Great post.

I was at a bar and was blissfully ignorant of the TBS crew. The soundtrack of crazy Sox fans was much preferred.

Objectively, from the outside, Chip Caray couldn't have rooted more obviously for the Sox than he did.

And I thought Ron Darling was, well, Ron Darling. I thought he was fair and intelligent and insightful.

fwiw

I was in class, on the west coast, with my computer running so i could get gameday updates. then it DIED right when papi was up in the 9th, so i had my friend back home text me updates so i wouldn't miss a thing. it was amazing. i am not gonna lie though, i was sad and starting to doubt when we were down 7-0 but when we got that 1 run on the board i knew they were back and weren;t going down without a fight :) go SOX!!

it's sad, i went to college at the perfectly wrong time, starting when we won in 2004 and still here to finish my 5yr program during one of the best comebacks ever!!!

Except for the first seven innings when they were already discussing the Rays-Phillies world series as a foregone conclusion, I might agree with you. Or the last two games with the Rays knob-slobbering.

I think the problem is that they're unabashed bandwagon jumpers... so Chip was high on the Sox- but only after they started hitting.

Great post, Texy. I hope those weeds are gone for good and will never show up again.

The one thing I still don't believe, though, is that there are people out there who booed Papi. Seriously -- WHAT THE HELL?

Thanks for this post TG.

I have to say that while I was totally bummed about the prospect of the Sox going down in flames, I was devastated and ashamed at the conduct of the crowd in games 3,4 &5 (Innings 7-9 of Game 5 notwithstanding) If I could have personally slain each and every person who boo'd Papi at bat, I would have done so.

BTW...I really hate the pink hat slams. I've been a fan since 1967 and some of the best father/daughter moments I have ever had with my Dad have been over baseball, because that was the only common ground we could often find. I own a pink hat, and the only thing that anyone has the right to conclude from that, is that I look good in pink and I look for shit in red and blue.

Having been at the game, I have to say it got much better after all the bandwagon fans left at the top of the 7th. And I've never been so proud of the Fenway Faithful - I think the crowd really helped to will the team towards this win. And I really am impressed with the Sox fans that bleed Red Sox Red - in our section, a chant went up during the 7th inning of "Let's Go Fenway!". Talk about kicking the crowd into high gear.
That being said, I could have done without the big guy who took his shirt off and tried to start the wave sometime in the 5th inning. I know the game sucked at that point, but I still didn't need to see that.

Just like I will always make fun of Julio Lugo's weird suits and Josh Beckett's facial hair, I will always make fun of pink hats. They're a crime against fashion. And nature.

My sister kept trying to get me to change the channel, but I could feel it wasn't over. I thought I was going to pass out or throw up I kept getting so excited/nervous.
I can't stand the TBS announcers, they say the most aggravating things. I had the game on mute for the first 3 or 4 innings.

I had to take a shower, so when Paps gave up that two run double that made it 7-0, I decided it was a good time ot do that. Sometimes, if I just stop watching and de-stress, watching the rest of the game is easier. I didn't expect that when I got out it would be 7-4- that was definitely a nice suprise! I have not been a baseball fan for very long, but I would never let go of my love for my Sox (or my Mets for that matter, even if they are a failure at life xD)

But the Mets are fantastic at flopping, at least. No quiet ride off into the night, they flame out with aplomb.

Except in 1986. /insert Sox strangling sound

TG - crimes against fashion and/or nature is totally subjective and every gets their opinion on that and it's no biggie. Many of the most hardcore fans I know have very questionable fashion sense and may have also been involved in various and sundry crimes against nature, sometimes at the same time.

TBS announcers are huge bandwagon jumpers. It's so bad.... they bounced right back to the Sox side in the bottom of the 7th.

Exactly, mermaid. That was just another way of saying: (a) I personally can't stand pink hats, (b) I also can't stand flibbertygibbit "fans", but (c) you are not in category b and obviously are free to disagree with category a.

Perhaps it was the booing that was the catalyst for Papi? It's awful, yes, but it got the message across. This was The Miracle on Yawkey Way.

Top cliches used to describe the Rays by TBS:

1) They're on a journey. It's a journey. the rest of us play a season. For the Rays, it's a JOURNEY.

2)They're the little brother who kept getting "bullied around" and "stood up to" the big bad Yanks and Sox.

3) Madden is a GENIUS. He's smarter than sliced bread. Or whatever.

4) They're HUNGRY. Apparently the Rays don't get much for a pre-game spread because they are always so HUNGRY.

Anyone else? There's more... feel free to add. And talk about how sick of the cliches you are.

