Casey and the Red Sox

Having lived in New England all their lives, Beau and Casey are born and bred members of Red Sox nation. Beau is a dutiful fan; Casey is fanatic.

From the time he was four years old, Casey's early morning routine during baseball season has been to retrieve the newspaper in his pajamas and return to the table clutching the sports section. First thing to check: did the Red Sox win? Next thing to check: did the Yankees lose? And woe to our household if Sox have lost and the Yankees have won. Next he asks us to read the "how the runs scored" column. (Well, this year he read how the runs scored for himself.)

Casey knows all the players and their numbers. He knows the line-up and the starting pitcher for any given game. And he'll talk strategy with anyone who will listen to him: primarily his father, one of his afterschool teachers, and his orthodontist.

Since Casey was only four in 2004 when the Red Sox won their first World Series Championship in 86 years, he's been spared much of the heartache that fans historically suffered. He does endure his own bit of hell, though, since the regular season games are carried only on cable, and his parents won't pony up for service. Sox fans are nothing if not intrepid, though, and Casey makes do with listening to the radio, befriending the neighbors who do have cable, and watching the highlights on MLB-dot-com.

So, of course, having the Red Sox make the play-offs this year was exciting not only in its own right, but also because those games were shown on broadcast TV. Except...it's never easy to be a Red Sox fan. During the play-offs, first pitch was always right around 8:30 pm -- too late for Casey to be allowed to watch much more than a couple of innings. And when the Sox advanced to the World Series, first pitch was ... yet again ... right at bedtime.

So, I'm sorry to say, that Casey did not get to see his beloved Red Sox win the 2007 World Series, but he was pleased to wake up on Monday, October 29, to learn the happy news.




We didn't go to the victory parade on Tuesday, either, since it was during school hours. But we celebrated in our own way with "victory pie," and "Dice Kream."



It was a very good year in Red Sox Nation.