It’s a blessing and a curse to be a fan of a team this good. They’ve raised our expectations to near-impossible heights, and now, each loss feels unbearable. Fans are greedy for more wins, and despondent when they don’t get them. I worry that even a World Series trophy won’t be enough. It’s ironic; by winning so much, the Red Sox may have put themselves in a lose-lose situation.
How quickly us Red Sox fans forget the torment of losing seasons once a good, scratch that, incredible season begins. It hasn’t all been rainbows and butterflies for the past fourteen years since we reversed the curse. But when a team starts the season 17-2 and then compiles 88 wins and under 40 losses before the end of August, the rose-colored glasses are officially superglued on. It’s hard to remember what it felt like to be used to watching them lose games. I liken it to the Halo Effect, the thing makes women forget the pain of childbirth after the fact.
I won’t get into this new losing streak we’re on. Just three games in a row feels painful. Watching the lineup go quietly inning after inning is maddening. Blowing a 3-0 lead against Corey Kluber? Not showing signs of life until the 7th inning? I don’t like to see the Red Sox lose, but I can’t feel like we were robbed of games we didn’t really fight to win in the first place.
Tomorrow is another day, and hopefully, the Red Sox will not let this get in their heads a la Sean Manaea. We have over a month of regular season baseball left. So we can be upset without panicking. We can complain without being pessimistic. And when all else fails, we can take comfort in remaining the only team with more than 80 wins. Yes, we’re still the best. Hopefully, our team remembers how to play like it soon.
Photo: Boston Globe
