This post may also appear in an upcoming issue of The Cowl, Providence College's student newspaper. Enjoy this sneak peak.
Rooting for the Red Sox during their 86-year championship draught was difficult, but good for the soul. It taught humility, perseverance and hope. Providence College President Fr. Brian Shanley, O.P., Ph.D., whose impressive moral character was formed during a lifetime of Fenway futility, often used to cite his Sox in reference to the problem of evil.
In 2004, however, the Red Sox won the World Series and everything changed. The virtuously loyal were justly rewarded, but sycophants flocked to the proverbial bandwagon. The concurrent success of the Patriots and Celtics created a perfect storm: the green-eyed monster of envy had metamorphosed into a Green Monster of jealousy, and an institutional feeling of entitlement loomed like a massive Citgo sign.
I am not denigrating this Red Sox team. I did not boo David Ortiz minutes before his miraculous home run. I was not affronted when the Red Sox lost the division, lost three games, and finally lost the ALCS, all to a manifestly better team. Job never did curse God; many Sox fans, however, have not even waited for the second cow to perish.
Let us hope this loss will restore some of the lost virtue to Red Sox fans. For an immediate boost in character, however, I suggest becoming a follower of our beloved New York Mets.
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