Why Being a Red Sox Fan Sucks These Days

by Pawtucket Pat on Oct 4, 2007 10:08 AM EDT Comment 41 comments

The headline for the Boston Globe's sports section today:

"Almost Perfect
The Red Sox took the first step toward fulfilling expectations as Josh Beckett fired a four-hit shutout in a statement-making,
4-0 victory in Game 1 of their division series."

Really? We can't just enjoy the fact that not only are we AL East Division Champions for the first time since 1995, not only are we enjoying a home baseball playoff game, but we are leading a series against a phenomenal baseball club? It's just part of 'fulfilling expectations'? Way to suck all the fun out of being a fan of a contending team.

It's basically come to a head for me these last few days. It's at a point where I'm almost ashamed to be a Red Sox fan. There are so many ignorant bandwagon "fans" out there claiming to be "diehards" and parts of "Red Sox Nation" and all that junk. It just makes the rest of us who really are true fans look bad. I remember when getting to the playoffs was the victory in itself! How many Pittsburgh or Kansas City or even Milwaukee fans would kill right now to be in our shoes? And we can't just enjoy it for what it is? It's just part of fulfilling expectations? These so-called fans these days literally EXPECT to win a World Series now, and anything less is a huge disappointment.

People here in Boston wonder why the rest of the country now hates us, and the answer is it's things like this. I think I myself hate most Red Sox fans these days. So few people around here are remotely knowledgeable about the game or even the team itself, yet they run around bragging and boasting and dismissing other ballclubs and just generally making Red Sox fans the world over look bad. We really are the new Yankees.

I guess I don't have a point. I'm just frustrated and disappointed in my team, and wanted to apologize to the rest of baseball fans out there on behalf of the true Red Sox diehards who have been there since the beginning. Sorry.

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ahem

If this is your way of telling Yankee Nation that you get it now, amen.

by whichthat on Oct 4, 2007 10:02 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

President Remy

is to blame.

by Curtis Pride on Oct 4, 2007 10:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Don't get me started

on Remy he drives me nuts with his dye job and annoying commercials. And that awful "Sox Appeal" show is terrible. It has nothing to do with Baseball and is a reason I watch the game with mute on sometimes..........Damn it!

by Rajah358 on Oct 4, 2007 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sad but true

I was a lot more of a diehard fan when we were the underdogs until we won it in 2004, ever since I feel like it's just not as much fun anymore. Same goes for my brother who was even more diehard then me. That's why I follow my fantasy team more these days. I always knew winning the world series would be a blessing and a curse.

Hey fish, leave those kids alone!

by The Congo Hammer on Oct 4, 2007 10:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

OK.

I was willing to go along with the first guy, but I read something in your post that I'd always feared about Sox fans. I'd always feared that a lot of Sox fans were more interested in being beautiful losers than in winning, and that winning wouldn't be the thrill of a lifetime but the end of their reason for being. Talk about taking the fun out of it! When I was just learning about baseball and just old enough to appreciate our rivalry, I respected the dignity of the average Sox fan, coming back year after year for more of the same, always keeping the flame burning. There's no dignity at all in being -- not happy, but maybe satisfied -- to lose.

I'm truly sorry if I've misread you, but I thought this long before 2004 and I've seen more than a few signs of it throughout the fan base.

And mind you, I'm a guy whose favorite time of the baseball calendar is those days before spring training when everything is ahead of you and anything can still happen.

I still respect the hardcore Sox fan who the hardcore Yankee fan was battling it out with back when neither of us could expect much except a handful of awesome games against each other. Here's hoping we both suck for a few years to find out who's still left.

by whichthat on Oct 4, 2007 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sort of

I can't speak for Congo Hammer, but I do feel the same way as him. However, it's not so much because we finally won--it's more because once we did finally win, all of a sudden all kinds of "fans" came out of the woodwork claiming to be diehards who had stuck it out all along. It's one thing to suffer along with the team and then finally get the reward for all the suffering--it's another when you suffered in a small group, and then suddenly everyone you know also claimed to be suffering now that the suffering ended.

I'd compare it to liking a local band that all your friends thought was lame, then seeing them strike it big and having all of your friends claim that they were always big fans and knew of the band way back when. It just cheapens your loyalty by association.

It's not that it's not fun to cheer on the Red Sox anymore...it's just no longer a secret society. It is literally a Red Sox Nation.

by Pawtucket Pat on Oct 4, 2007 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

I care way more about my keeper team than any pro team.

