Baseball Wrap-up: Joy... Relief... Exasperation... and Sadness.

Wow... It’s only been a week and a half, but I really miss baseball (and like the subject in a psych 101 experiment, I now get excited every time I hear "Dirty Water". I hear the opening guitar part and I immediately think to myself "Oooh, did we just win something?"). It’s taken me all this time to get back to my normal schedule and find other things to talk about. It’s nice to be caught up on sleep, but I miss the ride.

Sorry St. Louis, you guys have a great team. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It comes down to pitching. We had it, and you didn't. My fiancée (not a native New Englander, but we won’t hold that against her) asked me if it was still fun, since we weren't really getting much of a challenge out of St. Louis. Well, as a Red Sox fan, I've seen plenty of drama. It was actually nice to have a series that wasn't down to the wire. And besides, I don't think any of us let ourselves believe it was really going to happen until the final out.

You know when the Bride in "Kill Bill" finally gets to the last name on her list, and you know she's come too far not to succeed? Facing the Cardinals was kinda like that.

And you know that scene at the end where she's on the bathroom floor crying with relief and joy? And she can't believe she actually did it? That's how I felt after.

I believe in Curt Schilling (despite his personal politics). He gets immediate admission to the Boston Sports Pantheon.

I believe in Pedro and Lowe. They certainly didn't have the best seasons of their careers, but they came up big when it mattered most. I doubt that both will be back next year, but their efforts in this playoff run will not be forgotten.

I believe in David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. I can't believe LaRussa pitched to them every time.

I believe in Theo Epstein. If we’re real lucky, we'll have him running the show for another 25 years or so...

I don't believe in curses. But I do believe in emotional baggage. And the burden of being a Red Sox fan suddenly feels a lot lighter now.

Both my dad’s parents died in the last two years. They were both lifelong Red Sox fans. Both spent about eighty years on this earth and never saw the Sox get to the top of the mountain. They would have really enjoyed seeing this. But at least I got to share the moment with my dad.

And as far as the "what will you guys do when you finally do win one? You love the misery..." argument from the outsiders, screw that. Let the Cubs carry that burden.

I'm not going to say that it was the best day of my life (OK, but it's definitely in the top 5). Maybe if I was actually on the team or had some effect on the outcome, I could say that. But I certainly identify with this group of guys. This is a group we can be proud of. They never gave up.

The only negative that I can see is that no other championship will ever feel this good (unless they go another 86 years without winning... and I'll be long gone by that time). We beat the Yankees. We beat the best team in the National League. We put the curse talk to bed. That's as good as it's going to get.