Lifelong - In my opinion, no way hearing your own fans boo you brings about that kind of change. You know, I think it is really disheartening that they were really on their own for most of the last 3 games.

I guess I can't imagine fans thinking that Papi's cold streak was more upsetting to them than it was to him and his teammates. In Boston, I always thought that we believed in the 10th player. I know that there have been some dog players in the past, and eventually, everyone gets a turn to be the goat - but when a player has been the hero more times than we can count, it sure seems like a shitfest when the fans forget as soon as everything isn't gravy.

Hell...if booing was all that was needed to get the message across, wouldn't Gagne have been crowned King of the Hill?

5) They've waited a long time. For some of their fans, it's been at least 5 weeks.

redsoxfandave, don't forget that BJ Upton glides.

Puke.

Excellent post, Texy.

PS: That was me. again.

PS (yes, I really can use a computer and not hit post too soon)

Booing Papi was deplorable. It's PAPI for goodness sakes!

Hell...if booing was all that was needed to get the message across, wouldn't Gagne have been crowned King of the Hill?

BWAAAHAAHAAA...funny.

Booing Papi was definitely the lowest point we as Red Sox fans have reached. I remember being pissed at Yankee Fans for booing Derek Jeter, and this was much worse. Hopefully those people have learned their lesson or have gone off to root for some other team where booing your own players is ok.

I thought they booed another player but Papi? Has he ever been booed before at Fenway?

There is a girl in my French class who is a Sox fan and watched the game until they were down 0-7 and she went to bed. However she's getting over Bronchitis so she had to get some rest. But people woke her up when they won.

There was an article on Yahoo Sports about the possibility of it being a Rays- Phillies WS a few hours before the game and how it could possibly be a ratings nightmare for Fox. Maybe the more they (the media and fans) mention the Rays going to the WS the better the Sox do.

I started crying when they booed Papi. Just unbelievable. I'm so glad he silenced them...

Great post, Texy.

i don't even remember the papi-booing...does that make me a bad fan?

How could that possibly make you a bad fan?

Amen, Texas Gal! Booing our own (especially Papi)? No way. NEVER. Abandoning the team when they're down? Not this girl. Sure I love it when we're winning, what fan doesn't? But through all the seasons, good and bad, I'll always love our boys unconditionally. Not like the Cubs fans selling their loyalty on Ebay (although I do feel their pain)...

Oh, and with you on the pink hats TG. Not because I think all of the fans wearing them are necessarily bandwagoners (my own mother wore one, and she was a lifelong Sox fan who taught me about baseball), but because pink just isn't one of the team colors. Sorry mermaidmarian, I mean no offense!

Hey Jennifer. That's ok. Although Kelly Green isn't one of the team colors and I never hear any grumbles about "green hats". And, as far as purists go, it isn't as if the uniform looks the same as it did in 1918, 1950, 1968, 1975 or 1986.

Truth be told, I think that the "pink hat" comments chap me the say way "blonde" comments do. Sweeping generalization without real basis in fact. You might believe all blondes are dumb bimbos and all pink hat wearers are jump on the bandwagon faux fans, but I'd be happy to prove you wrong.

I'm willing to admit I turned off the game when Papelbon gave up that double. I couldn't take it anymore after being at the two previous games and watching them play lucklusterly.

But obviously I WAS SOO WRONG. And gladly so. My tv came right back on right once everyone started texting me and im-ing me of what was going on hahah

Mermaidmarian, I definitely am not operating under the illusion that all pink wearers are fair weather fans. I've seen bandwagoners in authentic jerseys and lifelong fans in pink. I'll never think that what color someone wears determines what kind of fan they really are. No sweeping generalizations here!

I know that the whole colors thing is my own quirk, and I accept that. I'm just not a big fan of any of the alternative colors out there, even the kelly green. Guess I'm just not a big enough fan of the Celtics or St. Patrick's Day! :)

I am a (natural) blonde and I am TOTALLY a dumb bimbo.

Also: I have a kelly green Sox hat. WITH A SHAMROCK ON THE BRIM. Oh, yeah, I said it. So, c'mon, green hat haters... bring on the hate!

I think the problem is that "pink hat" for many people has come to be a shorthand reference to bandwagon fans - and not just bandwagon fans, but bandwagon fans of the female variety. However, when I refer to pink hats, I mean very literally people who wear pink hats. I don't like them, I think they're fug. I also think Alyssa Milano's baseball clothes are fug, as are Shonda Schilling's blinged out tshirts. They all belong together in the fug family. So while know-nothing fans annoy me (I get annoyed easily), that's separate for me from pink hats. The two categories can overlap, but they are not synonymous.

