October 27, 2004 – Two years later

I actually wrote this up last year for the first anniversary and amended it a bit for this year.  I still get choked up thinking about that night.  And there are many aspects surrounding it that I’m thankful for, but none as big as being thankful that I was able to share the moment with my parents…diehards for a lot longer than I’ve been!

With all due respect to the current World Series, it’s time for me to reflect on the most amazing time in Red Sox Nation’s history.  Two years ago today.

I watched the final game with my parents…and when it was over I drank an entire bottle of champagne and fielded phone calls and emails from just about every person I ever met.  I watched all of the local coverage and ESPN until around 2am…and never went to sleep.  I watched the Red Sox come home with the trophy on the early morning news, got dressed in my Sox gear and went to work to celebrate with the people in my office. We laughed and cried and did nothing all day but read about the World Series online and talk about the historic way the Sox got there.

That Saturday was the most amazing parade/rolling rally any sports town has ever seen…and I stayed home alone while my friends and relatives went into town…and cried for the entire length of the parade (luckily every channel in town covered it and I taped every moment of it). I thought about so many people I know who didn’t get to see this and I thought of my (then) 69 year old dad who waited his whole life for it.

It was the best October ever.

Red Sox fans are spoiled by that team.  A quick exit from the playoffs in ’05 and missing the playoffs (and second place!) altogether in ’06 has snapped folks back to reality.  Even so, watching this World Series (played by the team my Sox swept in 2004) makes me miss the excitement of 2004 – even with all the pain of the ALCS that year. .

I was worried that a new World Champion would take away how I’ve felt all year about the Red Sox winning in 2004 – but then I realized I was wrong.  Nothing will ever diminish what the Red Sox did and how they made me feel. If anything, I love them more this morning than I did yesterday.

With the 20th anniversary of the ’86 series being thrown in my face, it’s amazing to have the feeling that no matter how many times that ball goes through Buckner’s legs, Dave Roberts is always going to be safe at second and Jason Varitek is always going to be jumping into Keith Foulke’s arms.

Can’t wait until we do it again!