Boston Strong

Champions!!! | Credit: Fansided.Com

“…and by that, I also mean GG to my Boston Red Sox. Pasas mode na lang muna teams natin this year.” (Translation: Both Boston and New York will suck in baseball this year)

This was what I tweeted to my Yankee fan friend Teme early on the baseball season of 2013. The New York Yankees were hampered by injuries while my Boston Red Sox were fresh from being the worst team in the league. All I actually wished from them was to have a steady transition period.

Tough Times

Let's Go Red Sox! | Credit: Sports Illustrated

Do not blame me for my low expectations – being a Red Sox fan the past few years was tough. Things have gone south after they won the 2007 World Series. We had to watch the New York Yankees win it all in 2009. It being spearheaded by none other than Alex Rodriguez did not make it any better. In 2010, the Sox missed the playoffs. 2011 out-sucked it. I am both an Atlanta Braves and a Boston Red Sox fan. In 2011, both of my teams went into self-destruct/choke mode in the final month of the season. They had the wild card spots in sight with a 95+% chance of entering the playoffs at some point late August or early September of 2011 (Red Sox’ chance was at 99.6%. Not a misprint. 99.6%!!! on September 3). All you just need to do is win a few games or (Note: OR, not AND) you hope the other trailing teams lose normally as they should. Instead, both the Braves and Red Sox crumbled and lost in dramatic fashion. Yeah, they did win some games along the way, but the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and St. Louis Cardinals both caught fire as well. By the final day of the regular season, both the Braves and Red Sox’ playoff tug-of-war with the Cards and Rays respectively was up in the air.

And both of my favorite teams lost.

That was one of the darkest sports days in my life. I will never forget about that. The Ateneo championship that came days after that did ease the pain, but watching your teams crumble in the marathon to the playoffs still remained a horrific experience. What ensued in the next days made things worse especially for the Boston Red Sox. There was news that the pitchers were eating fried chicken and drinking beer during off days. Terry Francona was lambasted for being incapable of handling the team because of a condition. Theo Epstein (the general manager responsible for the 2004 and 2007 championships) even ditched the team after.

Brutal.

But since I was blessed with championships in previous years, I had better confidence and push to continue believing in the teams. I was as hopeful as I was at the start of the 2011 season during the start of the 2012 season. I was in Atlanta last year and I prepared to watch the Boston Red Sox as early as March. I made it a point that Boston was the first city I would fly in to visit because I wanted to watch a game at Fenway Park. I did and I actually watched the Red Sox lose – not just one, but two games. But amidst the chilly air that kept on piercing through my winter jacket (yes, you read it right. I was wearing a winter jacked in a spring game in Boston), I stayed and watched the game. I clapped hard and cheered “Let’s Go Red Sox!” even if a lot of people did not because they were down huge. I sang “Sweet Caroline” with the Red Sox Nation even if the game was out of hand.

The Red Sox floundered last year. They were managed by one of my least liked managers (Bobby Valentine). The injuries piled up. Fenway Park’s 100th year happened to be the Sox’s worst season as they finished with a 69-93 record (the worst in AL East).

To add (or subtract) further, the team lost their 2011 huge player investments Adrian Gonzales and Carl Crawford when they were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The same goes to 2007 pitching hero Josh Beckett. Oh wait. That was supposed to be the only bright side of the season, right? We got considerably weaker because we had to dump those extravagant contracts. And we were thankful a team was gullible to take the expense load off the Sox’ shoulders. Another good thing? We said goodbye to Bobby Valentine.

Good times never seemed so good?

Back To Square One

Boston Strong | Credit: NY Daily News

The beauty of a baseball season is, all teams start with a clean slate every year. My expectations were low but I continued to believe in them. That is my duty as a fan. We hate it when players tank during non-contract years. At the same time, I hate it when fans ditch their teams when they start losing. I think a lot of people in the city of Boston agrees with me.

Of all the cities I have visited in the United States, Boston was easily the biggest sports town. Faneuil Hall was filled with people wearing Boston teams’ shirts. The T was filled with Red Sox fans. At every corner of the town, you will at least see a guy wearing a Red Sox jacket, cap or shirt. While I was lining up in an Italian restaurant with my friends in there, we could even hear people discussing about a blowout Red Sox loss. It was a regular season game. And the Yankees were not even involved. The ACC championship was held in Atlanta that same year and I heard no one talking about how FSU upset UNC in the championship game. That conversation only happens on Ateneo-La Salle games in the Philippines. In Boston, people talked about the Red Sox even if the Celtics were in the middle of the postseason. That was how special the Red Sox were in the city of Boston

This year, the Boston Red Sox were on a mission for redemption. They led the American League East for most of the time. Everybody thought it was the year the Toronto Blue Jays would turn it around, thanks to their good offseason acquisitions. But for some reason, the Red Sox were the ones who kept on winning. Yes, we did lose good players the previous year but the guys the management added this year generated positive results. It was the total opposite of the 2011 season. The Red Sox did all you could ask for from a sports team. They set aside all the bad memories of the last two depressing years. Instead, they became a fun beard-growing team that had strong team chemistry.

