Red State. Blue State.

For those of you who don't reside in the Northeast, and don't get to "enjoy" the good natured rivalry of Red Sox Nation versus U.S. Steel, I point you to a great conversation over at Bronx Banter. In it, a bunch of wise baseball bloggers discuss whither go the Red Sox -- and the rivalry -- post becoming World Champeens. To get a flavor of the level of discourse that occurs when Red Sox and Yankee fans get together, check out the comments at the end of the post.

Here's just a taste:

I find it pretty amusing that most of the people making their pronouncements about how Red Sox Nation will / won't change in the first segment of this entry are not Red Sox fans. This is true of most of the people in general making these judgements.

Posted by: beth at November 1, 2004 02:13 PM

[...]

Beth,

I'm a Phils fan who lived in Boston for five years before "The Curse" was the crusade it had become (1988-92). I thought at the time that Boston had some great, well-informed fans. I couldn't help but think that the vast majority would no longer be described that way today.

I keep going back to the 1994 NY Rangers, who had gone 54 years since their last Cup. It became the holy grail to their fans. Then they won it, they place went nuts, and the fans woke up to find they had an old, mediocre, overpriced club on its hands. They quickly found other pursuits.

With any successful sports team, the most vocal elements are usually the least emotionally invested. They are the ones who climb most easily onto any bandwagon at the appropriate time. As for me, I rarely say boo while I quietly sit and fill out my scorecard at a game--the quieter I am, the more I'm into the game. I think that the Red Sox's somewhat unique history attracted a particularly strident mass of individuals on their bandwagon. Now that the goal has been achieved and the curse subdued, I don't think these individuals will be able to keep up their interest level. I may be wrong but that's how I see it.

Besides, why is it so unusual for outsiders to evaluate a situation? That's what's done with mental patients, and the Red Sox fans deserve at least as much respect--before I set someone off, that's what is called a joke. You've just won a championship--shake it off. Why do you care what other people think anyway? I know that Boston shares in the inferiority complex with NYC that Philly's always had, but winning a championship is no time for such neuroses. Enjoy yourselves.

Posted by: Mike Carminati at November 1, 2004 03:50 PM


"Besides, why is it so unusual for outsiders to evaluate a situation? That's what's done with mental patients, and the Red Sox fans deserve at least as much respect..."

LMFAO

Posted by: Sully at November 1, 2004 03:54 PM


philly, eh? so you must eat cheesesteak three times a day and worship the liberty bell. oh, and all phillies fans are violent weasels who throw batteries at santa claus.

hey, that's just my outsider's take on the situation. and you can't tell me about it, because you're too close to it. so just let me stereotype freely.

i take exception to the generalizations because they are about a group of which i am a part. i don't think you can fault me for that.

very few of the people making these statements about red sox fans losing their identity seem to have bothered to ask a red sox fan. but maybe that's because we're all such strident jerks.

Posted by: beth at November 1, 2004 03:56 PM

Feel the love!

And that's a Phillies fan going at it with a member of the Nation. Just imagine the fun we'll have in the Fens and at the Stadium next season.

Ah, wintertime. A season for quiet introspection. And for the desperate search for a decent free agent lefty.