Red Sox Nation is not happy

Yeesh, can't anybody take a joke?

I decided to have a little fun the other day as we all got ready for the big series between the Rays and Red Sox and wrote an apparent suicide note about the 10 Reasons to Hate the Red Sox. I thought it might stir a little playful banter with a few bored Red Sox fans out there. I didn't realize I was sticking my hand into a wasp's nest ...or a bear's den .. or whatever is a really, really bad thing to do.

A blogger at the Boston Globe decided to pick apart my list one by one. Jerry Remy, the legendary Red Sox announcer and the leader of Red Sox Nation, held up the page on Tuesday night's NESN broadcast of the Rays-Sox game. Word is that my name is being soiled all over New England talk radio.

And now I'm hearing the phrase "You've Got Mail'' in my sleep. The e-mails have poured in -- from New England, from Sox fans here in Tampa Bay, from California, from Texas, from pretty much everywhere. They range from long impassioned opuses of how great it is to be a Sox fan to why I'm an idiot to my favorite e-mail which was a mere one word and, unfortunately, cannot be written here.

I've written more than 200 e-mails back to folks who have written me and almost all of them, in the end, seem to get to the point of the article. And what was the point? If you stuck around until the end of the piece -- and I get the feeling that most of those people angry with me were the ones who only saw the headline and couldn't see the end because of all the steam coming out of their ears -- is that people hate the Red Sox BECAUSE THEY ARE SO GOOD. Think about it. Who hates the Royals? Or the Pirates? Or the Rays, for that matter? We save our hatred for winners: the Red Sox, the Yankees, the Cowboys, Duke basketball and, until recently, Notre Dame football.

Yet, come on, the other reasons did have some vailidity, did they? I mean, Curt Schilling does talk too much, doesn't he? The Red Sox are one of the richest teams in baseball, are they not? Manny Ramirez pushing a team employee is NOT cool, is it? Coco Crisp shouldn't charge the mound after being hit in the leg, should he? Some in Boston did run Bill Buckner out of town, didn't they? And, in the end, if one city wins a bunch of championships, all the other cities get tired of it, do they not?

But in the end, the biggest point made -- the gist of the entire article -- was this: People hate the Red sox because THEY ... ARE ... GOOD. I raved about their lineup. I called their manager the best in baseball. I praised their GM. I called their ballpark the best in sports. But that didn't stop the e-mails from pouring in inviting me to do what his physically impossible for a person to do by himself. I get the feeling that I won't get Red Sox Nation off my back for the rest of my life. Or until I write 10 Reasons to Hate the Yankees.

Until then, excuse me, I have to go make sure my car tires haven't been flattened.

Comments

[Mike]

Who care about Red Sox Nation. They are still envious of the Yanks and now the rays. The Marlins should be held in a higher regard than the sox. It did not take then 86 years to win.

Congrats to the rays.

[Ben]

Haha my bad Tom, you wrote me back, i got the point of the article, Red Sox fans are just sensitive.

[Marc]

Don't let red sux my balls nation back you into a corner. stick up for what you say. rays republic has got your back

[Beaner]

Envious of the Rays and Yankees,, what are you smoking? The Yankees are a bunch of over priced under achievers and the Rays have come in dead last nine out of ten years. You do know the Sox have won two of the last four World Series,, or do you.

[Tony]

Red Sox Nation= BANDWAGON

GO RAYS!!!!

[Tony]

Trust us Beaner we know the Sox won the World Series...the insufferable Sox fans won't let anyone friggin forget.

[Ben]

Hey tony, you call the sox bandwagon fans, where were you 1 year ago, or even 3 weeks ago, gimme a frigging break. Its natural to have more fans when your winning, if you think the sox are bandwagon fans, would they go out of their way to email the writer of a tampa bay newspaper?

[Tony]

Hey Ben....I have gone to Rays games even though I live in NC....am I a bandwagon fan?

[Ben]

Alright so maybe you arent but thousands of red sox fans travel to tampa to go to sox games and yet you still feel the need to call the team with the biggest gathering of fans, bandwagon

[Tony]

what did you guys call Yankees fans prior to 2004? I bet you called them bandwagoners.

