Baseball, Boston Style 2004

If it hadn’t really happened nobody would believe the story.
When NY headlines read:
Red Sox Beat Yankees! Pigs Fly. Hell Frozen.
They didn’t exaggerate.
100 years of baseball have past
and never before has anything like this ever happened
put together by a bunch of idiots no less.

America’s Team,
Riding in on Harley’s unshaven and smiling
coming back in the 9 th from certain elimination in the ninth on the speed of a journeyman pinch runner (Dave Roberts) and the unlikely bat of a utility infielder (Mark Bellhorn) no breath was exhaled until the bottom of 12th when a powerhouse Caribbean transplant (David Ortiz) planted a line drive in the right field bullpen and the defenders of the Alamo were revived.

The next night for the second time in 23 hours, in the bottom of the 14th,
he did it again and a tiny ripple of hope spread.
Then with Onward Christian Soldiers ringing in his soul a veteran (Curt Schilling) showed his heart, bled and delivered from the mound and from the infield another unlikely bat came to life (Orlando Cabera, Kevin Millar and Bellhorn again)
and the Alamo remembered the Maine!

America ‘s Team,
Unlikely and unkempt
Acted together, pushing it to the brink
This time a raggle taggle band against the Yankees
An unschooled Kansas boy (Johnny Damon) like Lazarus stands up and delivers setting the table for another heartland lad (Derek Lowe from Michigan)
All about redemption becomes all that its about
Now there is no curse
No brutish greedy self-serving hand setting the table

This is about redemption
This drama from our grandfathers
Bob Gibson’s inner child revels
as Pedro and Manny mingle their dreads
this is all about standing,
united,
blessing the sky,
blessing God
Playing ball
like idiots
doing what can’t be done.

Baseball, Boston Style, 2004
Relying on everyone to get the job done
Trusting difference
placing faith in that trust
It’s about cops learning to shoot at the ground
About revelers slapping high five
across racial, historically explosive divides
America ‘s Team 2004 weeps for the innocents
collateral damage come home from no war
(Victoria ”Tori” Snelgrove, an Emerson College student (21 yrs old) was shot in the eye and killed by a pepper pellet from “less than lethal” crowd control weapon fired by the Boston Police)

They sweep to the heartland united and stand
Champions
Undefeated
the pride of our land
A streak like this has never been seen
but it is what you get with America’s Team

A collection of idiots with their hearts on their sleeves
believing their brothers have what they lack
they all take the spotlight they all stand back

America ‘s Team 2004
A collection of misfits
like we were before
Believing in Freedom
and a shot of Jack (Kevin Millar described a ritual shot began during the ALCS)
respecting the man
with a myth,
standing tall
his pride in his hand (Babe Ruth)

Remember the Alamo
Remember the Maine
Remember Mi Lai
Not all wars are the same!

As long as you are living and don’t give up hope
You’ve got your chance to deliver
They’ll give you the rope.

America ‘s Team 2004
Met with skeptics
Wouldn’t believe the events from these shores
Would insist that the Yankee’s champions remain
History is History
The stories the same
But the Red Sox would say
With smiles on their face
History is History
Let’s all keep the pace!

That’s Baseball
Boston Style
2004.