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Our ongoing support...
October 20, 2008
of this site and more importantly, this City's sports will prove to the kids, friends and more importantly, ourselves, that the title of Boston Fan is an honor and a calling. Not some fleeting, summer crush .
Since my introduction to the Sox in the late Sixties (and for my elders, furthur back still) and regardless if we were in a deep, dark slump or had a ten game streak going. I'd overheard around mid-season from parents and other grownups across town, variations of, "Don't worry, they'll lose in the end anyway." Accompanied by that familiar headshake, eyeroll and cynical Boston smirk.
And why not this massive absence of confidence every Fall? They knew the routine all too well. Heck, a calendar was unnecessary... The Herald, Record or Globe's back pages would inform them when things are gray, cold and harsh. (Sadly, the Pats were and would continue to be cellar dwellers for some time to come.) This was reality, destiny, religious gospel and all they'd ever known. They were quite comfortable with the familiar heartbreak.
Did my faith waiver?, Absolutely, on many Septembers and Octobers. I'd gone through all the stages of grief. Even locked myself in my room to cry to sleep (there IS crying in baseball) over that crushing defeat of our beloved Impossible Dream team. Did I abandoned Kenmore's unlucky? Nope, fortunately I was naive and felt it would change the next season and I could tell those tiresome nay sayers, "I told yas", when we are finally rewarded with that ultimate prize -a championship!
In my opinion, This city owes a huge debt of gratitude to a small group of athletes that may have singlehandedly prevented thousands of inner city kids from falling into a bottomless pit of despair in those following decades up 'til 2004. Let me explain.,
1968 was a crazy time in the USA and the Nixon Whitehouse was catching flack from all sides, race issues, civil unrest, the generation gap, welfare, drugs were everywhere and that elephant in the room Vietnam was always a hostile topic -Come to think of it, things are little different in today's America.
There wasn't much of a reason for optimism. The kids of my age group were a little too young to know much about Russell and Cousy's brilliant past, but this group was fortunate nonetheless. A year before the '67 Sox flop, there was an up and coming messiah in Beantown, Bobby Orr.
This kid had quickly become bigger than life. That phenom from Parry Sound Ontario and the Big Bad Bruins introduced Boston's youth to winning, with class! I remember skating on Town Field on Dot Ave and trying to figure out who was on my team, cuz nearly every kid wore black and gold and no less than a hundred of them wore #4 taped on their cheap Bradlees ice skates. We ALL wanted to be just like this modern day Pied Piper. But, more than that even, was the tremendous, undying pride welling within -of our city's great sports teams.
Too many of us had no dad's and these guys became unwitting surrogates. Yep, in that regard, many voids were filled, but most of all, this hockey team of ours created a wonderful diversion, brought much hope and introduced civic pride in this dirty little city of chaos. Though we still needed much, there was no longer an emptyness.
I hope this same spirit boils long within this younger batch of fans and you continue to remain active on this board to nurture the bonds through these down times. Prove your mettle and continue to wear your Boston cap this winter. There are many reasons to be proud and upbeat. Remember, we've got three other teams that need us now. Lets return the magic, because there isn't any more loyal or louder a fan anywhere, than a Boston Rooter.
Thanks "Dad". With love, Steve F. Dorchester
-fdnyLadder7
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