Notes from a Fan of the Boston Red Sox

Maybe sometimes it's
just the terms we use.

A "nation," say, rather
than a "country."

I know, "cult"
versus "religion."

A matter of perspective.

A nation seems a little
more fluid than a country,
a little less official.

A little more inclusive.

Red Sox Nation.

Loosely translated,
baseball fans who've
gravitated toward
a particular team,
with a certain sense
of themselves.

Used to be, obsessives
looking for that elusive
World Series win.

Well, now we've got
two modern victories,
two titles.

Champions and Nation.

I don't think it really
changes what the fans are
so much as how they
define themselves.

The team is still the same
and so are the fans.

Change happens.

The Red Sox Nation
is defined as much by
its love for Boston
as its antipathy
toward the...Yankees.

Yin and yang.

We consider ourselves
the opposite of New York.

I imagine other
baseball fans don't
see as much a difference,
but that's not really the point.

It's a classic rivalry.

Plenty of players have
put in time on both teams.

Johnny Damon, anyone?

Anyway, the Nation
is a way of life,
made up for a whole season,
but not the only way
these people are defined.

They're guided by good fun
and sportsmanship (by whatever
stripe it turns), a shared
devotion and passion,
but they come and they go
separately, united and alone
at the same time.

Bad things happen,
but there are always
good things to keep hold of,
and there is always,

always

hope.

Any good nation
would be as lucky
to live like that.