While I agree with the regretfulness of the "Boston Yankees" franchise recently (Manny, Renteria, Beckett, Dice-K, Schilling, Drew, Renteria, Lugo, etc, etc, etc), and the fact that the franchise went 10 years between producing two star players - Nomar and Papelbon (though they do deserve credit for "developing" Papi, Lowe, and Varitek), there is some hope.

Pedroia and Ellsbury look to be at least above average players, and Buccholz could be a star.

They have also drafted exceptionally well in recent years, and even with the graduation of some real good prospects, they probably still have a top 15 minor league system.

by Curtis Pride on Oct 4, 2007 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hanley Ramirez

has turned out well. You can think of yourself as having developed Josh Beckett because without Hanley, you certainly wouldn't have gotten Beckett.

by FanBall on Oct 4, 2007 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oops, forgot about him

Yeah, Hanley definitely.

by Curtis Pride on Oct 4, 2007 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Underdogs?

When were the Red Sox last truly "underdogs"? They've been a strong team for about a decade. Rather than underdogs, they've been underachievers, who tantalize everyone and then succumb to crushing disappointment.

by FlipYrWhig on Oct 4, 2007 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe when...

they were down 0-3 to the Yanks a few years ago?

You realize that prospect lists have a time horizon of like 5-10 years, not 5-10 days, right?

by slurve on Oct 4, 2007 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

There's an easy solution

Root for another team.

I have some sympathy for you real Red Sox fans, although it's tough to have too much sympathy for fans of a team that is so successful.

This whole Red Sox Nation nonsense is only going to get worse until the Red Sox go through a multiple season stretch where they are not competitive.

Unfortunately, the Sox have strong management and enormous financial advantages they can put to work towards free agents, scouting, drafting, and development. A losing stretch seems out of the question in the near future.

So, root for another team.

by dkdc on Oct 4, 2007 11:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Easier said than done

It's hard to just root for a new team when you're Boston born, bred, and raised. It's all I've known for my whole life. Just wouldn't seem right to jump on the D-Rays bandwagon now.

by Pawtucket Pat on Oct 4, 2007 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Charlie Brown

As a fan of neither the Yankees or the Red Sox, it was always more fun watching them (Bucky and Boone and everything in between) when the Sox were just barely losing, or losing in agonizing fashion.

It was always fun, no matter how many times you saw it, to see Lucy pull the ball away from Charlie just as he was ready to kick it. Had she left the ball down and Charlie kicked it, even once, then the magic would be lost forever between those two.

Charlie would be walking around with an "I'm Lucy's Daddy" t-shirt, telling everyone how great he is now that he kicked the ball ONE FRIGGIN TIME!!!!! And Lucy would be making all kinds of excuses about why she couldn't pull the ball away that one time, and how she still pulled it away 26 other times successfully, and that's what really matters. Just no fun for anyone any more.

That's what Yankees-Sox has become; it's just not nearly as interesting or entertaining to watch either team individually or against each other.

by spidurfan on Oct 4, 2007 11:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

eh

Shouldn't a team that has been very competitive over the last few years with the second highest payroll in the league and the best record in baseball be expected to win? I'm sorry that you have to deal with the ridiculous "fans" that come with a big market team and success (that wasn't sarcasm they really do bother me). And I know what you mean about people jumping on the bandwagon. I live in Buffalo and grew up as a hockey fan first and other sports second. The Sabres had ONE good playoff run and every game was sold out the next year. I was able to aquire (by paying out my ass) two tickets to a random weeknight game against a poor opponent. A family of four sat in front of me and drove me crazy all game. There was a 15 year old girl who spent the whole game on her cell phone. A wife that asked her husband to explain every rule and a 10 year old son who complained about a headache all game until they left before the third period started (the game was tied 2 - 2 at that point). I later found out that they had season tickets and some of the fans around us were as bothered as I was.

Sorry for rambling. I guess my point is: It sucks, but its the price for living near and following a big market team and/or successful team. Would you honestly rather live in a small market that had no successful teams?

by kaisertown on Oct 4, 2007 11:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nanotechnology...

...would be required to create a violin tiny enough to adequately register my pity for your situation.

by FlipYrWhig on Oct 4, 2007 12:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

+1

Amen.

by ajohnst1 on Oct 4, 2007 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was just

going to just string a bunch of bad words together but you said it much better.

1941 .406

by FrozenTed9 on Oct 4, 2007 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

BTW

Not a redsox fan a Ted Williams fan.

