Well, the World Series is over and those bearded chowder-eaters from up north are champions for the third time in 10 seasons. And as a fan, it makes me sick.
I know, I know, as a journalist I am not supposed to show bias, favoritism, or disdain. But this is a fan website, so I’m going to let the fan in me out for a moment. Watching the Red Sox celebrate on the mound at Fenway brought about a feeling similar to the aftermath of eating week-old Thai food.
Growing up, I grew to dislike the Yankees, the Steelers, the Redskins, and the Patriots. And I still do. But I hate, I repeat, I HATE, the Boston Red Sox. David Ortiz, to me, represents everything that is wrong with the game of baseball.
He is a known cheater. He has magically gotten better as he approaches 40 (something only Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens have managed to do, if you know what I mean). He is arrogant. He thinks he is bigger than the game. He pimps home run after home run, showing up opposing pitchers, opposing teams and their fan-bases. He shows up umpires if they make a call that goes against him. He is a known enemy to dugout phones. Yet ESPN and Beantown idolize him.
And now, for those of us baseball fans outside of Boston and Bristol, we have to wipe the spit of the baseball gods from our faces as we watch David Ortiz wear sunglasses at night and hoist a World Series MVP trophy in one hand and a championship trophy in the other.
And can we please stop with this “worst-to-first” garbage? If this was a team like, say, the Cubs, it would be something to behold. But this is a team that has been in contention (above .500) in 16 of the last 18 seasons with 10 playoff appearances in that time span.
A team of crybabies that didn’t like their manager in 2012 and thus didn’t play well as a result doesn’t pass the sniff test for the label of Cinderella Story. They get a label of entitled punks who forgot that baseball is game that they get paid A LOT of money to play.
The only good thing that comes from this whole debacle that was the 2013 MLB season is that now the Orioles can get started on improving their team a day early. March 31st isn’t as far away as it may seem, and the O’s get to host the World Champs to begin the season. I, for one, can’t wait to get 2014 started on the right foot. Bring on the Sox. Bring on Ortiz, and maybe a fastball between the 3 and the 4 on his back just for good measure.
Rant over. Goodnight Birdland.
6 Responses
Paul, I am one of your hated Yankee fans but more importantly a fan of baseball. I couldn’t agree more with what you wrote…classic! I loathe the Sux as much as anyone, and Ortiz is the poster boy for flaming assholes, next to A-Rod, yes I said it.
Great stuff – beer is on me. Pitchers and catchers report soon.
I couldn’t have said it better myself… Everything you said about the fraud Ortiz and the way they played last year was 100% accurate.
I totally agree. After the first couple of games I kept telling the TV, make him move his feet. Pitch him inside but they never did.
Well said. Great summary of Evil Empire Lite.
Paul,
This is one of best articles I have seen in a while. I am a O’s season ticket holder and I thought Yankee fans were obnoxious but when Sox fans come to Camden Yard they take the cake. They are a mirror image of Ortiz. What has been nice the last 2 years the O’s fans have out numbered Boston fans and we drown them out. Again great article.
Agree with everything you write. I hate the Red Sox more than I hate the Yankees, and that includes their fans, who will be even more arrogant next year than ever before. The cure? Birds need to get better and fans need to show up shout down the Sox fans again.