The Red Sox and Me!

I was born and raised in Massachusetts. My parents fed me and loved me and...raised me as a die hard Red Sox fan. In my neck of the woods, being a Sox fan was like breathing: everyone did it and could not live without doing it. For many years, the Sox got close but always, and I mean always, left us broken hearted. But, I still loved the Sox.

I was in Fenway when Tony C. belted his last home run. I was in Fenway for the game before Yaz got his 3,000 hit. I saw the Bird from Detroit as a rookie pitch against the Sox. I saw Vida Blue shut out my beloved Red Sox. And, for me, Fenway Park will always be one of my favorite places in the world.

It is now playoff time! I will sit down in front of the TV and watch the Sox again. Yes, I will watch Manny being Manny, but I will watch the game being played in old Fenway and remember my times there, and how great it was when baseball players understood that the game they played was only a game, and nothing more. The game seems different to me; maybe it is me getting older and more cynical. Then again, maybe, it is due to the fact that we now pay these athletes more than teachers and doctors to play a kid's game. Maybe they have become confused about their importance, and maybe we have contributed to that confusion because I will again sit and watch.

I made a vow when the strike occurred - to never again pay for MLB baseball tickets, and, so far, I have managed to honor that vow. Do I honor that vow for principle, because I am too cheap to pay the ransom, or do I honor it because paying for the game no longer fits into my Christian worldview? I wish I could say the latter, but I can not. I can say that I no longer worship the Sox because my worship is reserved for my Savior. No, it is not perfect, but it is mine and I give it to Him. I will watch the Sox, but hopefully, I will go to bed on time and honor my Savior.

I now refuse to allow the Sox to affect my mood or my production for the next day, after all, we won it all in 2004, and, as I figure it, that is good for at least another 75 years!