[MJ]

NO TOM WE DON'T HATE RED SOCK NATION BECAUSE OF HOW GOOD THEY ARE. WE HATE THEM BECAUSE OF WHAT JACKA__ES THERE FANS ACT LIKE. YOUR ALSO RIGHT IN THAT MANNY HAS A LONG HISTORY OF ESPISODES OF BEING A JERK. PUSHING DOWN A SIXTY YEAR OLD SENOIR CITIZEN HIS BUTT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN JAIL IF HE HAD ANY OTHER TYPE OF JOB. THERE COACHES IN FOOTBALL CHEAT WITH VIDEO. IT MUST HAVE BEEN ONE HECK OF A PAYOFF FOR THAT VIDEO TECH TO RETIRE TO HAWAII A PLAY GOLF FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. THERE FOOTBALL PLAYERS HOLD GUNS TO THERE GIRLFRIENDS HEADS. THIS IS THE LOWEST CLASS TOWN OF ANY CITY IN AMERICA THAT HAS A PROFESSIOAL SPORTS TEAM. THATS WHY SWEEPING THEM TONIGHT AND THEN WINNING FIVE OUT OF SIX IN SEPT. TO KNOCK THEM OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS WILL BE SO SWEET. GO RAYS!!!!

[Ben]

Nah tony, we just called them A-Holes, we knew they had a large base of fans like the rays will have as the year goes on, its not certain cities, its the nature of winning, people wanna be a part of it.

[Nate Dogg]

Ben, they're actually called "Massholes"...and for a reason...

[Lisa]

THE REASON TOM GOT RIGHTFULLY BLASTED AFTER POORLY WRITING "REASONS TO HATE THE SOX" ARTICLE WAS BECAUSE HE WAS WRONG ON 1/2 THE FACTS HE STATED. DOES HE REALLY THINK THAT VARITEK WENT TO LUCCHINO AND SAID "I NEED TO WEAR A "C" ON MY JERSEY"....GIVE ME A BREAK! ANYONE WHO HAS WATCHED MORE THAN 20 SOX GAMES KNOWS WHAT A HUGE ROLE HE PLAYS ON THE TEAM AND THEY WOULD KNOW THAT THE SOX JUST DONT NAME ANYONE CAPTAIN...LIKE SAY THE YANKEES!IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS EARNED!

QUESTION FOR THE "RAYS" FANS: IF YOU EVEN WATCHED THEM LAST YEAR, WHEN THEY FINSIHED 30 GAMES BACK....DO YOU RECALL WHEN 1/2 THE TEAM WAS CRYING ABOUT THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE NO FANS? I DO.

YOU MUST FEEL REALLY HAPPY TO HAVE BEAT A DOUBLE A PITCHER MONDAY NIGHT, HAHAHA.

AS FAR AS KNOCKING US OUT IN SEPT....PLEASE. WAIT UNTIL ALL OUR PLAYERS ARE HEALTHY....BUT AT LEAST YOU WILL FINISH IN 4 THIS YEAR AND NOT 30 GAMES BACK...WHICH IS GOOD BECAUSE IT'S AN IMPROVEMENT.

[The Truth]

"All Yankee fans are jagoffs." Most Sox fans are that one word email that can't be printed... many Sox fans are now actually Rays fans. It isn't like more Rays fans decided to start going to Sox and Yanks games, just more Sox and Yankees fans are wearing blue acting like they weren't there 3 weeks ago with a different hat on.

[calmer than you are]

the biggest problem with the article was that it was really, really dumb.

and, yes, i am a rays fan.

[Brent]

Tom the article was fantastic put and in good fun... So who gives a sh!@ what they say or think Goes to show you that Typical Bandwagon Sox don't understand humor or baseball... They really are IDIOTS there.

[calmer than you are]

not to mention:

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/ml/article501792.ece

[Brent]

Oh and Lisa you are just a bitter loser right now and a typical make excuses for everything type of fan... go cry to someone who cares.

[Lisa]

Oh and Brent, I wasnt crying because I am not worried about the SOX. I was pointing out that your uninformed sports writer, was wrong on 1/2 the facts he made. Being a writer you are supposed to do research and clearly he didnt. I do agree with some of the points he made, Manny, Coco,etc. But to add another besides the "Varitek is arrogant" (which still makes me laugh) the way he accused Williams, Rice and Yaz of being grumpy and whatever other nonsense he called them...I was wondering when did Tom Jones meet these players?

Bitter? hahaha. im happy the SOx have won 2 world series in the past 4 years and also made the best sports comeback in history....If Tampa wins that's fine...my point is I dont see it happening, Brent.

[Brent]

You just don't get it Lisa. How long did you go without a World Series and how high is your payroll??? Your suppose to win so what is happening to your Sox? Go Rays!!!! Bandwagon fans suck... Typical Bitter Sox Fan, Excuses Excuses Excuses....

[Bill]

As a sox fan I actually thought it was a funny article and mostly true, but after hearing a few rays fans, wow, calm down. I know you've been waiting awhile, well a few of u have, but you haven't won anything yet. I went thru about 30 of the 86 years of misery as a sox fan, so yeah I'll let you know we are defending champs. You would to, but ya gotta win one first, being on top in july is not nearly the same as oct/nov. Hope ya stay healthy, the rays are a fun team to watch, but if you guys win it all, you'll be just as insufferable as sox fans are now. Good luck, lotta basebal to play.

[Lisa]

hahahahaha...the SOX are 2.5 out, there is no need for me to worry.

Oh and you bring up payrolls, what about the Yankees? They have a huge payroll and they are what 6.5 games out...nice try though.
It's not my fault the Rays organization doesnt spend money. But now that all the "fans" of the Rays are coming out of the woodwork...they will be making more money so that should help.
I think you are the one that is bitter, why take the time to come online and post comments on a story about the SOX? We will see you in September..I have to go the pregame is on!
PS: Calling me and other SOX fans bandwagon fans is crap and it just shows how naive you really are. It's funny to see all the "Tampa fans" at Tropicana now!

[REDSOXNATION]

you guys won't quit will you. First you think we have bandwagon fans then you don't know what your talking about. Our fans have been around since we started. Second you guys can't even sell out your stadium. We will just wait till October when Fenway is filled and Tropicana is collecting dust. Don't want to mess with another wasp's nest do you. Just leave title town alone.

[Adam]

It comes from an inferiority complex that the Sox fans have been brewing for almost 100 years. They used to be the "loveable losers" when they hadn't won a WS since 1918 and on some level, fans felt their plight. Now that they are just one of the over-funded juggernauts, everyone hates them. So, what do the fans do? They lash out with the venom, basically saying "PLEASE PLEASE LIKE US AGAIN!!" Sorry Sox Fans, you can't have it both ways. You sold your soul to the Devil and now you have to pay the piper.

[REDSOXNATION]

You ray fans can you what ever you want once you on top of the baseball world with a world title. As for the time being do everyone a favor and go back being a to the team you were at the back of the standings.

[Scoobs]

ummm, not sure what you're talking about there big guy with the Veritek being arrogant comment and Red Sox fans being bandwagon fans. If you knew all the blood sweat and tears that were shed for all the years..The same years that your stadium remained empty and only got an increase in attendance when we (or the Yankees) were in town.
But I don't take what you say, personally because you just don't know what you're talking about. How could you??

[bill]

To adam,
We sold our soul? Thats not ignorant, it's uneducated, we have a high payroll, and the sox generate alot of income, let me list a few players I watched in Portland, Maine, the aa affiliate of the sox, Paplebon, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Lester, Bucholtz, Lester, Masterson, Youkilis, Moss, and some bullpeners who have been up and down, name the last high priced free agent we "bought a championship" with? J'D. drew was a stretch but we won in aid of drafted talent. also, "pay the piper"????? we are defending champs!! I'll pay that price, and just in case you didn't realize it, we have a great look at another title. support your team, but don't knock on us with uneducated rabbit punches. the rays are a cute little story, but establish a history of sucess before you go slaying dragons.

[RSN]

No, we're not envious of any team, so get that idea out of your pea brain head (this is in response to a poster here) As a long time Sox fan I can tell you that I didn't get upset at your article. What bothered me was that it was riddled with misinformation. I've read enough anti Red Sox barf to last me a life time.