I get stereotyped every damn day. I'm a blonde- I must be stupid! I'm from the South - I must be racist! I was in a sorority - I must be a snob! I'm a Sox fan - I must be an idiot! I'm a girl - I must know nothing about baseball! I'm a Texas grad - I must be the smartest person in the universe! It's a heavy burden.

"The Fug family" that made me laugh TG. I actually have more issues with Alyssa Milano's clothing line and Shonda Schilling's shirts that she makes than "pink hats"

Maybe some people just happen to like pink and are huge fans? I love pink myself but I just don't like it on baseball hats. Personally I like the green hats.

I never said I condoned booing. I said it may have been a catalyst. I have been in crowds where vicious booing has erupted and I find it uncomfortable and downright scary. I recall the Papi interview where he said he hoped Red Sox Nation would not boo Johnny Damon the first time he went to bat as a Yankee at Fenway. He was so sincere and sweet and when he said...it made me think he heard his own booing and felt the pain.
Now, how about those BROWN hats??

No brown, definitely! I'll take the pink or green over brown any day! Now that I think about it, maybe my dislike of green is left over by the scarring caused by my hockey team using the truly fug combo of red and green for their colors back in the 80's...

Really, as TG said, it's the fans who know nothing that irk me. I really could care less what a fan wears, as long as they're a smart fan (or trying to learn to be one)...

By the way TG, I'm apparently an idiot snob who knows nothing about baseball too! Oh, and according to some in Boston I'm not a real Sox fan (or worse, a Yankees fan), just because I grew up in pinstripe territory...

(or trying to learn to be one)...

I think that's the key. New fans who are learning about the game, the team and it's players are awesome. I've grown up on (SF Giants) baseball, but am still learning about this awesome game.

I have no patience for the bandwagon fans--leave in the 7th, complain about winning (time for the season to be over--yes there was an article like that on boston.com), or booing our players (especially Papi!).

Who the fuck complains about WINNING? To put it kindly, that person can go and fuck off.

Also: nothing's cuter than a newbie trying to learn about baseball. Whether that person is 4 or 84.

I guess the only thing that bothers me about using "the pink hats" as a go to term for bandwagon fans is that it implies a girl. so what if i am a girl? i know more about baseball than some of my guy friends. so i just stick to using bandwagon and fair-weather fans when complaining about those people. if you are not going to pay attention or get involved in the game then DON"T GO give the ticket to someone who really wants to be there and support the team.

and thank goodness i wasn't watching the game (i could only follow it on gameday) because if i had heard them BOO PAPI! i probably would have broken my tv by throwing something at it

I will admit I gave up. I'm not going to pretend that I believed all along. I always had the hope though. It was a gut check that I got a D+ on....I'll take the D+ and improve on it. I had the TV taken over by my mom to watch the news so I figured "okay fine" and then moved into my room to follow online via this bloggage's game thread....after that I was afraid to turn the TV back on when they were rallying. So forgive me for not watching please...it was for the good of the team that I silently followed online.

Texy, this is the article I was referring to:

And fans are matter-of-factly facing the prospect that the Sox might be eliminated. No talk of curses or the cruel order of the universe. The mood is now nonchalant. Even tired of winning.

"I think a lot of the angst disappeared when they won it" in 2004, said Tim Little, a 48-year-old engineer from Dover, N.H., who was walking on Charles Street yesterday. "We're getting a little bit complacent, I think, between the Celtics and the Patriots and the Red Sox. Maybe we need a break at this point."

Need a break? Never.

Doesn't sound like you gave up to me, piney. Sounds like you were the reverse jinx good luck charm.

I wonder how many Tampa Bay "fans" this game killed as well....

I'll admit - I thought it was over. But I didn't stop watching because I wanted to savor every last moment of what I thought was going to be the last game till April.

In my little 15-year-old naivete over here, I absolutely refused to give up. I always do--whether we're down by 10 runs or just 1, I'm always convinced we'll come back. Is it because I started watching in 2003, so two of the five complete seasons I've followed have featured incredible postseason comebacks (hopefully soon to be three of six)? Maybe. But I'm a stubborn optimist by nature, too.

But you put this very well, TG. I know so many people (mostly peers of mine... that is to say, teenaged girls) who LURRRRVE Jacoby but have no idea who, say, Tim Wakefield is.

Not gonna lie, I'm one of those people who believes that their here by luck (ALDS was not a slaughterfest like predicted). But if they keep it up, I'm sure they can win it. It's really up to the hitters though.

*their

*they're.

I fail. Don't mind me.