So you want to be a Red Sox fan?

[Rdsxmbnt]

it just won't be the same.

Ya it'll be BETTER

[Dojji]

I have to admit, I pretty much flamed out in the mid 90's. I was around for Garciaparra's debut and then just... lost interest. Didn't really have the Internet around to keep me informed so I was left with AP news clips and the occasional radio broadcast and that really didn't do it for me. Dad's a Padres fan and a career bean counter -- far more interested in the sheer numbers and stats of things than he is in MLB baseball. Not exactly the right type to really convey the exciitement of the game.

 

Other than a handful of radio broadcasts I never really got the feeling back. I watched 2004, celebrated with everyone else, then I drifted away again. I was glad they'd done it, but if you understand, it was because I was glad for the Sox fan I USED to be. They still didn't really have my attention. I think I maybe listened to 3 games from the 2005 season. Amazingly, one of them was the debut of Jonathan Papelbon. The name stuck in my head and without knowing anything else about him and with extremely limited access to team info I still had a hunch we'd be hearing from him.

 

Really, and I think this explains some of my screwed up priorities sometimes, but it was the 2006 team that actually got me hooked back on the Sox for good. You see, I can't necessarily love a good team that I didn't watch get built. I'm just not wired that way. As we coasted slowly towards disaster that year I actually began to do things I'd never done before. I started looking up names and researching players. I started looking for venues to talk team. As the team died down the stretch I woke up one morning and realized I'd memorized the 25 man roster of a team whose roster was constantly in flux.

 

It's the oddest thing. I come in in media res in '03, '04, and '05, see teams in action that are already good, and I sort of followed for a few games and then wandered away. I followed the meltdown in '06 and couldn't get enough of that, and ever since seldom miss more than a couple games in a row. For some reason I needed the one bad year to remember why I loved the game. Ehh, humans. They're nice to have around but good luck trying to understand them.

 

I guess it's because there was no suspense before 2006. The team would win the vast majority of their games, and get into the postseason far more often than not. It was like it was scripted and that made the regular season unimportant. I could start watching in October and let the national pundits tell me what I needed to know (heh!). It took '06 to remind me that the postseason wasn't a God-given birthright: however good a roster is (and the 2006 roster on paper was pretty darn good) things can always go wrong and lots of them will. I needed to see what failure was like again to really appreciate the success, I suppose. Anyway from that point I never really looked back.

 

In 2007 for the first time in my life I listened to a game on Opening Day. Schilling versus Meche in Kansas city. if I recall it correctly. We lost. Tony Pena Jr. of all people killed us with a triple and a couple great plays in the field. I haven't missed an Opening day since -- not even when I had to wake up at 5 in the morning to catch the broadcast from Tokyo.

[James]

I became a fan in 2004,so i suppose i was a good omen.

Watched the Yankees choke that year.

Been learning the rules since then,thanks to my good friends who are mostly Sox fans.

Being from Scotland its alien to us here,but gradually since 2001 online i got into it.

I will read up on the history for sure.

[ScousePatriot]

Ya it'll be BETTER

 

The stadium and facilities will be better, but the atmosphere won't. I genuinely think with Anfield that the new stadium will destroy a little of the atmosphere.

 

Anyway, every new fan/supporter should learn the history of the team that they follow. It took me about two years to learn the history of the Patriots when I became a follower of them and I'm looking forward to the same with the Red Sox.

[Dipre]

I have to admit, I pretty much flamed out in the mid 90's. I was around for Garciaparra's debut and then just... lost interest. Didn't really have the Internet around to keep me informed so I was left with AP news clips and the occasional radio broadcast and that really didn't do it for me. Dad's a Padres fan and a career bean counter -- far more interested in the sheer numbers and stats of things than he is in MLB baseball. Not exactly the right type to really convey the exciitement of the game.

 

Other than a handful of radio broadcasts I never really got the feeling back. I watched 2004, celebrated with everyone else, then I drifted away again. I was glad they'd done it, but if you understand, it was because I was glad for the Sox fan I USED to be. They still didn't really have my attention. I think I maybe listened to 3 games from the 2005 season. Amazingly, one of them was the debut of Jonathan Papelbon. The name stuck in my head and without knowing anything else about him and with extremely limited access to team info I still had a hunch we'd be hearing from him.

 

Really, and I think this explains some of my screwed up priorities sometimes, but it was the 2006 team that actually got me hooked back on the Sox for good. You see, I can't necessarily love a good team that I didn't watch get built. I'm just not wired that way. As we coasted slowly towards disaster that year I actually began to do things I'd never done before. I started looking up names and researching players. I started looking for venues to talk team. As the team died down the stretch I woke up one morning and realized I'd memorized the 25 man roster of a team whose roster was constantly in flux.

