Where�s My Grace Period?
By Kevin Horn
I cheered for the Red Sox in the playoffs last year. Every self-respecting baseball fan outside of St. Louis or New York should have. They were a great story, LAST YEAR! Since that victory (and what a victory it was), The Red Sox and their fans have become almost as insufferable as Yankees fans.
Bill Simmons is a sports writer for ESPN.com’s Page 2. He is a HUGE Red Sox fan, although I have never met another kind. There don’t seem to be any wishy-washy Sox fans, it’s a love ‘em or hate ‘em scenario. Anyway, "The Sports Guy" as Simmons calls himself, advocates a 5-year grace period for any team that wins a championship. This means, no complaining about management, player transactions, or anything related to the franchise. To me, Sox fans should almost have a 15 year grace period after the cosmic forces that aligned to get them their World Series win. For multiple championships, the grace period is extended by 50% (I had a 7 and a half year grace period when the Jays went back to back.
But Red Sox fans choose to deny this grace period. They are complaining about Millar playing over Olerud, Dale Sveum on third base, the starting pitching, Keith Foulke. I could go on and on. The point is, as much as I respect all my yankeessuck peers and all my fellow Yankee haters worldwide, GIVE IT A REST! The Red Sox won, it was a great victory everyone was happy. But this team is over-exposed, big time! They’re writing books, doing tv shows, somebody has to put a stop to this.
So I am putting out a challenge to all the Red Sox fans on this website, (and I know there are many) please, respect the grace period. It’s there for your own protection, your own sanity and for not becoming the very thing we hate….a Yankee fan. You must give your team a break, surely they have earned it. Mets fans can complain, Orioles fans can complain, even us Jays fans have reason to be up in arms (although even that is questionable considering attendance the last 5 years), but Red Sox fans do not.
Well Red Sox fans, I love you. And we will always be brothers in the Rebel Alliance against the Evil Empire. And I was glad to help cheer you on to your long-awaited world championship last fall. So do me this favor, support your team, and cheer for them. But for goodness sakes, leave them ALONE!
