I Live For This

2001 World Series- Diamondbacks 4, Y*****s 3
2002 Division Series- Angels 3, Y*****s 1
2003 World Series- Marlins 4, Y*****s 2
2004 League Championship Series- Red Sox 4, Y*****s 3
2005 Division Series- Angels 3, Y*****s 2

I sit alone on my couch, moist with sweat from a few heel-clicking laps of south Framingham's dormant neighborhoods, sipping a midnight SoCo, taking calls from ecstatic friends and watching Mike Scoscia's post-game interview. The last four hours have been marked by fist pumps, nervous pacing, Jill's requests for a more reasonable volume, and general euphoria while reliving each of the five series above in between outs.
If you've ever read this blog, you know what Game Seven of the 2001 Series meant to me, as a baseball fan, as a student, and as a young adult entering a sometimes cruel world with so many breathtaking highs. I embarrass myself each fall, appearing masochistic and full of schaddenfreude, pounding my fists over innocent singles and strikeouts and screaming at the TV even on my favorite teams' nights off. To the naked eye, it may not seem worth the pain, but at this moment, when I don't even know what color socks the Red Sox wear, when I might just float away if not for the weight of the words on the screen of my laptop, I'm most proud to be not a hater, but a supporter of the everyman.
Thank you, Angels. We win again.