1941 .406

by FrozenTed9 on Oct 4, 2007 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Boo freaking hoo

by Lt Melmo on Oct 4, 2007 12:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Disagree

I disagree. Yes, the Sox were expected to win the WS coming into the playoffs.... but that's because they had the best looking team on paper to start the season and finished with the best record in baseball.
Most of the Sox fans I know don't expect to win the World Series, they just don't expect to lose it anymore as they have in the past.
Sox fans don't expect to win,
if you want to know why other fans hate Sox fans, it's because the media overplays every Red Sox story, especially the Red Sox/Yankees stories. There's more to baseball than what happens in NY/New England.
That's not the fault of Sox fans though (nor even Yankees fans). If you want to fault someone, fault ESPN or FSN for being so singleminded and having such terrible commentators that can't see anything beyond their own noses.

God rested one day out of 7, Felix rests 4 out of 5.

by CrimsonLiederhosen on Oct 4, 2007 12:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

My Red Sox hatred

My hatred of the Red Sox can be easily described with 4 words.

Pink Red Sox Hats.

There's nothing worse than seeing some stupid girl/woman walking around with a fresh out of the box pink Red Sox hat when she could name MAYBE one person on the team

by tmsnow on Oct 4, 2007 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice

Yeah, those look retarded, but no more retarded than the pink or even camouflage hats you see coming out of other stadiums. I've seen it in Coors field, in NY and I've seen it at Reds games and I'm sure whatever team you support sells ink hats too for the simple reason that women are more likely to buy and wear pink hats.

God rested one day out of 7, Felix rests 4 out of 5.

by CrimsonLiederhosen on Oct 4, 2007 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pink Hats

They also support breast cancer research, no?

by FlipYrWhig on Oct 4, 2007 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pink BATS

The pink BATS support breast cancer research, the Susan G. Komen foundation.

by tmsnow on Oct 4, 2007 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

hats

I think they are only to support breast implant research. So I've heard ;)

by pedrophile on Oct 4, 2007 10:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

As written by a friend

Bury Me Not In A Pink Hat

"...and the only things I've found better than listening to Vin Scully are listening to Keith Jackson and uncut cocaine." (bleedjaxblue)

by drjayphd on Oct 4, 2007 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yankee Fan Here

People do not understand what it is like to cheer for a "winning team". Yes, I know that the Yankees pay $200 million for their team. No, I didn't make that decision. I'm relatively young, but my first Yankee experiences were 1984-1995, and we certainly won a lot during that time, but never the big one. I've been certainly blessed since then, but it is a different feeling when you are just hoping your team does not lose versus having them win. When the Yankees win, my phone is silent (I don't call to gloat or brag like some idiots). When they lose, I call friends who have cheered for the victorious team and then await a barrage of random phone calls from people who want to give me crap because the team I like is out of the playoffs. Why? I understand I'm a Yankee fan, but my actions speak to the fact that it does not imply that I'm a jerk. It is fun to cheer against the Evil Empire (or Evil Empires now as the Red Sox Nation grows nearly as fast as their payroll). I do not envy the true Red Sox fans as they face a long road ahead because of pink Red Sox hats and Jimmy Fallon movies, and the fun of the game may never be the same for them as they worry more about their team losing than hoping for their team to win.

by coochorama on Oct 4, 2007 1:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Same

I don't wear any of my Red Sox stuff anymore because I look like a bandwagoner like the rest of them. Even as recently as 2002 anytime I saw someone wearing the B on the hat, I'd have a 5 minute conversation with another real fan. Now? They don't know anything beyond "Big Papi rulz!"

I still rock the Mo Vaughn jersey I have, but that's it.

Imagine Pacman Jones "Making it Rain" with $81,000 worth of coins. -JFP

by Wonderlic on Oct 4, 2007 4:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I can understand

Though I still wear my Sox hat to games (even though I'm in Cali now). I figure it's safe, because one look at the filth-ball that is my hat and you know I've been wearing it since the early 90's...

"People think it must be fun to be a super genious, but they don't know how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world." - Calvin

by RVachon on Oct 5, 2007 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

pirates fan here

"How many Pittsburgh or Kansas City or even Milwaukee fans would kill right now to be in our shoes?"

I'd kill numerous poser red sox fans for 1 playoff series.

But take KC out of that equation, they won 100+ games as little as 5 years ago and went to the playoffs, they can kiss my black and gold ass going on 15 years of losing. Not 1 season above .500 ball has been played here since Barry Bonds left. So yeah, if you want to give up being a winning Red Sox fan, there's plenty of room on the losing Pirates wagon.

