Good-Bye Baseball, 2004

So, as I predicted the last time, the Red Sox did not suffer an all-time choke job to rival the Yanks' 4 straight losses in the ALCS. Indeed, they swept the Cardinals to end one of sports' most storied championship droughts and cause jubilation throughout the Red Sox Nation.

Yesterday was the parade, in which the Sox players were carried on amphibious vehicles up the Charles River. During this part of the procession, someone had the good aim to nail Pedro Martinez in the forehead with a baseball. That "good aim" part was a bit of sarcasm, as you shouldn't throw things at people, even if they're annoying folks running around with their own personal mini-me's.

As bad as Yankee fans sometimes are, I'm pretty sure that assaulting a Yankee (even a sucky one, like circa 1996 Kenny Rogers) at a World Series victory parade is a hanging offense. The cops would have easily located the offender from the "[insert profane reference to the rectum here]" chant, if mob justice had not already been done.

But someone nails Pedro on the noggin in the very heart of the Red Sox Nation? Pedro, the World Series Game 3 hero? None of the Sox fans in attendance saw anything. And there were no reports of men mysteriously hung from lampposts, either. Scandalous.

Seriously, there are a lot of deserving Red Sox fans out there, including my ex-roomie David R.; sometime reader and commenter, Alex H.; Brother T's significant other, Lauren; Ed Cossette, owner of the newly-retired Bambino's Curse weblog; David Pinto, of Baseball Musings; the guys over at Talking Baseball -- too many people to name. I'm really happy for you guys, and for your town and for your baseball team. I'm upset the whole thing came at the expense of my favorite team, but c'est la vie.

The worst thing right now isn't the fact that Yankee fans have to retire the "1918" chant; or the fact that the 105-win Cardinals got dropped like a sack of dirt in the most anticlimactic World Series in decades. It's that we've run out of baseball for the time being. All we've got is a bunch of substitutes -- Fall Leagues, Winter Leagues, Spring Training -- until April.

During the off-season, I hope to have some interesting items -- Yankee news, baseball news, as usual, but also some reviews, and maybe even a few appearances elsewhere on the Internet.

Thanks for hanging in there for a great season. Now let's get some wood together for that Hot Stove...