…from the game.
It was 2002. It was the All Star Game and it was an exciting matchup, until the powers that be decided that it wasn’t worth finishing the game. They didn’t want to risk the pitchers/players when the pitchers ran out.
I could forgive greed and other idiocy, I could not forgive not being willing to play to win. I vowed I would not watch, or follow baseball period. I loved the game, still was playing in my tabletop game but would not watch.
I kept that promise all through the end of 2002 and even as though the Red Sox made the playoffs in 1993 I didn’t watch a single game that season. When the series began against the A’s I still didn’t watch. When they lost the first two I didn’t give a damn, until some guy at work kept saying it’s all over it’s all over. The Red Sox are finished etc.. I finally couldn’t stand it anymore:
“Look”, I said, “there is a reason why the series is best out of 5. Until the A’s actually win that third game they haven’t won anything.”
When they won game three and the fellow at work kept saying didn’t matter, I became more insistent saying that not only would the Sox win game 4 but game 5 too. I watched game 4 and I was hooked, just in time for the series with the Yankees.
Even worse I was working a late shift during game 7 and the TV died just before the bottom fell out on Pedro. It came back just in time for Boone to hit the ball out of the park.
That was painful, much more painful than being down 0-3 the next year, that was annoying but it wasn’t the same.
It was the last real Red Sox pain I ever felt… after 2004 it is impossible for me to be hurt by the Sox again.
I will have 2004 and 2007 till the day I die and nobody can take it away from me or anyone else in Boston!
Da Techguy's (no longer backup) Blog 