i've been spoiled...
all my life i've been a die hard sox fan. and i realize now i've been spoiled. my father grew up outside boston, and although he tends to be a homer for wherever he lives at the time when it comes to most sports, when it comes to baseball his allegiance has never swayed.
i grew up in iowa... three hours from chicago. at an early age i had to choose between the cubs and the white sox, and the choice was easy for a typical non conformist. every year my dad and i would go to chicago to see a white sox vs red sox game. he'd cheer for boston, and i for chicago. easily out of this grew my allegiences. the white sox have always come first... the red sox second.
the past three years of playoffs have been memorable for me, then. in 2003 we watched the red sox take the alcs to game 7, only to see the world series hopes crash at the hands of aaron freakin' boone. but 2004 set off a two year span that couldn't have been much better. the red sox came back from 0-3 against the yankees to rattle off 7 straight and a world championship.
the following october was even sweeter as my true love rolled through the playoffs, losing only one game on the way to a world series sweep. after attending the ring ceremony in chicago, as well as two world series rematch games against the astros, i'm spoiled.
no white sox in the play offs... not even red. and its been a tough adjustment no team can win every year... and not every team can be the yankees and blow it in the playoffs every year. but there is drama to be found in october.
last night as i watched the tigers take game two in oakland i remembered how great october baseball can be. bottom of the 9th... 2 outs... bases loaded... oakland down by 3... and one of my all time favorite players, frank thomas at the plate. it ended with a pop out to center... but that drama... that unknown... that feeling of anythign can happen.
thats why i love october baseball.
even without any sox.
