Improbable, Impossible, Unreal. Boston Strong!
This will be a short post because words fail me. The Boston Red Sox are World Series champions in the most unlikely yet paradoxically predictable way. They were a team in every sense of the word and proved they were Boston Strong!
Oct 30, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter
David Ortiz(right) reacts with teammates after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in game six of the MLB baseball World Series at Fenway Park. Red Sox won 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Their offseason acquisitions set the stage. They got the manager the wanted in John Farrell and then Ben Cherington and company proceeded to round out a decimated 2012 team with key role players; Stephen Drew, Shane Victorino, Jonny Gomes, Mike Napoli, Mike Carp, Koji Uehara, Craig Breslow, Jake Peavy. The list goes on.
Solid contributions from players like Daniel Nava and Xander Bogaerts augmented team stalwarts like Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury.
Players like John Lackey and Jon Lester were reborn. Lackey especially epitomized a suddenly reinvented and reborn team that embodied the magic ingredients that make champions; grit, will, determination, dedication and self-sacrifice.
Lester completely stoned the Cards two times in the series and set the tone for the team with a take no prisoners mentality that inspired his teammates. Koji Uehara‘s contribution both during the regular season and in playoffs was that of a killer assassin. What a run! What a team!
It was a season that tested both a team and a city. The Patriots Day bombings rocked the Nation to its core. The team, the city and Boston’s fans responded in the most positive way possible. Boston’s team caught fire and ran the table wire to wire, supporting and exhorting one another to be faster, better and smarter than their opponents. And it worked.
As Boston radio sportscaster Joe Castiglione would say, “Can you believe it?” As NESN commentator and former Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley would say, “It’s a beautiful thing.”
Indeed!