I Don't Believe in Reality Anymore

They won Game 6. The Red Sox are nine innings away from going down in the books as the greatest clutch team in baseball history.

Seriously -- I'd have wagered on my becoming a captain in a Sicilian crime family before I'd ever think the above words, much less write them.

Then again -- how do you know I'm not a captain in a Sicilian crime family? The mafia doesn't exist, you know...

It got me to thinking that I can decisively say I know one person who was convinced the Sox would come back in game 5, 7-run deficit or no.

He's a Yankee fan.

Heckuva guy, that John DiStaso. He's an ace political reporter for the New Hampshire Union Leader, where I used to labor before the newspaper business started to look like Matt Cassel under a heavy pass rush. The man's entire universe changed during the Glorious Uprising of 2004. Where he once confidently watched his Bombers rule over all and waited patiently for the inevitable Red Sox collapse, he now expects the Red Sox to get the job done no matter what the circumstance. For the past four years, every time the Sox overcame a big deficit, he'd say, "I knew they were going to do that." The man was completely confident that Boston would overcome last year's 3-1 arrears to Cleveland and I'm sure he said the same thing all day Thursday about this year's 3-1 shortfall to Tampa Bay.

But while even the most optimistic citizens of the Nation thought it was over with three innings to play in Game 5, I have no doubt that: 1. Mr. DiStaso sat and waited for the comeback he was certain would come; or. 2. Mr. DiStaso went to bed fully expecting to wake up Friday morning to find the Sox had done what they did.

When even the Yankee fans have confidence in the Red Sox, why shouldn't the rest of us?

-- MJM