"wanted to apologize to the rest of baseball fans out there on behalf of the true Red Sox diehards who have been there since the beginning. Sorry."

apology accepted. But i still hate your team as much as the yankees because i feel it represents everything that is wrong with baseball.

take care,

Chuck

Go Pirates!!!

by cool hand Charlie on Oct 4, 2007 5:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

ah yes

I remember that alternative universe too where the royals won 100 games. Seems like it was just a simple bit of quantum theory away.

by wildthang on Oct 4, 2007 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

KC?

they won 100+ games as little as 5 years ago and went to the playoffs

Are you thinking of the Seattle Mariners?

by FlipYrWhig on Oct 5, 2007 12:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

KC

won 83 games in 2003. They did not make they playoffs. Not sure if they were thinking of that season or a different team.

by kaisertown on Oct 5, 2007 4:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hilarious!

This thread is hilarious. A bunch of poor Sox fans commisserating about how bad they have it. Oh my! What to do? We have a bunch of Nation imposters running around.

I feel bad for you poor, poor Sox fans.

I mean look on the bright side. You've won at least 1 championship in the last 75 years. You've also won the division for the first time in over a decade. Cheer up!

Also, are the fans already that complacent?

I heard Tim Lincecum will win 1 Cy Young & 11 Tim Lincecums. Question is, how many Cole Hamels will he win?

by the pinstripes on Oct 4, 2007 6:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Pawtucket Pat

I went through the same thing when the White Sox won the World Series (I'm a Cubs fan). Every jammoke that got cut from Little League started wearing White Sox gear and professing how they are the end-all when it comes to baseball knowledge. To some of my White Sox friends, they said the same things you are saying that it takes away from all their joy as lifers when the new-age bandwagoner joins in.

It is a product of winning. You are going through it with the Patriots too right now as they have been on a great roll. And now with Moss working his magic, I bet you hear the "fan" start popping off about "the great 9 route" that Moss ran last week. And that guy couldn't even tell you about the difference between the I formation and Split Back formation.

They remind me of Puddy (sp?) from Seinfeld lore.

by So Cal Bob on Oct 4, 2007 6:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Pats Wagon

Fortunately (or unfortunately) the Pats bandwagon bucked a lot of riders after Spygate or whatever you want to call it (after most flighty flocked to Saint Manning when Adam Vinatieri finally delivered him what he couldn't get himself). There are far fewer fakers and a higher percentage of old Patsies fans in "Patriot Nation" (for lack of a better phrase) than there were a year or even a month ago. Good riddance.

To those fans who have been supporting godawful teams like the Pirates and Brewers, you have my sympathies, honestly. And I hope you win a title soon. But don't give me or other Sox fans grief just because your team is small market and your ownership is small minded.

God rested one day out of 7, Felix rests 4 out of 5.

by CrimsonLiederhosen on Oct 4, 2007 7:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If...

Red Sox fans are so expectant after winning a championship after 86 years of dread, imagine what the Cubs fans will begin expecting. Oy!

by T for Jose Tabatha on Oct 4, 2007 7:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Winning.

Can't live with it, can't live without it. It's really a lose-lose situation.

by mroak89 on Oct 4, 2007 9:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Too Funny

I think it's great being a Red Sox fan. Especially when you expect to win daily and play annually in October. What's wrong with that?

by HumboltThunderbolt on Oct 4, 2007 10:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

My Take

I've lived in Boston for almost four years and generally speaking can't stand the Boston sports fan. I'm not a Red Sox fan, but generally pull for them. I got to 15 or so games a year at Fenway and probably watch more games than the "average" Red Sox fan. The general attitude around town about both the Red Sox and Patriots is completely obnoxious. Both teams are GREAT. There is no way around it. The fans, in general, are not. They are pompous and present themselves in such an obnoxious fashion that it's almost unbearable.

Now, I understand completely, yhat just about anyone who reads this is on this site for a reason; you are a baseball fan in general. We are the exception, not the rule. Every team does have obnoxious fans. But when it comes to Boston fans, Red Sox Nation, Patriot Nation there isn't a much less enjoyable bunch of fans to be around. At bare minimum, they are incredibly passionate and very knowledgable about their own team.

I really can't capture it all in a post on minorleagueball, you just have to experience it for yourself if you're not here. It drives me crazy (and probably more than it should)

by benzalman on Oct 5, 2007 11:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs