Tick Tick Tick

Men have a biological clock too, you know. At least that's the case if you are a Red Sox fan.

I was listening to NPR over the weekend (which isn't a heathly habit to get into, because listening to NPR over the weekend means you're addicted; and if you like their crappy trivia show, you need a 12 step program, quick), and someone theyhad on commented on the "biological clock" of a New England male. Our clocks are ticking, indeed, and they look forward to the moment a new World Championship banner is hung in Fenway Park.

I was thinking about this crack at Red Sox fans, and it's an accurate description. Like a female biological clock, Sox fans can get very emotional about their own clocks, and we all wonder if we will see the Sox win it all before we die.

Tick tick tick...

The emotions are borne from two entities: the Sox haven't won it all since 1918, when Babe Ruth was posting pitching numbers comparable to Pedro's; and the spectacular failures of the Sox teams that have come close to World Series titles, or even just making the playoffs.

Pesky held the ball while Enos Slaughter made his mad dash in 1946, and St. Louis won game 7 of the 1946 World Series, the first Series the Sox saw since 1918. The next time they returned to the World Series was 1967, again facing the Cardinals. They met Bob Gibson a few times and, well, they just lost.

In 1975, the Sox greatest modern moment came when Carlton Fisk homered to win game 6, he jumped down the first base line waving for the ball to be fair. We've all seen it before. That's the only moment you see from that series, you figure the Sox won, right? Wrong. In game 7, they took a 3-0 lead into the 6th inning, only to see Cincinnati win 4-3.

Tick tick tick...

1978, Red Sox and Yankees are tied at the end of of the regular season, so they played a one game playoff game, winner advanced to the next round. Yankees won when Bucky FUCKING Dent, a light hitting nobody, hit one over the Green Monster. At this point, this was the only time the Sox and Yankees played in the postseason. But, as we all know, the Sox owner sold the Babe to the Yankees so he could finance a Broadway show. The Babe goes on to become THE Babe, hits 700 some odd homers, greatest hitter of all time, Yankees win zillions world championships, and the Red Sox have won zilch then. Curse of the Bambino, if one such curse actually exists. (Ruth was sold to the Yankees because by 1919, he was a durnk and he was blowing games, he had also become a hinderance in the lockeroom and was just dragging the team down. The Yankees offered $100,000, and it seemed like a good deal at the time. Hoo boy..)

Tick tick tick...

1986. Bill Buckner. Game 6 of the World Series. The moment everyone remembers. Sure, the game was merely tied by the time the ball was hit to Buckner, the Sox wouldn't have still had the lead if he made the play. But he didn't. The ball simpy rolled inbetween the wickets, the Mets scored again and won the game, then they went on to win game 7. Boston was ONE STRIKE AWAY in game 6..

Tick tick tick...

Since 1986, the Sox hadn't fared well in their playoff appearences. In fact, they usually got their asses handed to them. They won one Division Series over Cleveland in 1999 where they were met by the Yankees for the pennant, the first time these hated rivals played a series against each other in the postseason, and it was for a World Series birth. And the Sox got their asses handed to them.

Cut to now.

2003 - Red Sox enter the playoffs through a wild card birth, met Oakland in the ALDS. Oakland wins the first two nailbiting games, but they can't close the deal. Trot Nixon's heroic homer wins game 3, I honestly forget what happened in game 4. Game 5, bottom of the ninth, Sox up by a run, bases juiced for Oakland and Derek Lowe is on the mound. He saves the game and the Sox clinch the series, a classic series, one that baseball may not see the likes of for a while. The Red Sox won what many of this generation consider to be their most exciting win ever.

But that will be changed tonight. The Sox met the Yankees again for this years ALCS, and they have battled to 3-3 tie, and game 7 is tonight. Pedro v. Clemens, the Sox old ace.

Tonight's the night the Sox break the curse.

Tick tick tick...