I found the Red Sox hat in the middle of Edgewood Place. I started wearing it on the campaign trail. The Team evoked a response from constituents, usually positive. A wayward Yankees fan expressed respect as did I to the that ancient rival. The many miles and years from the east coast had mellowed the most ardent booster.
I sat in the bleachers for two world series games in 1967. The tickets arrived in the mail (can you imagine). We played the mighty St. Louis Cardinals with the likes of Gibson, Shannon and Flood. The game went seven games and what is called the impossible dream, one that saw the Sox recover from the doormat with the Washington Senators in 1966 to mastery of the game, ended in the great Gibson overpowering the Sox in his third start of the Series. In an era where relief pitchers are stringing together games, Gibson’s feat is historic. Maybe pitchers didn’t need Tommy John surgery at young ages back then because grade school kids weren’t over managed and in possession of an arsenal of pitches destined to inflict future premature damage. The day of the seventh day was much like the mid-October weather in Northwestern Montana in this election year. Mounted police on horseback entered the field to maintain order following the last out. No need though. There was a quiet disbelief that a team that could defeat the likes of the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox in the old 10 team American League (no divisions) just had to be entitled to a Series victory. So, it was a quiet, somber post game. Fans did’nt exit Fenway swiftly.
No long ago from that Series date, Updike penned the famous article in the New Yorker about Ted Williams last at bat, a home run at 42 years of age (take that Tom Brady), and as characteristic to the iconoclastic Williams, and refused to recognize the standing ovation from the 8,000 or so fans in attendance.
The Red Sox were real losers back then. They were slow to integrate and had the reputation as an organization of a pampered, soft clubhouse.
The Red Sox cap was a constant companion. It was at times an ice breaker. Politics can be crappy. I’ve tried to make it right with a dose of sportsmanship and levity. We win by being sincere and loyal to set of values that elevate the conversion around government and policy.
The impossible dream happened in 1967. May we be inspired to carry ourselves like mature adults and act on behalf of our constituents