Win it for...
By Karlsie
Most of us know that the folks over at Sons of Sam Horn are fanatics. But then, so are we - so we all speak the same language when it comes to the Red Sox and baseball. When I saw the cover of "Win it for…" my first reaction was, "Not another Red Sox book. This team is becoming more overexposed than Johnny Damon's pecs."
But the picture on the back cover intrigued me. It was a photo of grave stone with a Sox shirt draped over it and a sign reading, "They finally did it Irene." So I figured I'd give it a skim to see what it was all about.
I was shocked by the intensely personal stories that members of SOSH shared about who introduced them to the Sox, their love/hate relationship with the team and baseball and why this victory would be so important if they actually did managed to defeat the Cards. I couldn't put the book down and, more than a few times, I found myself sniffling and reaching for a tissue. There are those that will say it is sappy or maudlin - but I found it a compelling description of what makes us who we are as we define ourselves as Sox fans.
The best way I could honor would be to put into print the feelings (slightly modified to fit the "win it for" format) I had last fall in my journal the night of game 4 against New York:
Win it for all of us, past, present and future, who understand that being a Sox fan is the very definition of the phrase "leap of faith." Every spring we start anew, hoping that this year is our year. We believe that somehow we will be able transcend the demons and ghosts that have kept us at arm's length for years (including letting us get as close as one pitch away). We are the ones that read things like Giamatti's "Green Fields of the Mind" as a bedtime story to our children when they are little and cheer them on in little league as they grow.
Even though we know they will break our hearts, we still stand behind the New York bride trying to catch the bouquet with the faith that eventually we will be the bride and not the bridesmaid.
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I suppose that's why I was asked to introduce the author and the book when he shows up at the Borders in Chestnut Hill for a booksigning Saturday, 5/14, at 4pm. I'll be there (and wearing my spiffy reverse the curse shirt). If you can't, pick up a copy of the book any way. If for no other reason than a chunk of the profits go to Curt's pitch to strike out ALS and Dana Farber. Who knows, maybe you'll see yourself in those pages. I know I certainly did.
