is the best sports town" thing, they might wanna win it all. Honestly, none of that matters to me. Does it make the Red Sox' awesomeness any sweeter if these other Boston teams win? Not for me. If it makes Yankee fans mad when the Pats or Celts win, sure, I'm for it (and of course, I'll always root against the Giants, Knicks, and Rangers specifically, but that has nothing to do with the corresponding New England teams winning), but overall, to me, baseball is its own separate thing. I don't expect fans of a team to like that town's other sports teams. It seems like everyone I know, including myself, grew up rooting for teams that came from multiple cities. And also, with New York, for every team, there's a whole group of fans IN New York who (for the most part) hate that team.
That's another thing I've been thinking about lately. Growing up near New York, liking a team was so different than what you Boston-area people (and the people of many other areas) experienced. Because when you put on your Jets shirt, you went to school with the purpose of showing the Giants fans what side you were on. Same with every other sport. And since I was in Connecticut, you could throw the Boston teams into the mix. For me, it was wearing the Sox shirt knowing it was mainly Yankee fans around me. While those Yankee fans wore their shirts showing Mets and Sox fans what side they were on, etc.
Here in Boston, it's like, Yep, gonna put on my Red Sox clothes so all the other Red Sox fans know I'm one of them! Middle school must've been an entirely different experience for you all up here. It's almost like being defiant was built into rooting for a team. In Boston, who did you fight with? Eh, I'm sure you had a few Yankee boobs in your town.
In other news, my week one prediction ("the Patriots are goin' nowhere this year") has proven to be completely wrong, as the Pats finished the season winning every single game. The key for that club, though, is winning the Super Bowl. If the Colts win, they will have won two in a row, and will be the toast of football. So if they wanna keep up this whole "Boston is the best sports town" thing, they might wanna win it all. Honestly, none of that matters to me. Does it make the Red Sox' awesomeness any sweeter if these other Boston teams win? Not for me. If it makes Yankee fans mad when the Pats or Celts win, sure, I'm for it (and of course, I'll always root against the Giants, Knicks, and Rangers specifically, but that has nothing to do with the corresponding New England teams winning), but overall, to me, baseball is its own separate thing. I don't expect fans of a team to like that town's other sports teams. It seems like everyone I know, including myself, grew up rooting for teams that came from multiple cities. And also, with New York, for every team, there's a whole group of fans IN New York who (for the most part) hate that team.
That's another thing I've been thinking about lately. Growing up near New York, liking a team was so different than what you Boston-area people (and the people of many other areas) experienced. Because when you put on your Jets shirt, you went to school with the purpose of showing the Giants fans what side you were on. Same with every other sport. And since I was in Connecticut, you could throw the Boston teams into the mix. For me, it was wearing the Sox shirt knowing it was mainly Yankee fans around me. While those Yankee fans wore their shirts showing Mets and Sox fans what side they were on, etc.
Here in Boston, it's like, Yep, gonna put on my Red Sox clothes so all the other Red Sox fans know I'm one of them! Middle school must've been an entirely different experience for you all up here. It's almost like being defiant was built into rooting for a team. In Boston, who did you fight with? Eh, I'm sure you had a few Yankee boobs in your town.
Comments:
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Trust me, we fought about a LOT of things, but there never any question about who our teams were.
Red Sox first
Pats and Celts second, depending on if basketball or football was your thing
Bruins third, unless you were one of the undeground diehard group of hockey fanatics
I suppose there's something to be said about having multiple cities in which to split your area loyalties, but there's also a lot of warm fuzzies to be had in knowing that EVERYONE around you, even the people you hate, is in solidarity with you when it comes to the diamond or gridiron or court. It's a big part of our regional identity up here.
Red Sox first
Pats and Celts second, depending on if basketball or football was your thing
Bruins third, unless you were one of the undeground diehard group of hockey fanatics
I suppose there's something to be said about having multiple cities in which to split your area loyalties, but there's also a lot of warm fuzzies to be had in knowing that EVERYONE around you, even the people you hate, is in solidarity with you when it comes to the diamond or gridiron or court. It's a big part of our regional identity up here.
# posted by 
: Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:32:00 AM
: Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:32:00 AM
"It's a big part of our regional identity up here."
