Riding the positivity train

Good luck in Colorado, Little Manny!  Photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com and used with permission.

Good luck in Colorado, Little Manny! Photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com and used with permission.

It is sometimes difficult to find something to write each day.  Today was especially difficult as last night’s game wasn’t one we want to relive yet I didn’t want to leave a blank space where something should be written.

I was pleased to find this in the comments today (from “Sharpie”):

Balty’s starter pitched his ass off & Josh was just as good & lasted longer

As anyone who visits this blog regularly knows, I’m all about finding silver linings and trying to accentuate the positive and it tickled me that someone beat me to the punch (and instead of my inspiring you, you inspired me).

I just can’t give up on this team.  No matter how hard is sometimes is to watch, no matter how many comments or emails I get from people who want to rub salt in the wound they assume is there, no matter how bad the chances become that the Sox play deep into October, I can’t give up on them – and I won’t.

I’m a little surprised at the number of fans who have admitted that they’ve moved on to football.  I’m surprised that members of a fan base supposedly so dedicated can just give up that easily.  From 2000 through 2009, the Red Sox have been in the playoffs six times.  They’ve finished second in the division eight times, finished third once and finished first once.  How many fan bases have been this fortunate?  How many fans know that their team will most likely be in the playoffs and if not in them damn near close to getting in them every year?

Out of the last ten opportunities, the Red Sox have missed the playoffs four times.  In those six playoff appearances, two were ended in game 7 of the ALCS and two ended with World Series championships.  We’ve been quite fortunate.  There’s a great chance this season will mark five out of eleven – does that make this team any less your team?  Do you like baseball less because your team isn’t good?  No one makes you become a fan.  Either you like baseball or you don’t.  I don’t get the mindset of “I support the team unless they aren’t going to the playoffs”.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying everyone should have rose-colored glasses on and be absolutely positive the Sox can still make it to the playoffs.  I’m just baffled by the number of people complaining about how the Red Sox are done and saying that now it’s time to focus on football (or whatever you activity of choice is once baseball season is over).

I’m still watching.  I’m still hoping for good baseball and crossing my fingers that meaningful baseball will get played at Fenway come late September.  Even if the baseball is “meaningless”, I’m still watching.

Before the season began, when it was announced that the final series at Fenway would be against the Yankees, Kelly O’Connor bought tickets for the last game and emailed me saying I was going with her because if the game was meaningful (and turned out good) we’d want to be there and if the game turned out to be the last game played at Fenway in 2010 we had to be there.

Right now, even though I know the possibility of that game being excruciatingly painful is tremendous, I can’t wait to be there.  Sometimes it’s worth the rough times to show the team that, good or bad, you’re there to support them.  They give us a lot of  joy over the season and it seems to me when they’re at their worst (or just having a rough go of it) it’s our job as fans to give a little back.

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