In Absentia

To be honest, I have not been writing much lately because I have not had too wide a reading circle. My sole focus (or very near) has been the Boston and NY sports pages and the television stations, watching my near and dear Red Sox press on toward salvation.

I nearly went bald and died of heart failure watching the remarkable Red Sox-A's series last week. Last night, I smiled and took diabolical joy in watching Tim Wakefield baffle the Yanks with his wonderfully unhittable knuckler. I even (dare I say this, and admit that I am thinking too far ahead?) began thinking in bed last night, how do the Sox and Cubs match up? Cubs have better starters, Sox have better bullpen and much better offense, push on defense.

Like Stephen King predicted, something apocalytic must happen if a Sox-Cubs series came off. A giant astroid destroying the earth, the Resurrection, something other-worldy must happen to interrupt a Fenway-Wrigley spectacle.

Must pace myself, don't get too excited too early, play game to game. Still, this is the best Red Sox team I have ever seen since I began following them religiously as a teenager in 1983, even better than the 1986 World Series team that imploded against the Mets and robbed me of my baseball innocence, like a cap-wearing Adam thrown out of Eden Park. In fact, the team they most resemble is the 2001 New England Patriots, defying predictions, winning in crazy ways, playing solid to the last moment, never losing focus or getting caught up in the coverage and hype.

And we all know what happend to the Pats.

Breathe, deep breathing now, long way away yet, just relax...