Being originally a New Englander, Porter has been a Boston Red Sox fan since before he learned that those things he put on under his shoes were actually spelled s-o-c-k-s. He loves the team so much that he usually refuses to watch them play. (We lived near Boston for nearly two years, and never went to Fenway Park.) Demonstrating that paganism can still lurk in the deep recesses of a Christian's life, he is (or pretends to be) superstitious enough to believe he can jinx them just by watching. And I must admit that the anecdotal evidence is pretty strong. He has the opposite effect on the Yankees, too. During the first round of the playoffs this year, he watched seven seconds of a Yankees-Twins game, with Minnesota well ahead—just in time to see Rubin Sierra hit a three-run homer to tie the game, which the Yankees went on to win. Chastened, he watched not one second of the Boston-New York playoffs.
The Boston Red Sox are in the World Series! Will he let his intellectual knowledge that the universe is not run in such a way that his viewing habits can really affect the outcome of a baseball game overcome his gut feelings? Not tonight, anyway: we have a concert to go to.
I'm rooting for the Sox, too. How can you pass up a personal connection? Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek was in Porter's Sunday school class, and he graduated from our own Lake Brantley High School.
GO RED SOX! HOORAY FOR BOSTON!
Comments
I have been paying enough attention to the games to feel excited for the team and fans but was not aware that someone on their team is a LBHS alum! Nice to see someone living their dreams.
Posted by
David July
on Sunday, October 24, 2004 at 7:43 am
Yeah!! Go Red Sox!!!!!!! I must not have my fathers effect on games. I watched the 8th and 9th innings. :)
Posted by
Janet
on Wednesday, October 27, 2004 at 11:43 pm
They did it! THEY DID IT!!! (And no, he didn't watch. Not a second. But I woke him up so that he could enjoy the post-game festivities.) (I was up watching the eclipse and fixing the blog bug.)
Posted by
SursumCorda
on Wednesday, October 27, 2004 at 11:57 pm
Well, now I can watch Red Sox games again :) The main reason I hadn't watched was its effect on my nerves. I listened on radio to the 1967 fiasco (vs St. Louis), I watched the 1975 torture vs Cincinnati (the Fisk home run and the spaceman's spacing out). By 1986 I was not watching anymore - but I had the unfortunate timing of being on an Indian Princess campout for game 6 - and one of the dads had a radio. I can still see the shape of the burning log I was staring at when the ball went through Billy Buck's legs. Now - liberation. It is ok if it is another 85 years, so it is time to ENJOY some baseball. I am now tied with mom for number of World Series won by the Sox in our lifetimes. She was one in 1918 when they won, I 51 in 2004. Another piece of Red Sox trivia - the type of thing only New England families keep track of.
Posted by
Porter
on Friday, October 29, 2004 at 8:40 am
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