Think Good Thoughts

Ok we are back…finally. I decided that something really has to be said for the way the Red Sox are playing right now. Sunday’s game (aka the Mother’s Day Miracle) was unreal the complete game from Dice-k wasn’t half bad either.

Mother’s Day was indicative of the way we started to look at the Red Sox the last three years, mainly because of Big Papi and Manny but even thought it was 5-0 in the bottom of the ninth I still felt like “hey, we could still come back” and Julio Lugo agreed with me after the game when he waxed Yogi saying “with us it’s not over till it’s over”. Sounds dumb obviously the game isn’t over till the last out but with the Red Sox this year its 100% true.

When Coco popped up I was thinking this might be it, two outs down five but then an error he gets on and all of a sudden it’s a new ball game and I don’t know about you but I felt like they had a great chance to come back. Then after they scored twice I knew they were going to at least tie it. Even on Lugo’s grounder I new he was going to be safe some how. It’s unlike any other time I’ve ever felt as a Red Sox fan, but I’ve still heard and read some things that make me feel like people aren’t appreciating what we are seeing.

Maybe I’m not a typical sox fan, I always thought I was, ok maybe not typical but average. After the start the Sox have had I’ve been thinking differently. That’s because I’m not waiting for the bottom to drop out, I’m not waiting for everything to fall apart. I know the team isn’t going to win 140 games but they’ve got a great chance to win 90+ games. And as far as I am concerned is fine if it gets them into the playoffs and gives them a shot at the World Series.

Why are “fans” still buying into the whole negativity thing in Boston? I don’t get it. I always thought that was an aggravating stereotype that Boston fans had because of the heartbreaking losses. I know there were times when I was thinking the worst was going to happen but I was dreading it. In 2004 when the Yankees went up 3-0 I was absolutely floored. I felt physically exhausted by those three games and even thought the sweep felt inevitable it was still going to be hard to swallow. With that said, feeling that way did make coming back and winning made it pretty much sports utopia but what is the point of being a sports fan if you are miserable and thinking the worst all time?

To me being a sports fan is like being that kid in the Incredibles (yeah so what if it’s a Disney movie) the kid goes “waiting for something incredible”. Part of being a sports fan is about rooting for the moments where you see something that is completely unexpected. We don’t get that every day but it’s a huge part of being a sports fan, every single game has the potential to be something amazing. It’s also about putting stock into something you can’t control, something that is bigger than you are. I can’t control the out come of games, no matter how many times I knock on wood or where I sit or what t-shirt I am wearing, but the fact that I do all those things that proves how great sports are and how great being a fan can be.

I am definitely cynical, a lot of the time. I used to be a ‘glass half empty’ kind of person (I saw a t-shirt that said cheer up emo kid and my life turned around…just kidding) and I understand the whole negative outlook Red Sox fan thing but things have changed. Like I said it always feels like they have a chance. Every hitter makes me think they can get on base or drive in runs, except maybe Pedroia, same goes for the pitching staff it’s one of the most solid in the majors in my opinion and I think they’ve proved that. The starters have been getting deep into games and the relievers are getting the job done. There are going to be a few hiccups, that goes without saying but if they can keep getting solid outings from the pitchers then the offense is going to win them a lot of games.

I know a lot of that is obvious, if everything holds up they’ll be a great team, yeah thanks for the update Big Ben. I just can’t take people saying they are waiting for the wheels to fall off. That’s horrible, what the hell kind of fan are you, if you are just sitting around waiting for the worst. I want to see how well the team can do. I am waiting for something amazing.

Up next is an admitted cheater, Giambi, not get the same treatment as other accused or admitted steroid users – And we did it Papelbon’s new song is Shipping up to Boston