Too Popular?
As I’m out and about I’ve been noticing a lot more Red Sox paraphernalia than I’ve ever noticed before. It seems like every other person you see is wearing a hat or a t-shirt, or both. Bumper stickers are all over vehicles and practically everything else.
A lot of it is world championship stuff, which is understandable, we were never able to display it before, it’s not likely they were making world championship bumper stickers, hats, and t-shirts back when we last won it. But there is also just a lot of regular stuff as well.
There was a lot during the winter after we won it, but it seems to be growing everyday as we are in first, and have been for a while now, and looking like we have our best chance to repeat since… well, since 1919. I’m not really sure how good our chances were of repeating back then but looking at the numbers (5th place in the AL with a 66-71 record, 21.5 games behind the first place Chicago Black, uh, I mean White Sox) it didn’t look very good for the Royal Rooters.
Obviously it has not been our BEST chance to repeat since then, it’s been our ONLY chance. My point is that for the last few years this team has been very good including winning a championship. They have a bright future with an ownership team that cares about winning and is willing to spend the money to do it, a management team that knows how to spend that money to get the most from it, a scouting team that is bringing a lot of very good talent to the farm system, and a core group of players who want to win more than anything else, and are good at doing it. With all of this as well as all of the new changes to it, Fenway Park is the place to be during the summer, and hopefully, the fall.
So this is all great, right? Well, yes and no. Being a longtime Sox fan, like every other longtime Sox fan, I’m very happy and very excited about the direction this team has been going and is continuing to go.
There are new fans joining the ranks of “The Nation” everyday, many are being born into it like Kyla, but many more are people who have been around for a long time but are only just now becoming members. Although it’s great for the Red Sox organization, I have to admit I’m a little bothered by it.
Where were all of these people for the last 30 or more years? Where were they in “78” and “86”? Where were they in the terrible years between? Where were they in the late “80’s” and the “90’s”? Hell, where were they in 2003? And that’s just my lifetime.
Suddenly there are all of these people walking and driving around the places and streets of Boston (and other parts of the country I’m sure) proudly displaying their Sox hats, shirts, and bumper stickers and talking about the team like they’ve been following them for years. They show up at Red Sox games to be seen, carrying their signs to get the attention of Remy and Orsillo, so they can get on TV, or even worse, sitting behind home plate, constantly waiving at the camera.
These people probably have no idea that before he gained cult status as a broadcaster, Remy was a fan favorite manning the position currently manned by new fan favorite Tony Graffanino. They probably couldn’t tell you who the numbers above right field represent (except for Yaz and Teddy Ballgame). Yawkey Way is just the name of a street to them. They know nothing about “Morgan Magic” and don’t know why it’s Bucky Bleepin’ Dent. They’ve never heard of Heathcliff Slocumb or Larry Anderson, or Phil Plantier, Reggie Jefferson, Scott Cooper, Tim Naehring, Todd Benzinger, or Wilton Veras.
They don’t know what it’s like to have your heart ripped out of your chest in October, or September, or sometimes as early as August. They’ve never suffered through a dismal summer like 1987 or 1997. They’ve never looked forward to the next season and been excited about a winter transaction and the prospects of the spring.
And worst of all, they don’t know what it’s like to experience the excitement of being a long-suffering, long-time fan of a sports franchise that finally wins the whole damn thing.
The growing popularity of this team is great for baseball, it’s great for the Red Sox franchise, and as a Sox fan, I admit that I’m enjoying the fact that we’ve probably eclipsed the Yankees as the most popular baseball team at the moment. But at the same time I can’t help thinking that a little piece of something has been taken away from me, and it’s just not quite as special as it used to be.
A lot of it is world championship stuff, which is understandable, we were never able to display it before, it’s not likely they were making world championship bumper stickers, hats, and t-shirts back when we last won it. But there is also just a lot of regular stuff as well.
