If you've read my blog before, you've probably figured out that I'm a Red Sox fan. It already seems like a month has passed since the Sox won the World Series, but in reality, it's only been a week and a half. What can I say? I'm a baseball junkie! I missed watching them play on Thursday, the day after they won it all; I didn't sit around waiting for a few weeks to go by to start whining.
You didn't need to be a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation to enjoy the Series this year. The Cardinals and Red Sox played a terrific series, one of the best in a while. Millions of people all over the world watched the games and heard about the amazing last-to-first Sox; they learned everything there was to know about the "chemistry" that General Manager Ben Cherington had created with a terrific mix of veterans, free agents and some rookies thrown in for good measure.
Chemistry. It's a great word, isn't it? It can be used in multiple contexts, but the team chemistry of this group was what everyone was talking about; it was their insane camaraderie that kept them going from the start of the season way back in April. It was as they say in Boston "a wicked fun ride."
I remember when I got a chemistry set for Christmas. This was way back before video games and tablets dominated youthful interests; I might even remember seeing dinosaurs around that time, that's how far back I go with this story. Some of my friends got a set, too, and before long we were learning how to make gunpowder and blowing things up. No, I'm not talking buildings, trucks or cars; just some stupid little things we'd find sitting around the old trash barrel behind the house. Although I do remember blowing up a big, fat, juicy tomato one time; man, did that make a mess!
But, I digress; sorry. We were talking about the Red Sox and all that incredible chemistry, weren't we?
It's Hot Stove time now; a time when we sit back every year and see what our favorite team is going to do to make the team better than it was last year. Will they improve by signing free agents, making big trades, or maybe just handing over a critical position to an untested rookie? It's all part of the fun; it's what we baseball junkies live for all winter long until we see TV reports of pitchers and catchers in Spring Training throwing baseballs around again.
The General Managers' Annual Meetings commenced today in Orlando, Florida. It's the start of the offseason action; big things will start to happen very soon. Players will sign with new teams, trades will be discussed and maybe even completed, and we'll all begin to see what our team will look like for 2014.
A few of the same people who were saying what an incredible year they had playing in Boston just a week ago have made it clear they're looking for a big payday, and are testing the waters of free agency. They'll be gone soon, and the chemistry they shared with each of their teammates, coaches and Manager John Farrell will disappear with them. We'll have new players to cheer for and follow, but it won't be the 2013 Boston Red Sox. This was a very special group, and I am only one of thousands who will never forget this team.
Mark T. Bradbury, Author
Literary Associate of Little Pond Publishing
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