You Can’t Always Get What You Want
In the end, 2008 was not to be. The Sox fought valiantly in the face of naysayers, haters and an onslaught of injuries… but the fuel in the tank was not enough to take them victoriously to the ultimate finish. Battling back from (another) playoff deficit brought them to the brink, but didn’t push them over the line. Their story didn’t finish this year with another magical ending. It just ended.
I can’t say I’m not sad, that I’m not disappointed. We always want to have it all, especially after we’ve tasted what it’s like to be at the top. But damn it, I’m still proud. Proud of the team, proud of the season, and proud to have been a part of a city that so fully embraces the sport of baseball and the team that I love so much. 2008 was one helluva rollercoaster, and I’m happy to have been able to tag along for the ride. The high peaks are only as exhilarating as they are because of those low valleys you dip through along the way. And this season had its share of both. As a fan, you can’t ask for much more than that.
The loss is hard to take. There’s no way around that. But half of the agony is not just saying goodbye to the hope of another title, it’s saying goodbye to baseball. The companion that’s been around since March, that’s filled the days and nights for almost 8 months. The pal that you’ve snuck in a radio for on long summer days at work, the buddy that you’ve kicked back with a beer for at the end of a long day, the friend that you’ve bundled up for in April, sweated your ass off with in July, and bundled up for again in October…. that’s suddenly, harshly, gone. When the Sox exited the season tonight, we weren’t just saying goodbye to the team, we were saying goodbye to that constant called baseball. I’m not really sure which is harder to stomach.
Then again, that’s the brilliance of baseball. It’ll sting for a week, it will feel like a punch to the gut every time you see an ad for the World Series, and you’ll wonder whether you can even stand to watch the games at all. But in the end, we’ll all watch (and cheer for Philly, of course) because the allure of the game is just too powerful. And after the sting wears off, the 2009 season will already be beckoning tantalizingly on the horizon.
In the end, 2008 was not to be. But I can’t wait to see what 2009 brings.
I always hate this part…the saying goodbye part. The game is over, and that’s it…they walk into the visitor’s clubhouse, and we don’t see them again until April. I am proud of them, really I am…but give me a couple of days to wallow. Please.
Wonderful post, Texy.
As I said in the gamethead, we didn’t give up without a fight and Game 5 showed that. I am still so proud of this team, even if we didn’t make it to the World Series.
I can’t wait for 2009.
Go Sox!
A beautiful postscript, TG. You’ve got it exactly right: there’s nothing quite like baseball for those once-in-a-lifetime moments you’ll never forget. 2008 gave us a whole bunch of those (especially Thursday night), and 2009 should be just as exciting a ride as 2008.
And let me take this opportunity to thank you for all the time and hard work you’ve put into the site, and for creating a welcoming community of Sox fans of all stripes in the game threads.
Yes… before I go cry myself to sleep, I must say thank you for maintaining this awesome site. Great season, everyone!
Thank you.
This was definitely a great season. Lester’s no-no, Masterson’s and Lowrie’s debuts, Pedie’s and Youk’s MVP seasons, a new left fielder, the list goes on.
Out of all the teams, I don’t mind losing to the Rays. They’ve had a dream season and I hope they take the WS.
What I’m saddest to see is possibly the last game Tek plays with this team. I hope he comes back.
Amen, sister. I’m actually not as sad this time as I usually am at the end of a season. Maybe because I was prepared for it to end earlier and feel like these last two games were really a cherry on top or what. But it’s only 168 more days until the 2009 Home Opener!
As a member of the enemy camp (a/k/a a Yankee fan) I also want to thank you for the hard work you put in on the blog. Thanks to hanging out here I’ve met a bunch of cool people, including a couple I’ve become friendly with in the real world. See y’all the next time Josh starts. ;)
Texy you said it all…. The boys gave it their all this year and in the end it just wasn’t enough. They fought and fought and never gave up.
I’ll be a long winter without them and without you guys. I can’t wait for 2009.
That made me get goosebumps. Great posts all year TG. Love this site. That was exactly what I was thinking.
I couldn’t have said it better myself. You captured exactly what I’m feeling. I’ve been sad for the last few weeks knowing baseball was about to end and more sadly, that we wouldn’t be seeing our boys everyday for 4 months or so.