Boston Strong

Boston Strong | Credit Huffington Post

Boston Strong. That was the resounding cry of Boston since the marathon bombings occurred in Patriots Day early this year. For a sports town hurt by such an incident, one of the best solace they could have had was to witness this inspiring story of baseball triumph unfold for their favorite sports team. “Boston Strong” was about rising up from disaster. It was resiliency against adversity. It was rising up as a community and proving that you are too proud to just roll dead. The best sports team to depict that was easily the Boston Red Sox especially after the disaster of a season they had last year. And of course, they are the most loved Boston sports team.

When people go to Boston, one of the sights one has to experience was to watch a game in Fenway Park. When NBA analysts covered the NBA Finals in 2010, some of them were tweeting that they were in a game in Fenway during rest days. When I went to catch a game in Fenway Park last year, I could feel a different atmosphere as soon as I stepped out of the Kenmore Station. Throngs of people in Red Sox attire march to that place as I hear father-son conversations “Son, this is it! Our dream game. There’s Fenway Park!” I hear some guys marking out at the sight of Fenway. It just has its aura. I do not know if it is because of its vintage look. Or maybe, it is smack at the heart of the city. Attending a Red Sox game is not like watching an ordinary baseball game. It was like a huge sporting event every time. Some fans who watched the games even travel from faraway cities. I could hear it from conversations in the subway that it was their first time. When they interviewed spectators during the game, you might think that they all came from MA (Massachussetts). Wrong. Their place of origins read VT, CT, ME (Vermont, Connecticut, Maine… in case you don’t know, those are states, not cities!). Heck, when I was at New York city, I saw more Boston Red Sox caps than New York Yankees and New York Mets caps COMBINED. That was how huge the Red Sox fanfare was.

2013: Worst Sports Year For Me?

Personally, 2013 was shaping up that way. At the start of the year, the Green Bay Packers lost in an embarrassing way to the San Francisco 49ers. The New England Patriots got eliminated in the AFC Championship. Duke bowed out in the Elite Eight. Utah Jazz did not even reach the playoffs. The Ateneo Blue Eagles’ championship streak ended when they got eliminated in the elimination round. That was the first time I experienced such ever since I attended college in Ateneo eleven years ago.

You think that was all? La Salle – Ateneo’s archrival - won the UAAP Men’s Basketball Championship. The powerhouse batch of the Lady Eagles lost their last shot of winning the title when the La Salle Lady Spikers swept them in the Finals. The NBA Finals turned out to be schaedenfreude fest for me as it featured both my least liked NBA teams where the Miami Heat eventually won it all. The Boston Bruins (yes, I am now rooting for a hockey team) lost in a stomach punch game in the Stanley Cup Finals when the Chicago Blackhawks scored two goals in a matter of seconds.

However, I did not expect any consolation. I had six straight championship years dating back to 2007 when the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. Feeling bad for me would be something like a boo-freaking-hoo moment. Regardless, we are talking about an individual year of shortcoming. It was still brutal.

The Beards: A New Hope

Beards! | Credit: NY Daily News

Beards and Boston Strong. This year’s Boston Red Sox were a symbol of a unified bunch of gentlemen aiming to rise from the ashes of defeat. It was a surreal experience to follow their games even if it meant staring at the ESPN website boxscore for more than 90% of the time. When the Ateneo Blue Eagles got eliminated this year, I thought that my yearly championship streak was going to end. But because of the strong showing of the Boston Red Sox, I remained hopeful.

When the Sox and the Braves reached the playoffs, I was at a high. Or I was in a big emotional state. When the Braves got eliminated, I was devastated. I knew the Red Sox’ chances were bright (they had a 2-1 lead over Tampa Bay that time) but the adversity experienced in the past two years were starting to creep up. October Baseball Heartbreak was knocking in my door again. After the 2011 traumatic experience, anything bad could happen.

The Sox were able to beat the Rays. Next up though were the Detroit Tigers. The reigning American League Champions were regarded as the most loaded team as they have a balance of great pitching and slugging. They just caught a bad break in September so they lost home field advantage. But in Game 1, they gained it easily. The Detroit Tigers blanked the once dominant Sox hitters. I know much has been said that it is now a pitcher’s league, but because I experienced my 90s Braves teams lose in the playoffs due to strong hitters then I somehow felt bad. We should be able to get past some of Detroit’s pitchers even if they are so good, right? Why are the Sox struggling so badly in Fenway?! I have to admit, that 0-1 was a bleak time.

