While we watch the 2011 Red Sox have the worst September in living history, it's worth a moment to pause and reflect on the team that was the 1978.  I'll let wikipedia summarize what happened:

In 1978, the Red Sox and the Yankees were involved in a tight pennant race. The Yankees were 14 1⁄2 games behind the Red Sox in July, and on September 10, after completing a 4-game sweep of the Red Sox (known as "The Boston Massacre"), the Yankees tied for the divisional lead.

 

But that wasn't the end of the story.  More after the jump.

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Back when I was in Europe from 2005-2007, I used to follow Red Sox games a lot on this blog.  It was always a fun place to come - knowledgable people, camaraderie, people who liked each other and liked the Red Sox.

This blog has not been the same place this season.  I don't get to watch a lot of games since I live in the DC area, but I do like to watch them when they play the Orioles or play on national TV. 

I just have to wonder: why the negativity?  Do people feel smarter if they predict bad things will happen, and then they do happen?

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It's called "The Lost Son of Havana" and it covers the career of Luis Tiant, the most beloved Red Sox pitcher of the 1970s.  For Sox fans of my age (born in the late 60s), this documentary is particularly meaningful.  A good litmus test for bandwagoners is to ask them what they think of El Tiante. 

For younger Sox fans, what can I say?  Tiant almost won the 1975 World Series all by himself. 

I watched this film tonight.  I believe ESPN will give us several rebroadcasts in the coming months.  Find a time when it's on again and watch it.

So, after the Sox take 2 of 3 in Yankee stadium, you would think that this would be cause for celebration, right?  Not if you're Dan Shaughnessy, a.k.a. CHB (thank you, Carl Everett).  The guy who feeds vampirically off negative emotion is at it again.

One loss takes away "all the good feeling" from two wins.  Is that how life is for you, Dan?  .667 winning percentage not good enough?  Winning a series on the road is not good enough?  Being 6 games ahead of the Yankees with a month to play is not good enough?  2.5 games ahead of the Twins for the Wild Card isn't good enough?

I swear this guy is a vampire.  He never actually writes anything demonstrating interest or knowledge of any sport.  All he does is feed on negative emotion, that is, when he isn't jumping on the latest trash-the-local-star bandwagon. 

I was a kid in the Boston area in the 70s.  I remember when the Globe had a stable of the best sportswriters in the nation.  What's happened?  Why is Shaughnessy even delivering mail at the Globe?

Clap-clap clap-clap-clap.

Do we need to get a petition together?  

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This stuff is really getting tiresome.

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I never understood the argument for Justin Morneau.  I really think he was the weakest of the top ten or so candidates, and that includes two of his teammates: Joe Mauer and Johan Santana.  Santana would have been my pick, while Ortiz, Hafner, Thomas, Dye, and even Jeter would have been better candidates.  I would have even put Pudge and ARod ahead of Morneau.  (OK, not ARod.)

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I guess there's no doubt about the MVP then, is there?

Jeter is not the best hitter in the AL.  This award is silly.  

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Some things to keep in mind:

- Before Manny Ramirez came to the Red Sox, we had essentially no power hitting at all.  All we had was Nomar, who isn't really a classic power hitter.  And that's how it had been since Mo Vaughn left.

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Seriously.

When a troll shows up and spends his time bad-mouthing the Red Sox or gloating about the Yankees' recent good fortunes, the best thing to do is simply ignore him.  Trolls get emotional satisfaction from pissing people off and are not interested in intelligent or reasonable conversations.  They love any kind of attention and will continue to post ever more inflammatory comments simply to get people riled up.