Congratulations, Red Sox!

Was that a wicked unbelievable postseason or what?

I thought it was a miracle when the Red Sox returned after the 19-8 pounding by the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS to come within three outs of an inglorious end to their season, yet somehow win a twelve-inning, five-hour marathon game. And it took real guts to come back and prevail in an even longer fourteen-inning showdown the next day.

But who could have imagined that when they got up off the mat after that massacre, that they would also have the moxie to take all four straight against their Yankee nemesis, winning the final two battles in Yankee Stadium? That feat alone guaranteed them a place in Red Sox legend and baseball record books, but no one could have anticipated that they would also go on to sweep the Cardinals in four games, becoming the only major league team ever to win eight consecutive games in the postseason. Fan-tastic!

I was heartbroken in 1967 when my heroes lost game seven to the Cardinals. I was stunned in 1975 when after that amazing game six ending with the memorable Carlton Fisk home run, they again lost game seven. I watched in shocked disbelief with my future wife in 1986 when they booted the Series. But I was thrilled nearly twenty years later to watch the 2004 World Series with her children and to hoot and holler like fools when the Red Sox took the Series in four straight.

Kevin commented during the Division Series that he wanted the Twins to defeat the Yankees so the Red Sox wouldn't have to face them again. Pretty intuitive for a seven-year-old. But I wanted the Red Sox/Yankees matchup just as I wanted a Red Sox/Cardinals rematch. If 2004 was to become the year they finally went the distance, I wanted no doubts from anyone that they had beaten the two best teams in baseball to do it.

And to my extreme delight, they did.

Congratulations Red Sox players and fans everywhere!