MARITZA MESTRE
Gargoyle staff reporter
Posted Monday, Nov. 5, 2007

ON OCT. 28, 2004, a teacher at my elementary school ran from classroom to classroom parading around a framed article featuring the Boston Red Sox . The previous day the team had won the World Series for the first time since 1918. The “Curse of the Bambino” had been broken.

This was huge. My hometown, Amherst, Mass., is part of the loyal fan base the Boston Red Sox have had for ages. Year after year fans watched and waited for the Red Sox to once again claim a World Series title.

At home and away games Red Sox fans overwhelm the stands. While some teams have loyal fans, I don’t think any team can claim their fans are quite like those of the Boston Red Sox.

To get tickets to Fenway Park, the Red Sox’s home ballpark, fans had better order a year in advance. I lived in Amherst for 12 years, and only once was I able to see the Red Sox play in person.

As soon as I got within 10 blocks of the stadium I saw signs and fans decked out in red and blue, the team’s colors. Eight blocks later I heard music pounding from within the stadium.

Inside there were fans beyond fans shouting and cheering on their favorite players. Signs shook back and forth, the wave went around the stadium seven times, and in the middle of the eighth inning everyone joined in singing "Sweet Caroline."

It was the true Red Sox experience. I’d seen countless games on television, I’d heard of the crowd atmosphere, but never could I have imagined the level of energy and support from the crowd. It was as if my sitting there and cheering could help them win.

Even when my friends and I watched the game at home, we made signs to support the players. My friend’s homepage on her computer is the fan site of the Boston Red Sox. Practically everyone in Amherst owns some merchandise featuring the team. In Amherst there is no other acknowledged team besides the Red Sox.

All through elementary school my classes would start many days out talking about the previous night’s baseball game. Teachers would jokingly make students take off opposing team’s baseball hats. The closer to victory the team got, the higher the level of excitement throughout the school grew. Suffice to say Oct. 28, 2004, was a proud day for a large nation of fans.

This year’s World Series title once again went to the Red Sox. The victory proves to me that the team’s winning streak is here to stay. With a fan base like no other and a recent boost in spirit and number of wins, I can’t wait to see where the team will go next.

[Note: An earlier version of this column appeared as an entry in the Gargoyle staff blog.]