Where do you start with a maginificent vistory such as the one witnessed last night at Fenway? Man, this one unfurled like so many of those games last year, where an almost certain loss magically transformed into a late-inning, last-at-bat, come-back-from-an-almost-insurmountable-deficit victory. An incredible diving stab by Pokey to save a hit in the seventh inning. Mark “the Man” Bellhorn coming up big with a game-tying, two-run homer in the ninth. Tek coming off the bench and delivering a game-winning double. Manny chugging around the bases like he was chasing the ice-cream man down Tremont Street, and hitting the plate with mere seconds to spare. This was a good one, a reminder of the magic that we’d witnessed for the better part of 2003. If this is the shape of things to come, then things are good. Hell, even the presence of Dante (“out number three”) Bichette in the house couldn’t keep us down.
Adding to the sheer lunacy, my sister and cousin were the “Not Your Typical Fans” of the game, interviewed by NESN’s Dan Roache during the telecast. Noted imbibers, they seemed well-behaved during their fifteen seconds of fame. As another family member observed, it was a good thing Roache got to them early.
And what could make all of this even better? Crankees lose! Yeah, you heard right.