 

It's the oddest thing. I come in in media res in '03, '04, and '05, see teams in action that are already good, and I sort of followed for a few games and then wandered away. I followed the meltdown in '06 and couldn't get enough of that, and ever since seldom miss more than a couple games in a row. For some reason I needed the one bad year to remember why I loved the game. Ehh, humans. They're nice to have around but good luck trying to understand them.

 

I guess it's because there was no suspense before 2006. The team would win the vast majority of their games, and get into the postseason far more often than not. It was like it was scripted and that made the regular season unimportant. I could start watching in October and let the national pundits tell me what I needed to know (heh!). It took '06 to remind me that the postseason wasn't a God-given birthright: however good a roster is (and the 2006 roster on paper was pretty darn good) things can always go wrong and lots of them will. I needed to see what failure was like again to really appreciate the success, I suppose. Anyway from that point I never really looked back.

 

In 2007 for the first time in my life I listened to a game on Opening Day. Schilling versus Meche in Kansas city. if I recall it correctly. We lost. Tony Pena Jr. of all people killed us with a triple and a couple great plays in the field. I haven't missed an Opening day since -- not even when I had to wake up at 5 in the morning to catch the broadcast from Tokyo.

 

Longest post in Talksox history.

 

You, sir, are a record holder.

[The_Destroyah]

The stadium and facilities will be better, but the atmosphere won't. I genuinely think with Anfield that the new stadium will destroy a little of the atmosphere.

 

Anyway, every new fan/supporter should learn the history of the team that they follow. It took me about two years to learn the history of the Patriots when I became a follower of them and I'm looking forward to the same with the Red Sox.

 

If you are wanting to get some sox history I reccomend It Was Never About The Babe by Jerry M. Gutlon, and Behind the Green Monster: Red Sox Myths, Legends, and Lore by Bill Ballou and I'm sure there are far more out there but those 2 are great reads and help those not from Boston get a little better understanding on how much the whole city is in love with the team, and why they act the way they do about things, such as the we suck syndrome that Ive witnessed from many sox fans the past 4 years since we stopped sucking lol slot of sox fans seem to always think the sky is falling.

[ScousePatriot]

If you are wanting to get some sox history I reccomend It Was Never About The Babe by Jerry M. Gutlon' date=' and Behind the Green Monster: Red Sox Myths, Legends, and Lore by Bill Ballou and I'm sure there are far more out there but those 2 are great reads and [b']help those not from Boston get a little better understanding on how much the whole city is in love with the team, and why they act the way they do[/b] about things, such as the we suck syndrome that Ive witnessed from many sox fans the past 4 years since we stopped sucking lol slot of sox fans seem to always think the sky is falling.

 

I think thats why I seem to be attracted to the Teams in Boston, we are a very passionate when it come to sports in the city I live. I'd say we are probably one of the most passionate around and from what I've seen and read I can see similarities in Boston. I remember seeing scenes of fans filling the streets after the Celtics won the NBA Championship in 2008 and it was like a mirror image of when Liverpool won the European Cup in 2005.

 

I've been trying to get hold of Faithful by Stephen King for quite some time but with no luck whatsoever. Thanks for the book advice, I'll definitely look for them.

[Cocos Disciples]

Longest post in Talksox history.

 

You, sir, are a record holder.

JHB averaged posts twice as long.

[BSN07]

JHB averaged posts twice as long.

 

I couldn't even read all of his posts. I had to skim them lol

[MANNYHOF24]

Fenway is awesome. Don't listen to these people.

 

This. The atmosphere at Fenway makes up for all of its shortcomings. I went to a game this summer at At&t park in SF, and it wasn't the same experience.

[MANNYHOF24]

I have to admit, I pretty much flamed out in the mid 90's. I was around for Garciaparra's debut and then just... lost interest. Didn't really have the Internet around to keep me informed so I was left with AP news clips and the occasional radio broadcast and that really didn't do it for me. Dad's a Padres fan and a career bean counter -- far more interested in the sheer numbers and stats of things than he is in MLB baseball. Not exactly the right type to really convey the exciitement of the game.

 

Other than a handful of radio broadcasts I never really got the feeling back. I watched 2004, celebrated with everyone else, then I drifted away again. I was glad they'd done it, but if you understand, it was because I was glad for the Sox fan I USED to be. They still didn't really have my attention. I think I maybe listened to 3 games from the 2005 season. Amazingly, one of them was the debut of Jonathan Papelbon. The name stuck in my head and without knowing anything else about him and with extremely limited access to team info I still had a hunch we'd be hearing from him.

