From: Williams, Peter T Sgt TECOM [mailto:peter.t.williams@usmc.mil]
Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 2:33 PM
To: webmaster@blohards.com
Subject: another season

This message is for Bill Simmons. I hope he receives this, I know the chances are slim but I had to write. This is in conjunction to his article he wrote after the Yankees/Red Sox series last years playoffs. Bill to be honest I actually couldn't read it until just recently, 2 minutes ago to be exact. See I'm a member of the BLOHARDS. Yes that's right I was born and raised in the belly of the beast. I come from family of Yankee worshipers so you can only imagine the hell and torment which has been my life as a Sox fan. I can't tell you on how many levels your article hit home. I was sick for days after the series and refused to watch the World Series if you can even call it a series at all. Let me rehash my night from the 8th inning on.

I'm at a local bar in New Jersey with my brother in law sporting his Don Mattingly jersey and me wearing my vintage Roger Clemens Jersey just to upset the swarm of Yankee fans around me. We had a 3 run lead but I refused to brag, nag and mock the Yankee dwellers. A lot of people asked "Why aren't you gloating? Looks like you guys finally did it." I thought to myself it's so not over yet. I had a pit in my stomach unexplainable at the time, I was thinking I should be happy smiling hell damn right drunk to be honest but I was bottling it up, holding it all in just waiting patiently wondering what will happen next. I hung on each pitch seeing the fading Martinez do what he could. Then it happened Little called time out and I thought please God if there was ever a time for him to be right and make sense to me let it be now. But as we all know he did just what he knew he would. Whether you admit it or not every Red Sox fan watching at that moment knew what Grady Little would do, sure we acted shocked yelled at the T.V. or for those of who were there at him personally hoping he could hear wanting him to hear us say "Pull him, he's done." I kid you not when he patted Pedro on the back and took that long fateful walk back to the dugout I got sick. I mean literally ran to the bathroom and threw up. How could he do this what on god's given earth was he thinking. Did Pedro want the ball? Of course he did. But manage YOUR team, OUR team. But like the loyal fan I am I sat back down and hoped for the best. Matsui doubles, then that annoying Posada who is like a gnat who won't go away singles to tie it. Then like you said, actually you couldn't have picked a better choice of words I knew. I knew the outcome before it happened, to be honest I leaned to my brother in-law and said "You're gonna win by a walk off homer." He looked at me nervously beer clenched in his fist and smiled kind of like in disbelief. He gave me the "how could you say that" look. How could I say it? I've lived it. I saw Buckner botch the ball in '86, I was at the game when it happened. I saw Bucky Fing Dents homer more times than I'd like to think about. It's how it works for us. It's like God put us here to hurt. So the 11th rolls around and here comes Boone. The unlikely hero in my mind. My only hope rested with Wakefield to who in his defense was magnificent against the Yanks. See there was still that hope that glimmer in my eye that this guy can get it done for us he can save us. Then the pitch and my dreams shattered into a million pieces. When he hit that ball I saw the ground ball Buckner missed I even had flashbacks of Dent's shot in Fenway come rushing through my mind all at once. It wasn't Wakefields fault, it probably wasn't a bad pitch it was just the way it was supposed to be. I felt weak absent minded actually. I felt like my dog had just been shot. So I got up and walked out of the bar. I got outside still sober but left my car and walked home, asking myself or maybe it was God, "Why didn't Grady Little just take him out?" It'll be a timeless question. I still ponder the question. The entire off season I spent wondering what could've been. Would I have had the chance to travel to the Mecca of BEANTOWN and see My Sox, OUR Sox, celebrate a well deserved series win? SO the new season began, Nomar out Trot out and again I pondered what next? But as usual my hopes are high; I'm as rejuvenated as a Red Sox fan can be. Opening night in Camden Yards of course I was there in the club seats sitting with a great bunch of guys. I felt at home, I was surrounded by Sox fans. We lost the game (but took the next 2 from the Birds) but we were back. I looked around smiled and said to myself, " Here we go again boys, here we go again."