There was a lot during the winter after we won it, but it seems to be growing everyday as we are in first, and have been for a while now, and looking like we have our best chance to repeat since… well, since 1919. I’m not really sure how good our chances were of repeating back then but looking at the numbers (5th place in the AL with a 66-71 record, 21.5 games behind the first place Chicago Black, uh, I mean White Sox) it didn’t look very good for the Royal Rooters.
Obviously it has not been our BEST chance to repeat since then, it’s been our ONLY chance. My point is that for the last few years this team has been very good including winning a championship. They have a bright future with an ownership team that cares about winning and is willing to spend the money to do it, a management team that knows how to spend that money to get the most from it, a scouting team that is bringing a lot of very good talent to the farm system, and a core group of players who want to win more than anything else, and are good at doing it. With all of this as well as all of the new changes to it, Fenway Park is the place to be during the summer, and hopefully, the fall.
So this is all great, right? Well, yes and no. Being a longtime Sox fan, like every other longtime Sox fan, I’m very happy and very excited about the direction this team has been going and is continuing to go.
There are new fans joining the ranks of “The Nation” everyday, many are being born into it like Kyla, but many more are people who have been around for a long time but are only just now becoming members. Although it’s great for the Red Sox organization, I have to admit I’m a little bothered by it.
Where were all of these people for the last 30 or more years? Where were they in “78” and “86”? Where were they in the terrible years between? Where were they in the late “80’s” and the “90’s”? Hell, where were they in 2003? And that’s just my lifetime.
Suddenly there are all of these people walking and driving around the places and streets of Boston (and other parts of the country I’m sure) proudly displaying their Sox hats, shirts, and bumper stickers and talking about the team like they’ve been following them for years. They show up at Red Sox games to be seen, carrying their signs to get the attention of Remy and Orsillo, so they can get on TV, or even worse, sitting behind home plate, constantly waiving at the camera.
These people probably have no idea that before he gained cult status as a broadcaster, Remy was a fan favorite manning the position currently manned by new fan favorite Tony Graffanino. They probably couldn’t tell you who the numbers above right field represent (except for Yaz and Teddy Ballgame). Yawkey Way is just the name of a street to them. They know nothing about “Morgan Magic” and don’t know why it’s Bucky Bleepin’ Dent. They’ve never heard of Heathcliff Slocumb or Larry Anderson, or Phil Plantier, Reggie Jefferson, Scott Cooper, Tim Naehring, Todd Benzinger, or Wilton Veras.
They don’t know what it’s like to have your heart ripped out of your chest in October, or September, or sometimes as early as August. They’ve never suffered through a dismal summer like 1987 or 1997. They’ve never looked forward to the next season and been excited about a winter transaction and the prospects of the spring.
And worst of all, they don’t know what it’s like to experience the excitement of being a long-suffering, long-time fan of a sports franchise that finally wins the whole damn thing.
The growing popularity of this team is great for baseball, it’s great for the Red Sox franchise, and as a Sox fan, I admit that I’m enjoying the fact that we’ve probably eclipsed the Yankees as the most popular baseball team at the moment. But at the same time I can’t help thinking that a little piece of something has been taken away from me, and it’s just not quite as special as it used to be.
posted by Bob at 8/14/2005 11:20:00 AM
1 Comments:
Good article Bob!
I understand and am totally guilty of being a newbie. I loved the sox growing up, then lost interest as I got into basketball and the sox were losing year after year. I'll never forget the game I happened to tune into, early in the season, two years ago. I saw so many unfamiliar, but likeable players, it changed my attitude toward the team. I thought, who is this guy Ortiz who's hugging everybody? I saw Millar up on the scoreboard doing Springsteen songs. It turned out to be a game they won in dramatic fashion. There have been lots in the last few years and I was hooked.
Take comfort in the fact that these new fans don't know what it feels like to be a long, suffering die-hard. As much as the sox winning it all meant to me, I'll admit I cried, I know I could not have felt the emotion and satisfaction you felt. And that's your special reward for REALLY keeping the faith.
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