I'll try to put this subject into some perspective. I have five true best friends from my childhood. To this day, we all stay in constant contact. Its why the LBOH was started. One of the guys is Ralph. You've all heard me talk about him on many occasions. I can hardly write about him, or any of the others, without being flooded by the thousands of memories we've all shared. They are all great men who I consider myself fortunate to be associated with. Yes, I have an English minor and ended that sentence with a preposition. I had a couple of Crowns with Eric so I don't give a rats ass.
I met Ralph when I was four years old. That's 42 years ago for those of you keeping score at home. I didn't like him then and don't like him now. That might be a lie. I'd step in front of a bullet for him. But we have this thing. We don't root for each other's teams. There are two exceptions. We both root for Malta (of course). And he likes to see the Bobcats win and I root for alma mater, Eastern Montana College and Country Club. You don't really have to go to class there, just pay your tuition. Okay that might be three exceptions but my point is that we root for our HS alma mater and each other's college team so lets not nit pick. That's not my style. Well, its my M.O. but I digress.
Anyway, we when were little shavers, we picked our baseball teams. I had been a Cincinnati Reds fan since the first grade and he had been a Red Sox fan. Things changed in 1975 for us and how we rooted for each other. That year, the Reds played the Sox in what was one of the greatest World Series of all time. The Reds prevailed in seven games. My team had won and the rivalry was on. The next year the Reds one again athis time against the Yankees and the Sox had stunk yet again. Then in 1990 another title for the Reds. In 1986, the Sox lost a pivotal game six. The Buckner game.The Mets won game seven and the Sox were losers yet again.
I'll say the Sox could always be competitive but a World Series threat they never were. My life's dream was to have Ralph go to his grave not seeing the Sox win a title. Those dreams were dashed in 2004.
The Sox came back from a 0-3 deficit against the Yankees in the ALCS and swept the Cardinals to win the title. I was happy for Ralph, kind of. You really have to be around us to get the dynamic of how we root against each other.
Sidebar, in 2001, I was in Billings for Ralph's birthday. His wife was out of town so the day and night was ours. "We need to do something crazy while Anjie is out of town" he said. Before I could stop myself, I said " Let's get tattoos." "That's a GREAT idea." Ralph replied. So the next morning we had ink done. Ralph with a Red Sox logo on his left ankle and me with a Reds logo in the exact same spot.
After the Sox won in 2004, Red Sox fans crawled out of the woodwork. There were so many fucking "B" hats in Bozeman I thought I was living on Cape Cod. You see, I never hated the Sox, I just rooted against them to watch Ralph be miserable. There was joy in that. He feels the same joy watching the Reds wallow. But now, there are all of these pseudo Sox fans out there. They chant "Yankees suck" at my pub when they are playing the fucking Blue Jays. Sox fans today are losers. They have no appreciation for the history of the rivalry that, except for 2004, the Yankees have dominated. If they don't win in 2004, the Cat-griz is a bigger rivalry, but they did so now they think they are great.
To all the Sox fans not name Ralph (or you 5wood, Bob or Tooey) kiss my ass. You are bandwagon dickheads. You don't know the first thing about the intricacies of baseball. Do me a favor and go play kickball on I-90. Fags. Just saying.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
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7 comments:
Chip, I have been a Red Sox fan since birth. I agree there are too many bandwagon fans since the World series victory. It makes me want to puke. Just want you to know I am not one of them! Where I grew up in Connecticut is exactly half way between Boston and NYC. Half the town were Red Sox fans and the other Yankees. I don't hate hardly anything but I do hate the Yankees! Go Angels!
Chip, perhaps all this venom comes from the fact that all your favorite teams suck. Maybe you should pick them better. Ralph
Now this is a baseball commentary I can identify with! It is lots of fun rooting against a team that you wouldn't root against except to irritate someone you love. That is a true kind of brotherly love.
My family were Yankee fans. Mickey Mantle from Oklahoma. We prayed to the greatness that was Mickey and the Yanks. Dad was a coach. One of his "little Yanks" (little league team named after the Yankees) went on to be major league catcher and won the MVP of the series that year. My dad was so proud, you'd think he'd held the pants for the kid when he said "I put the first uniform on Darrell Porter". I think he won MVP when he was a Royal. I quit paying attention to baseball much after that because that's how you rebel in my family. You quit watching sports. And you don't play golf or smoke cigarettes.
Oh no... He won it as a Cardinal... And the irony as a Brewers fan is PAINFUL! Joaquin "The Dog" Andujar, Wee Willie Mcgee and Darell Porter. I was 8 in 1982. I should have been building skyscrapers out Leggos not crying in my pillow after Game 7. I still don't like the Cardinals!
Bob, I know you are true blue, thats why I included you.
Ralph,
Hmm, 3 world series in my lifetime. A legendary team The Big Red Machine. Bama with more NC's while we've been alive and the Rams won a superbowl during a non-strike year. I think I do just fine.
Pam, Always liked Porter and he played on a different planet that series.
TP, the Brewers were in a world series? Ya learn something new every day.
Jeez honey, I'm relieved. For a second I thought you said "Why I root against the Red WINGS".
L
you make me laugh.
(my claim to Yankee fame is that I currently work with Bobby Murcer's father in law. Met Bobby a handful of times, and such a wonderful soul. Was an incredibly sad day when we lost him last year.)
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