I was at Kota Kinabalu that time so I had to sacrifice my baseball watching so I could visit places. When I read about Game 2’s result, I heaved a huge sigh of relief. The last thing you want to experience is to go to your opponents’ home field with a 0-2 deficit. The Red Sox, thanks to David Ortiz’s heroics, beat insurmountable odds to tie the series up.

Yeah, I joined the #GetBeard movement in this playoffs

But still, Detroit had the home field advantage. I was glad when the Red Sox regained it by winning Game 3 against ace pitcher Justin Verlander. Detroit tied it up in Game 4 though. I was back in Scared Mode in Game 5 because the Sox were facing Anibal Sanchez (the dude who threw a no-hitter – didn’t finish the game though - in Game 1), Max Scherzer in Game 6 (Yikes!) and Justin Verlander in Game 7 (Double yikes!). As it turns out, the Red Sox were able to win both games. Keep the faith, Jeff.

Sometimes, you have to stop looking at how strong your opponent is. You have to appreciate your own and believe they can do it. Boston Strong, right? Walk the talk.

World Series

The Red Sox faced the Cardinals in the World Series. The St. Louis Cardinals were fresh from a dramatic World Series championship two years ago. They won it in such an improbable, never-say-die way that would make you wonder if they might be able to do it again this year. The fact that they still have the important components of that Series in David Freese and Allen Craig made it scarier.

But you know what, that is the past. The Sox blasted their red bird opponents in Game 1. I started to feel the optimism again. Thoughts of “are we the team of destiny?” kept on popping up in my mind. The World Series has become the Sox’ playground since 2004. Maybe, we are looking at another sweep? Not so fast, Jeff. St. Louis won Game 2 and gained home field advantage. I was confident that the Sox could get back though. But when I noticed that the Sox were having a hard time generating hits in Game 3, I had a realization that we were headed for a tough series just like what we had against Detroit. The Sox would falter in Game 3 due to a controversial call that decided the game. It sent me in an outrage because I hate the St. Louis Cardinals and here they are again getting the lucky bounces just like they did in 2011. Doubt has returned.

The Obstruction Call | Credit: Forbes.Com

Adversity and Doubt: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

Big Papi, you are the man! | Credit: Sports Illustrated

Adversity. If there was one word I could use to describe the 2013 playoff experience for the Red Sox, that would have to be it. The team faced adversity a lot of times. They actually faced the strongest combination of teams during the regular season. And this time, it was on a deeper hole than they had in Detroit. Down 1-2 with two more games in St. Louis. Down 1-2 and we just experienced a deflating controversial call.

But then, I remembered one game in 2010. Game 1 of the ALCS featured the Texas Rangers battling the New York Yankees. The Rangers had a comfortable big lead against the Yankees. Yankee ace pitcher CC Sabathia unexpectedly had a bad pitch count early on. Everything seemed headed Texas’ way with a comfortable 5-0 lead until the sixth inning. New York caught fire and Texas heartbreakingly lost the game. It was a Stomach Punch Game that could have blemished the Rangers. Instead, they bounced back the next game and won the next two. They eventually won the series. For all the talk of momentum in baseball, it does not usually carry over in the next game.

I also remembered “Boston Strong.” It is about rising up from huge adversity, right? This was it. The Sox have come too far and they are too proud to just give up. I have to admit, it was easier said than done. Tremendous adversity was experienced up to the late stretches of Game 4. The Sox were looking listless while the Cards were able to hit and pitch better. Cards were playing better at the start and it was becoming excruciating to watch. After all, the Red Sox hitting was awful after the Game 1 hitting barrage. But for some reason, the game was still knotted at one apiece. Then, the David Ortiz (Big Papi) Speech happened. Big Papi motivated his teammates to push themselves harder if they want to earn a ring.

We were heading for a 1-1 sixth inning with two easy outs by the Red Sox. However, Dustin Pedroia and Big Papi just had too much fight in them. They each reached the bases. Up next, Jonny Gomes. He was the same dude who started the “Get Beard” unification of the Red Sox. Prior to that at-bat, Jonny was batting badly. Usually, two-out situations like that were more of a scoretease for me. I have watched countless of games where my Atlanta Braves strand runners in scoring positions on two-out situations. After all, all the opposition needs is a flyout or a groundout and the threat is over.

Not this time.