And it's heaven for me, believe me! All these years of mostly Yankee fans around me, it's so sweet that now, up here in Boston, almost everyone you pass on the street has a Red Sox hat on. Like some sort of utopia.
And it's heaven for me, believe me! All these years of mostly Yankee fans around me, it's so sweet that now, up here in Boston, almost everyone you pass on the street has a Red Sox hat on. Like some sort of utopia.
Bad call on the Pats. Since they are called the Patriots, rooting against them means hating America.
Seriously though, it is true that wearing sports apparel has a different connotation when you are surrounded by your fan brethren. I always had sox hats and one or two shirts growing up, but I never felt like I wore them to "show" anybody until I went off to college and there were people from the heathen lands of non-New England. It just wasn't necessary. It seemed more like the people who were always wearing patriots/red sox stuff were simply jockier, unfortunately.
Seriously though, it is true that wearing sports apparel has a different connotation when you are surrounded by your fan brethren. I always had sox hats and one or two shirts growing up, but I never felt like I wore them to "show" anybody until I went off to college and there were people from the heathen lands of non-New England. It just wasn't necessary. It seemed more like the people who were always wearing patriots/red sox stuff were simply jockier, unfortunately.
Jere, there are ALWAYS boobs lurking, hidden and unseen, around every corner, in every city and in every country in this wonderful world of ours. Have a great New Year, and yes, 16-0 sounds, and IS, so nice. Me?? I'm waiting for "first pitch" time, and I've rooted for the Pats since they were the definition of mediocrity, much like our Sox of years past, Thanks! Peter
We fought with the Italian kids...it's probably not P.C. to say that anymore, but what the hey...
Favorite random headline today: (from the NY Daily News, I think)
"Jets Set to Finish Lost Season"
That makes 16-0 sooooo much tastier...
Favorite random headline today: (from the NY Daily News, I think)
"Jets Set to Finish Lost Season"
That makes 16-0 sooooo much tastier...
Hi Jer
Probably no one will see this one, being so late and all, but I was catching up on reading so...
I'm one of those oddballs - Sox fan who's not from New England. The why is a good story, but not for now.
I've pulled for them since chidhood, and sometime in the early 80's latched on to the Pats as my AFC team, simply because I'm SUCH a Red Sox fan it just felt right. I'm a still a old die-hard Redskins fan, and now we have our Panthers here in NC to pull for, but I've been the lone Pats fan at those playoff and Super Bowl parties for years now and was yelling like a kid at the bar when they beat the Giants the other night.
Here's hoping they go all the way, because you're right - the perfect regular season won't mean near as much as it rightfully should if the Colts take the big prize at the end. Which is a real shame, because not only did they go undefeated, they did it by beating 3 of the best 4 teams in football along the way. VERY impressive.
PS - never have liked the Celtics though, go figure
Probably no one will see this one, being so late and all, but I was catching up on reading so...
I'm one of those oddballs - Sox fan who's not from New England. The why is a good story, but not for now.
I've pulled for them since chidhood, and sometime in the early 80's latched on to the Pats as my AFC team, simply because I'm SUCH a Red Sox fan it just felt right. I'm a still a old die-hard Redskins fan, and now we have our Panthers here in NC to pull for, but I've been the lone Pats fan at those playoff and Super Bowl parties for years now and was yelling like a kid at the bar when they beat the Giants the other night.
Here's hoping they go all the way, because you're right - the perfect regular season won't mean near as much as it rightfully should if the Colts take the big prize at the end. Which is a real shame, because not only did they go undefeated, they did it by beating 3 of the best 4 teams in football along the way. VERY impressive.
PS - never have liked the Celtics though, go figure
Yeah, it's funny how people grow attached to teams. Everyone should realize that living somewhere doesn't automatically mean you root for a certain team. And if you do, it doesn't mean you root for that team's corresponding teams in the other sports.
"And if you do, it doesn't mean you root for that team's corresponding teams in the other sports."
True. But for me anyway, it's a lot more fun when you do!!!
True. But for me anyway, it's a lot more fun when you do!!!
# posted by : Wednesday, January 02, 2008 2:42:00 PM
: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 2:42:00 PM<< Home
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