Don't get too comfortable Rays fans. It's only July, we still have lots of baseball to play. As Sox fans. we weren't looking forward to this series with the Rays, as we look at them as punks. We are however looking forward to our run with the Yankees. Now that's a rivalry!

So, you all can keep on writing that same old "Red Sox Suck & "Red Sox fans suck" Because we LOVE it!

[JOE]

Yeah Mike you moron. Sox have history and won thr first WS ever and the first at Fenway. Sure we had a drought, but it tasted so sweet when we won on 04, and oh yeah, 07! Johnny come lately teams with no history are like BANDWAGON FANS-still got a lot to prove.

[Jeff]

Has anyone mentioned the fact that the last 3 nights, which have been huge games, would have been a mess in an "open-air stadium"? There is something to be said for a dome after 3 nights of fierce storms.

[hateh8]

First off Sox fans, Tom Jones is terribly cheesy and his pieces are tabloidy. I ready his article with considerable embarassment.

I realize there are the extreme fans from both sides, but seriously 'nation', what happened to you? I always rooted for you over the evil yankees, but you have become everything you hated about them. COMPLETELY. Maybe it's all inevitable with continued success, but your obnoxiousness and lack of tact or candor is bad taste. The Rays organization and fans have no idea how to act, with nothing but a decade of utter futility - what do you expect?

But you've been around for 100 YEARS! Show some class for god's sake.

[Brad]

At least Yankee fan can take a ribbing. BloSox fan...act like you've been there. You look, sound and act like Eagles fan. Oh, and Lisa, don't drink and post.

[Lisa]

Brent: get a clue....you are on here ragging on Sox fans, "dont drink and post" at least SHOW SOME CLASS...YOU LOOK LIKE A HUGE HYPOCRITE.

A word of advice: STOP ACTING LIKE YOU HAVE WON SOMETHING....ONCE YOU HAVE THEN YOU CAN ACT LIKE THE OBNOXIOUS "FAN" THAT YOU ARE.

THERE IS STILL A LOT OF SEASON TO PLAY, GROW UP.

[Brad]

Who's acting like an obnoxious fan? I'm not the one trolling blogs TYPING IN ALL CAPS LIKE I KNOW SOMETHING NO ONE ELSE DOES!!!1one!!!

Word of advice: Bench the salt. And it's Brad not Brent. The more you know...

[hateh8]

Lisa,
You're calling someone a hypocrite and obnoxious while making multiple rambling and insulting ALL CAPS posts on a St Pete Times comments section. I'm sure you'll miss the irony of that.

[hateh8]

Brad,
Aren't these people amazing? They were cursed losers for 8 decades and a couple rings make them ABOVE EVERYONE. They're basically saying we can't have an opinion because we're the Rays and THEY'RE THE SOX! So incredibly elitist and arrogant and unworthy of respect.

This is the first time this city finally feels good and excited about it's baseball team. You would think the Sox could relate to that after so much losing, but instead they mock our successes, make excuses for everything and basically exhibit all of the worst traits of everything they hated before they won.

Hey Tampa

Woohoo in first place on the 4th of July !!! How many times did we in New England say those same things? 48,52, 75,76,77,78, someone stop me before I take up to much space here..

First place on July 4th mean’s SQUAT!

Yes we may have a “few bandwagon” fans but mostly its folks coming out of the hospital after their 19th nervous breakdown from caring so much about our beloved “old town team”. and having our hearts broken and minds twisted by the promise of “wait till next year”. And yet we fill our hallowed Fenway year after year with that promise. You on the other hand give your baseball team the kind of support (14,000 fans a game) that gets NHL teams moved. Actually Bucks, Lightning, Rays. You don’t support any team that doesn’t win do you?! Wow go Tampa! And I’m sure now that the Sox have left town the ownership there in “sports Mecca” will be laying off vendor’s ticket takers and anyone else they see, because well there’s no one coming to the ball park. Oh I’m sorry I meant the “warehouse” that your team plays in you won’t build them an actual ballpark! Your having some success and you should 10 first picks in ten straight armature drafts. The option to grab anyone off the waver wires and rule drafts before anyone else could blink. My four year old could put together a team that contends in half that time with those advantages. We spend a lot of money on our team? Yep we do.. why? Because we fill our ballpark and people all around the country demand that the sox home station NESN is on their cable systems. Try filling yours. That is when the royals are there not just Boston and n.y. And maybe you could afford to keep your players or sign anyone. But I digress

