FanPost

world series retrospective

(this is sort of relevant to before game 1) . . . Is it just me or are the fans of the '07 Rockies eerily similar to the fans of the '04 Sox? Here is a World Series flash back.

Do you remember what a fairy tale post season 2004 was for the Sox? Do you remember the band wagon fanatics that swept over this game when the Sox came back and defeated the dark side? People began to cling to this hope, this "broken curse," this unforgettable team. . . I started to get that same overwhelming sense of urgency about the Rockies. Well, before the outcome of Game 1 surpassed most little league 5th inning 'slaughter rule' scores. That said, I was curious to see when, why and how the perception of the Red Sox went a little sour. The idiots of 2004 are gone, but Manny is still being Manny, Papi still spits on his batting gloves and slaps them together between pitches, and Francona still has a pound of stuff to chew on in his cheek. (I know, it's GUM now, not chew) So what is it about the team that joined the NL in 1993 and has seen some post season action in 1995 that draws support? Is it that we as baseball fans enjoy supporting the underdog? OK, yes, we Value the Undervalued. So does this mean that we're simply over rooting for the Sox? Personally, I like to support the AL during the World Series. I follow AL teams to know who's coming to town. I didn't pay that much attention to Colorado during the regular season. Looking back on the NL this season, I immediately think of Milwaukee coming out of nowhere. I remember Jimmy Rollins prediction about the Phillies, and I remember the Mets doing really well, then blowing it. Colorado was a team that was lurking just below the headlines, always keeping steady but never really making a point to stand out. Now, we've got a tough series to watch, and I'll say this: I happened to be visiting family in Boston when the Sox clinched in St. Louis in '04. My dad and I took the train into town and went to Fenway. We had a beer at Cask & Flagon and we sat back and marveled at this Red Sox Nation. I'm a fan of the Red Sox. I'm familiar with the roster, the coaches and the history. I like what they do (even though they've got waaaay too much $$ to work with). Watching this entire section of the country unite over a baseball team showed character. People were literally no longer afraid to die because they'd seen the Sox win a World Series. When I look at the current series, I see these temporary Sox fans from '04 now cheering on the Rockies. The fair weather attitude is lame and, well - temporary. Boston is a sports town and so is Denver, but as far as these bandwagon fans are concerned, I'd appreciate a little loyalty. I mean come on, we know about that - we LOVE OAKLAND :)
ps - I'm going with the Sox in 5.