 

Really, and I think this explains some of my screwed up priorities sometimes, but it was the 2006 team that actually got me hooked back on the Sox for good. You see, I can't necessarily love a good team that I didn't watch get built. I'm just not wired that way. As we coasted slowly towards disaster that year I actually began to do things I'd never done before. I started looking up names and researching players. I started looking for venues to talk team. As the team died down the stretch I woke up one morning and realized I'd memorized the 25 man roster of a team whose roster was constantly in flux.

 

It's the oddest thing. I come in in media res in '03, '04, and '05, see teams in action that are already good, and I sort of followed for a few games and then wandered away. I followed the meltdown in '06 and couldn't get enough of that, and ever since seldom miss more than a couple games in a row. For some reason I needed the one bad year to remember why I loved the game. Ehh, humans. They're nice to have around but good luck trying to understand them.

 

I guess it's because there was no suspense before 2006. The team would win the vast majority of their games, and get into the postseason far more often than not. It was like it was scripted and that made the regular season unimportant. I could start watching in October and let the national pundits tell me what I needed to know (heh!). It took '06 to remind me that the postseason wasn't a God-given birthright: however good a roster is (and the 2006 roster on paper was pretty darn good) things can always go wrong and lots of them will. I needed to see what failure was like again to really appreciate the success, I suppose. Anyway from that point I never really looked back.

 

In 2007 for the first time in my life I listened to a game on Opening Day. Schilling versus Meche in Kansas city. if I recall it correctly. We lost. Tony Pena Jr. of all people killed us with a triple and a couple great plays in the field. I haven't missed an Opening day since -- not even when I had to wake up at 5 in the morning to catch the broadcast from Tokyo.

 

Seriously? Red Sox watching in 2003 and 2004 was by far my favorite two season stretch of watching this team. Also, tell me exactly how the Red Sox were guaranteed to make the playoffs in those years? They scrapped to get in both seasons, we in 03 they did, and in 04 it took winning 17 out of 18 games in august to get in.

[The_Destroyah]

Arn't you like 14 years old?

 

No I believe Dojji is pretty well seasoned...one of the more aged members on this board lol.

[MANNYHOF24]

No I believe Dojji is pretty well seasoned...one of the more aged members on this board lol.

 

No, I am pretty sure he lives with his parents and is about 15 years old.

[The_Destroyah]

No' date=' I am pretty sure he lives with his parents and is about 15 years old.[/quote']

 

Im pretty sure you are being sarcastic but Dojji is an adult...and not trying to be a dick or anything but you should be careful about throwing insults around just because you dont appreciate someone elses view point, he posted how he honestly felt, no reason to insult the man.

[Dipre]

Im pretty sure you are being sarcastic but Dojji is an adult...and not trying to be a dick or anything but you should be careful about throwing insults around just because you dont appreciate someone elses view point' date=' he posted how he honestly felt, no reason to insult the man.[/b']

 

Isn't this what the new rules state?

[The_Destroyah]

Isn't this what the new rules state?

 

thats kind of why I stated it, it clutters up threads and I prefer to keep as many people from being banned (even if for only 3 days) as possible IMO the more posters the better.

[Dojji]

Seriously? Red Sox watching in 2003 and 2004 was by far my favorite two season stretch of watching this team. Also' date=' tell me exactly how the Red Sox were guaranteed to make the playoffs in those years? They scrapped to get in both seasons, we in 03 they did, and in 04 it took winning 17 out of 18 games in august to get in.[/quote']

 

I'm talking about how I saw things. Not necessarily how they really were. In my mind, I could wait for October to watch. I did watch in 2003 and still remember the sinking feeling when the Yankees tied up Game 7. And I definitely watched in 2004, they had my attention then for obvious reasons. I blinked and missed the 2005 postseason.

 

I guess it took them ACTUALLY FAILING to make the postseason in 2006, rather than nearly failing, for me to really internalize the possibility of failure. I'm pretty sure you know what I meant by that.

[schillingouttheks]

Isn't this what the new rules state?

 

Yes. It is.

 

No' date=' I am pretty sure he lives with his parents and is about 15 years old.[/quote']

 

Even if he was 15 years old, how is living with his parents at that age an insult?

 

Either way, stop insulting. EDIT: I'm actually reading it differently now. I think it was more of a legitimate question/assumption.

[MANNYHOF24]

Yes. It is.

 

 

 

Even if he was 15 years old, how is living with his parents at that age an insult?

 

Either way, stop insulting. EDIT: I'm actually reading it differently now. I think it was more of a legitimate question/assumption.

 

I realized my original post was insulting, thats why I initially changed it. Either way it was kind of douchey, my bad. I apologize.

[MANNYHOF24]

Isn't this what the new rules state?

 

You are right, my bad.