(sighing reluctantly) Congrats to the Red Sox

I know I'm a couple days late on this, but I really don't wish the Red Sox congratulations. They have overcome some ridiculous deficits in the past couple years, and I was happy to see their fans stop bitching that they were cursed when they won the World Series three years ago; now, though, the fans are just bitchy because the team is good.

Regardless, the team pulled off another miracle series comeback to win the AL Pennant, and Slate weighs in on one of the key catalysts, Manny Ramirez on and off the field. If you like sports, then this is a great article. If you don’t like the Red Sox, then you won’t like it. If you don’t like sports, here’s the gist:

Basically, with the Red Sox down 3 games to 1, the Indians needed only one more win, at home, to go to the World Series. After losing game 4, Ramirez is quoted, "If we don’t win the series, it’s not the end of the world." A media frenzy ensued. Here's kind of a lengthy paragraph, but conveys the point perfectly.

"[The comment] came at the end of a lengthy chat with the media, a rare enough occurrence over the past two seasons in which Ramirez has frozen them out. Already he had said that he would trade all his records for a chance at another World Series, which is exactly the right kind of thing to say to people who judge your dedication by the kind of dumbshow you perform in front of the camera. Then, he said that, if Boston were to lose the ALCS, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Which is exactly the wrong thing to say to those same people. He stood accused, on the front pages of America's finer tabloid newspapers, and all across the sporting airwaves, in between commercials for auto glass and male-enhancement nostrums, of insufficient grit, of Non-Moxie in the third degree, of Conspiracy To Convince America's Fans To Lighten the Hell Up. Guilty on all counts.”

The point is that ESPN and many others were calling for his head because he "didn't care." Well, the Red Sox won three straight games (the last two by 9 and 10 runs, respectively), and Ramirez was a key part of that. I just don't understand why we don't respect more professional athletes that treat their job as what it is: a fucking GAME.

So, in fact, I do congratulate the Red Sox, or at least Manny Ramirez, in this context, because they seem to be having a good time.