Jonny Gomes hit the ball beautifully and it flew to the stands for a three-run homer. The Red Sox were alive! They eventually took Game 4. Tied series. In Game 5, the Red Sox were able to score again in the clutch. This time, it was David Ross. In case you do not know, he is a backup catcher. He, along with Jonny Gomes, were low-key guys that the Sox got this year, not because of their stats but because they were chemistry guys.

Team Chemistry

Thanks, John! | Credit: NY Daily News

Much has been said about baseball being an individual sport. It is, but team chemistry still played a major deal through the years. The remarkable 2004 Red Sox squad had great chemistry as the Idiots. When the Sox crumbled in 2011 and 2012, they actually had good players stats-wise. However, players messed it up with the chicken-and-beer controversy. We had good players like Carl Crawford who were not able to handle the Boston sports scene. Intangibles still matter.

Last Sunday, our priest delivered an amazing homily on imperfection. He mentioned the idea that we humans are flawed individuals. We may be good at some things but we will always have some weaknesses. This is why God dictates the truth, not us humans. But our imperfectness is a call for us to come together as a community. Our priest stated that there was a restaurant in Baguio named Café Diperensya. It is a restaurant with broken/wrongly shaped chairs, tables. Piece by piece, it seems wrong and flawed but when you look at the entirety, it actually looks like a splendid piece of art. That is how humans are. We are flawed but when we work as a community, we hide each other’s weaknesses and together we can deliver success.

That was pretty much the Red Sox this year. They have been the best team in the Majors (in terms of the standings and strength of schedule) but they did not have the best team on paper. Character guys like Jonny Gomes, David Ross had to be there to keep the team together. Stephen Drew could not hit the ball for most of the postseason but he played for the team for a reason – his tremendous defense. The team had several flaws but they worked with a goal of redemption in mind and they were always in line. I actually read an article stating that they did it not for their own selves. Instead, they did it for their each other.

When the Sox won Game 5, I was not asking if “we were the team of destiny” anymore. All I cared then was the Red Sox gave a damn about the city of Boston and they play as a team going for the win. I believed in them. After beating adversity, you take home the prize.

Game 6 was that. The Red Sox came with the killer mindset to finish the game in the early moments. And deliver they did. And they defended well, too. You know why? The guy in the mound was determined to finish his redemption year with a bang. That guy? John Lackey.

Always Believe

Final Out. YES!!! | Credit: Fansided.Com

If you ask me of my thoughts about John Lackey early this year, I would have said nothing positive of him. Ever since the Red Sox overpaid him, the misfortunes happened. He had a horrible ERA. He was part of the chicken and beer guys. He was injured for most of last year. He was the primary scapegoat of the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

But when I read the story of John Lackey, that was when I understood his side. He performed badly in 2011 because he was playing hurt. The stubborn and proud fighter that he was, he did not want people to know he was banged up because he always wanted to play. He was a man of honor. The human that he was, he eventually had to undergo surgery. In this year’s postseason, the proud and stubborn fighter John Lackey showed up. He delivered when needed. He even pitched from the bullpen. Boy was I wrong on this guy. This just goes to show to always believe on someone. You will never know how capable they are of doing good things.

When the Red Sox hoist their World Series award, I was overwhelmed with emotions. After all the adversity this team has gone through the years, this championship was extra special. It had to be one of the sweetest championships my sports teams had. This was because the Sox prevailed against adversity due to their resiliency and selfless teamwork. This was because I pulled for them through thick and thin. This championship taught/reinforced the value of believing for me. I am just thankful that my faith has been rewarded. Now, the 2011 and 2012 seasons are just footnotes to this championship year. I am proud of these players from Beantown. As Neil Diamond sings, good times never seemed so good.

P.S. Thanks to the Boston Red Sox for extending my annual sports championship streak. It is now at seven. If it ends here, then I guess it was just appropriate for the Sox to take the last championship. They started it in 2007 back when I was that bitter Ateneo sports fan who had to endure La Salle and UST championships. Lot of things have changed since then. Heck, I was still a SSB back then. I was not yet blogging for a more general/public audience then.


P.S. Again! It was awesome to find out that Jessica Mendoza is rooting for the Red Sox as well. Parang double championship tuloy ang feeling. :p

P.S. Last na! This year sure felt a lot like 2007 was. Three of my favorite musical bands released an album each in the same year (Paramore, Jimmy Eat World and Fall Out Boy). Heck, La Salle also won that year. I was reliving 2007 a lot of times in hopes of another Red Sox championship. I had to re-listen to Fall Out Boy’s “Infinity on High.” I used to say it was the weakest FOB album. Right now, I have actually learned to appreciate it more. Good times.