Amen. It’s sorta fitting, sorta hard to take that the first morning without Red Sox baseball finds me hunting for gloves and scarf.
For those literary types, a link to A. Barlett Giamatti’s ode to baseball: “http://mason.gmu.edu/~rmatz/giamatti.html”
OK
Giamatti on baseball
great post. I feel the same way. suddenly it’s just…over. no turning on NESN at 7 pm. no looking forward to a great matchup. no more big Caballito swings. no Jacoby! I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself now. I’ll have to join a gym or something, or get an actual hobby. this is depressing.
I know summer is over. There was frost everywhere this morning as I walked my son to school; I wore mittens and he complained that he was cold and; oh yeah, there is no more baseball until the Spring. Can’t say that I’ll get up for a Phillies/Rays WS – but if I had to choose, I’d root for the Phillies cause they didn’t beat us.
I didn’t go to sleep sick last night and I don’t feel like I had my heart ripped out of my chest; and I definitely found much easier to get up in the morning and keep breathing than say, ”86 and ‘03. After Thursday night, I truly felt like every extra frame of baseball was a gift, and that the team really was playing with the house’s money. Acknowledging that it was going to be an uphill battle does not mean that you don’t believe and keep hoping and rooting for wins; and when the Rays didn’t collapse in August and then didn’t collapse in September and we couldn’t have our way with them, I thought that winning it all would not be just about executing pitches (but definitely that) and not just about offense that gets men on base and then finds a way to get them all the way around and back to start again (certainly that!), but it would require the baseball gods to smile upon our team and grant us one more boon. They smiled on the Rays instead, and so they go to the WS and we go and put on our sweaters, rake up the leaves and turn on the heat.
Here’s to a fine 2008 season; full of drama, excitement, intrigue and of course, baseball. I feel I got my money’s worth, and then some.
The Red Sox 2009 season starts today (okay, maybe tomorrow). Bring it on!
Thank you, Texy, for a wonderful post, for a wonderful website, and for being a wonderful hostess to us all during all the games. I arrived here at the beginning of the season as a newbie Sox fan (okay, it was a year ago, and then there was the offseason) and learned so much from all the kindred spirits here, and made some terrific new friends in the process.
To our guys: I love you so much it hurts, and I miss you already. I’m a bit bleary and teary this morning, but I have a ton of great 2008 memories to sustain me over the winter, and am already eagerly anticipating 2009…
Texy, excellent post. As always. You are an excellent writer and hostess.
I woke up in the middle of the night, thinking about the game–missed clutch hits, strike-em-out-throw-em-out double plays (that hurt), damn cowbells, garza and his lizard tongue (what is up with that?!?). I’m disappointed we didn’t win, but you can’t win them all.
But what a year! I will definitely miss baseball (especially since my 49ers seem intent on sucking. again.) and look forward to spring training.
Go Phillies!
Great Post Texy! It has been a long and rewarding season from where I am standing, regardless of the fact that we didn’t get to repeat as champs.
Thank you again for the nice, cozy refuge for all of us sox fans. We love ya for allowing us to mingle here!
Thanks for the great post summing up so eloquently the season that was 2008. I don’t post much here, but I always feel like this is a refuge where I can find other Sox fans (hard to do living in Texas now), and for that I say thank you! And thank you Red Sox for a wonderful season…can’t wait for 2009!
Great post Texy as always. Thank you for welcoming us into your world of baseball and for keeping such a great website.
All my friends expected me to show up to our class this morning is some sort of depression, but as everyone else has pointed out so eloquently, this season was a huge success. If someone looked at only our roster without really seeing who was on the team, no one would give us a chance to make it this far with all the injuries and such. And yet despite all the adversity, the Red Sox stood strong and fought to the end. I could not be prouder of this wonderful team.
The countdown to the 2009 season begins now. To everyone, thanks for a great season and I’ll see you in the next game thread!
122 days till pitchers and cathers report.
See you February 10, 2009.
I can’t wait to start my first opening threads with you guys next year.
