Loge Level

The big guy above has plenty of reason to smile.

I once wondered if I’d ever live to see the Boston Red Sox win a World Series. Those questions, dreams and prayers were answered three years ago when a bunch of idiots did the improbable.

Then, this happened:

Now, I’m wondering if I might see the Sox win four, five or maybe more world championships before I die.

There are many differences in this championship experience and the emotions of 2004, none more prevailing than the 83 fewer years waited. But I didn’t cry this time. I slept well. Fewer friends called to congratulate me. The individual moments are already blurring, whereas the 2004 seminal moments are still fresh.

And I expected the result this time. And I have hope the Sox may repeat.

Sure, they had a solid team back in 2005, one that tied for the division, but so many players from 2004 were lost and there was such a flashback the entire season to 2004 that I never expected a repeat. after 86 years of waiting for one title, it felt guilty to hope for a second straight.

And I still feel for all those Cubs, Indians and Giants fans. Not so much the poor Rockies, Marlins and Diamondbacks fans.

But this time the Sox are built for a long run. There aren’t a dozen or more players eligible for free agency over the next two offseasons like there were in 2004 and 2005. All but Curt Schilling and Mike Lowell are (or can be) locked up for next year among the starting lineup, rotation and impact bullpen pitchers. Hopefully, they sign both, lowell to at least three years, and they need to rework the bench.

But the Sox are young this time — Jon Lester (23), Jacoby Ellsbury (24), Dustin Pedroia (24), Manny Delcarmen (25), Jonathan Papelbon (26), Josh Beckett (27), Daisuke Matsuzaka (27), Coco Crisp (27) and Kevin Youkilis (28) make up more than one-third of the roster — and they have more youngsters on the way.

They are so prepared for next year that they will likely trade Crisp for prospects so Ellsbury can play every day. It’s too soon to talk “dynasty,” and dyansties in baseball are rare, but the Sox are already the team of the decade.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 31st, 2007 at 9:28 am and is filed under MLB, Moxie Legion Baseball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.