You do a great job here.

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.

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!!

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?

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.

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.

Countdown to Truck Day……….

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.

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…

See you February 10, 2009.

I can’t wait to start my first opening threads with you guys next year.

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!

Thank you again for the nice, cozy refuge for all of us sox fans. We love ya for allowing us to mingle here!

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!

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…

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!

For those literary types, a link to A. Barlett Giamatti’s ode to baseball: “http://mason.gmu.edu/~rmatz/giamatti.html”