I became a Boston Red Sox fan sixty-six years ago (that's right) when I saw Ted Williams hit a home run on television's "Game of the Week." It was the only game on TV that week (we had two channels - decisions, decisions and I was the remote). Along with the praise heaped upon Williams, there were comments from the broadcasters (Pee Wee Reese and Dizzy Dean) about the charm of Fenway Park. I was hooked.
And so, over the decades that followed, I followed the Red Sox and never saw them win a World Series. In '67, '75, and '86 they lost in the seventh game to the Cardinals, Reds, and Mets. I accepted that a Boston fan is destined to be disappointed. But then, THEN, they WON four World Series with a combined record of 16-3 against the Cardinals, Rockies, Cardinals again, and Dodgers! What fun for a fan.
This year I am boycotting all of Major League Baseball. The decision to move the All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver has made baseball political. I watch baseball to avoid politics of any kind. No one in baseball's hierarchy will miss me as I step away for this season. However, I can still personally watch professional baseball because Greenville has a minor league team in a beautiful park with good food and cold beer where one can observe the stars of tomorrow in comfort free from politics. Oh, and the local team is an affiliate of, um, the Boston Red Sox. I am not a fanatic, after all.
