Sent this out to a whole list of folks today, in case I missed anyone.
Hello Friends and Family!
Many of you I haven’t talked to in a long time, so here’s a quick update on where I am and what I am doing. I’m in St. Louis working for Emerging Technologies Group, programming web sites, loving what I do every day. I’m moving on November 1st to a new place about ½ a mile from work, if you want the address reply to this email and I’ll send it to you.
Now for the reason I am writing this email!
I bring to you good news!
I must say, I NEVER thought I would get to see a Red Sox World Series Championship, much less get the chance to see it in person!!!! I’ve watched more baseball this year than I have since I was a little boy, and probably even more than back then too.
Monday night I called Auntie Carol in Lexington, Mass. and told her to a flight get to St. Louis because I was going to get us Game 4 tickets. I got tickets from a season ticket holder here in St. Louis, got Carol a flight setup for Wednesday, and then proceeded to watch game 3 on Tuesday night from the couch. Throughout the whole series Sox fans have been nervous, the nervous wait, waiting for the Red Sox to screw it up, lose, and end the historic season in a miserable way. Game 3 was no different.
Watching Game 3 all I wanted was for them to win, so that Auntie Carol and I would have a chance to see Game 4, and see the Red Sox win it all here in St. Louis. They pulled it off and the World was abuzz about the Sox, and the fact that everyone thought it was a guarantee they would win it all. Maybe I was more nervous than most because I went to six Cardinals games this year all in which they won. Including Game 1 of the NLDS and Game 6 of the NLCS, and I know what the Cardinals bats can do, they can hurt you, and they could have hurt the Red Sox.
Carol landed about 3:30pm yesterday, I picked her up at the airport and was high fived and thumbs up’d by all the Sox fans walking around the airport, a change from the harassment I’d received from Cards fans on Saturday while walking around the mall in my Damon Jersey (see my blog link below to read about that)! We drove out to the stadium and found a nice free parking space which Josh Colwell showed me back in August when we saw the Cards beat the Mets, (https://www.chrishammond.com/gallery/albums/38.aspx). We walked up to the stadium and around to gate 7, near Stan the Man. We spent the next 45 to 60 minutes taking in the atmosphere, waiting for the gates to open. I also got a cool World Series blanket for signing up for a credit card, which will promptly be destroyed and cancelled when it arrives (you’re welcome mom).
Once the gates open we headed in to watch the Cardinals finish off batting practice and see the Sox take their practice. We got close to a few of the balls hit to right field, but nothing close enough to grab a hold of. It’s interesting watching people scramble and fight for a ball. We ran into Santa Clause there, he had a gift to be handed out later (
)! After watching most of BP we decided to venture up to our seats, 3 rows from the top in section 334. Not bad seats, but I can’t say that I’ve ever really had a bad seat at Busch (stadium). Before the game I took a photo or two of Albert (
), I used to work with him at The Sporting News, he is the head photographer there, I also still occasionally play roller hockey with him.
I won’t go inning by inning, or pitch by pitch, but I will point out the photo of Johnny Damon, in his at bat that Won the World Series! (
) Johnny’s first inning, first at bat, home run won the game which ended 3-0 after nine. It was surprising the number of Red Sox fans at the game, there were probably 2-3 thousand, I think all of them stayed after the game to watch the celebrations. At the end of the game, everyone in the stadium that hadn’t left before the ninth inning was still there, and standing. Perhaps the Cardinals fans were just in shock, but I think it was respect for the Sox and what they had done, the end of a long run of not winning the series, putting to bed all the myths, bad plays, bad calls, and years of misery for Red Sox fans.
After the game Auntie Carol and I headed down towards the Sox dugout to try to get closer to the celebration (
). We were there until about 11:45 before we headed out of the stadium to walk back to the car. We were both still in shock, and I believe were still in shock this morning.
It was a glorious day for Sox fans around the world, the day many have been waiting for, and many died without ever getting to see. It was a special day, one I know I, nor Auntie Carol will ever forget, we got to see our team, the Boston Red Sox, do something they hadn’t done in 86 years. I’m glad she was able to get out here on such short notice, and ever more proud of what we got to see and be a part of. This was History, history for Boston, history for the fans, and history for Major League Baseball.
To all the Cardinal fans out there, I feel your pain, the Cards just didn’t play like they are capable, no one will probably ever know why, but perhaps, it was just a little bit of willpower overpowering the skill the Cardinals have. Willpower of a band of idiots and their fans who have for so long gone without what we received last night.
I took 540+ photos last night, you can view them all here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chammond/sets/72157594541829383/
I’ll also be going through some of the photos and posting tidbits and comments about them, those will be posted in my weblog, which can be found at https://www.chrishammond.com/
I hope everyone is doing well, and hope to hear from you guys soon!
Thank you 2004 Red Sox, World Series Champions!!!!
Chris