*hugs*
To me it hurts the most to know that I won’t be able to come home after a hard day and distract myself with baseball. You spend so much time over the summer getting to really know all the guys and watching them develop as a player, I’ll miss them this offseason. It would have been nice for a repeat but I still think it’s amazing that the Sox made it this far to be one of the final 4 teams.
It’s going to be a long winter. It’ll be interesting to see the trade deals, most of which I’ll probably be sad about. And I can’t even begin to imagine possibly not having Tek…
Well said.
In the end, they just weren’t good enough, they worked hard their entire way through. You can’t deny that. While Games 3 and 4 and the first six innings of Game 5 looked like it was going to be one of those taking it up the wazoo and not even trying series, they buckled down and did their best. They did.
They went down swinging…honestly, that’s all I asked of the Red Sox. Just do your best and if you are to go down, go down swinging. Because at least they made the effort. And given everything they’ve gone through this season to make it as far as they did, that’s huge.
That was a great post. I hate saying goodbye to baseball, but at least we got to watch two more sox games then we planned. I won’t even be in the country for the beginning of the 2009 season, but you can bet I will have mlb.tv. I can’t wait for the 09 season.
You say Goodbye…..while I say Hello….hello HELLO…I dont know why you say Goodbye, I say Hello!!!
Countdown to Truck Day……….
Reiterating what everyone’s said, thanks so much TG for the fantastic site and most of all the gameday threads. Part of the reason this year rocked so much was because I got to share it with so many amazing, knowledgeable people. So thank you a lot for that.
And you know what? It’s okay that we didn’t win, because hey, we still have 2 rings from the past 5 years, and our front office and farm system are so good we’re still going to be contenders for a long time.
It’s all good. Truck Day is a few months away ;X Here’s to 2009!
Today was pretty somber, but some time this evening it hit me what an incredible season it was, and how crazy-fortunate I’ve been to witness some of the most amazing moments in person. And I’ve made friends in the virtual and real worlds right here.
I’m still sad – I’ll always be sad about the way this season ended – but nothing can wipe out all the AWESOME of the past season. But it takes a while to come down from that high: the tension mounts, the games get going in high gear, and then, suddenly, SLAM! into a wall, and it’s done.
I can tell you that this is one kid who will not be watching the World Series. That would hurt too much. Baseball is over. It’s Hot Stove time.
Fabulous post. What I could say on the topic would really be redundant after what you wrote (and probably not said as well)…
Just want to add my thanks for this site, which I’m thrilled to have found this year. Are there going to be off season posts to look forward to?
Texy, thanks for a great year. I’m so glad I found this site (through the ladies… last year – wink wink) and it’s been great commenting with everyone. Cyberspace can be so cold and daunting but this place always warms my heart. I’ve had some personal tragedies this year and reading this site has always brought my spirits up and a smile to my face. Thank you for that.
I’m suffering serious Red Sox withdrawals already but I cannot wait for the off season stories as only you can tell them and for the countdown to opening day. I’ll look forward to your insight on the workings of Theo, John and Larry in the off season and I have the utmost faith in them to secure the best team possible for 2009.
The Rays’ story is a great one and I’m sure those fans are jumping out of their skin with this Series. I’ll be rooting for the Phillies! (New fave = Shane Victorino.) I’ll be watching but not as intensely as last year. The one thing I’m really looking forward to now is a well rested end of October!!
Don’t usually post on these things, but felt compelled today. I had to echo my bittersweet disappointment upon the end of the season.
Last night I had the Pats to look forward to, and then today I had my first moment of “now what am I going to do tonight?” That’s a question I don’t have to ask from April through October.
The rhythm of baseball is such a comforting thing. The ups and downs are all part of the game, but it’s such a joy to know that it’s there.
Now the Sox are done I will look forward to the holidays, and then the Super Bowl, and then it’ll only be a couple of months of longing before we get word that Ft Myers is once again buzzing with Sox fever.
Thanks to the local 9 for another thrilling season. This was another great one to remember. Watching Lester blossom before our eyes this season on a team with all these stellar rookies just whets my appetite to see what 09 and beyond will bring. The near future looks very promising.
Representin’ Maine! GO SOX! GO SEA DOGS! We’ll miss you, but we’ll be here waiting.
That is so well said about baseball.
You do a great job here.