No way to put it other than this: I’ve been slacking.
Since Denton and I launched this blog in April of 2004 — back before people even really knew what the hell a blog was (and podcasts were basically science fiction) — our goal was simple: to chronicle every day as a Red Sox fan. As it turns out, we couldn’t have picked a better year to start a Red Sox blog (the full story can be found here), and before we knew it, Denton and I were showered with book deals (at least one), TV appearances (at least three), endless SWAG (a fellow blogger sent me a t-shirt) and, of course, the ladies.
It turned out that 2004 was a launch pad for what can aptly be described as a Red Sox Renaissance. Another World Series win in 2007. Another in 2013. And again in 2018. And coming damn close to going to the World Series for the second consecutive year in 2008. And we were there to document it all, powered by booze and angst and unbridled fandom. We were nerds who were suddenly drawing thousands of readers, tens of thousands of followers on social media, requests to show up at bar mitzvahs, kid’s birthday parties and at least one Mobile Prostate Exam Van.
Did the pressure get to us? Of course it did. Waking up in luxury hotel suites, the taste of lipstick and last night’s whiskey in my mouth, the relentless call of the laptop, demanding more content. Every game. Every day. Eventually, it slowed down. Maybe a post every other day. Then maybe once a homestand. The maybe… once a month? Denton eventually moved on (and is a successful novelist these days, thank you very much) but I stayed. Just me. And the puppet. Slowly feeling my will to live drain away…
For the last few seasons, Surviving Grady has lived more in the social media realm than here on this site. But now, I’m back. At least for the time being. It’s the goddam twentieth anniversary of the most incredible year of our lives as Red Sox fans, and if that doesn’t make you want to hook up a Jameson IV, get Alan Embree’s face tattooed across your back and start typing your balls off, nothing will. I’ve been a bad blogger, but I’m trying to change. So let’s see how this goes.
And to the dozen or so of you who have kept the faith, come to this site every few days to see if it’s still up and running, or sent your undergarments to the puppet, I thank you. You really are my people. As scary as that may seem.