Fist place on the 4th means SQUAT

In the end this series wont mean a lot, Boston will be back playing for another ring And until your 14,000 becomes 40 million saying “wait till next year” don’t compare your heart ach to mine and don’t come knocking on my door

Murph

[hateh8]

Hey No Name,

You start with some good points. It's a very good possibility that our Rays could flame out, or make the playoffs but lose the first round from inexperience.

Then you go on a venom spilling rant to insult everything you can think of about our city and fans. Your post exemplifies with precision all the worst aspects of the "nation". "We were tortured, cursed, feel bad for us, but now that we've won and lost all traces of class, here's why you don't belong and don't deserve to have an opinion."

As far as attendence, we've only been around 10 YEARS, what do you expect? You've had over a hundred years head start, it takes time to grow a winner and fan base.

This buzz we're feeling for the first time ever, is winning some fans for us. It might be the only winning stretch we ever have, who knows? But I hope all you Sox fans feel better about yourselves for all of our failures, you seem to revel in other peoples misery. Such classy fans.

10 years.. thats close to 1000 fans a year!

[Lisa]

hateh8...If you read the previous posts I was commenting on the horrible uneducated piece Tom Jones wrote about the Red Sox. (The article had nothing to do with the Rays acutally) Damn right...when someone insults a player they obviously know nothing about,(and their facts are way off) you will hear it from Sox fans.
Even you admit Tom Jones is taploidy....what's the problem with me sticking up for the team I love? This whole commenting thing has been blown way over the top...bottom line, Tom Jones obviously doesnt know much about the Sox.

Oh BRAD (got it right this time) If you have a problem with my comment that is in all Caps...call Microsoft and tell them they still need to fix Vista!

[Winston]

For Bill at 6:03

You are not the only Sox fan with a sense of humor, I have held this joke for years, back when I was pulling for them to beat the Yankees.

BOSTON - Her baby, Christopher, then 7 months old, was asleep in his crib. Her husband, Jeff, one of the nonbelievers, had also gone to bed.
Dale Scott, it seemed, would be a witness to history all alone. And that was fine with her. It was Oct. 25, 1986, and her Red Sox were one strike away from winning their first World Series since 1918.
"I was crying with joy," Scott said.
Minutes later, it was over. Bob Stanley had thrown a wild pitch. A ball had gone between Bill Buckner's legs. The Mets scored three runs in the 10th, and the Red Sox had lost again.
She walked into the kitchen where the night's dishes had been washed and stacked. Scott was flinging pots when her husband came running.
"He kept saying it was just a game. That the baby was going to cry. I said, "You don't get it, do you?"' Scott recalled. "I said, "It's okay if the baby cries. He'll be a Red Sox fan, he might as well learn now."

I am a long-term Rays fan, by the way. Heck I have rooted for the Bucs since 1977, so 10 years before a little success is not too much.

[Winston]

Let's be glad both towns have teams capable of this type of competition. These last three games were the best baseball I have seen in a long, time.

[surfdog]

YES, DO A 10 REASONS TO HATE THE YANKEES!!!

[Paula]

Tom, the thing you need to understand about true Red Sox fans, most of whom are from Massachusetts, is that we grow up living, breathing, eating baseball. As a child growing up on Cape Cod, there was nothing bigger. Most of us have lived our lives hoping to see the Red Sox win a world series before we die. In 2004, I felt blessed because not ony had my dream come true, finally at age 41, but so had my Dads and my great Aunts' who turned 90 that year. I am sorry to say that there has developed a large generation of obnoxious Sox fans. I believe they are that way because they can't really appreciate the value of "our sox" winning. While not all, most of this group are the teens and 20-30 year olds. It's not really their fault, they have all been given too much too early in life. They don't get suffering. What I say to those fans is don't become what we have hated in the Yankee fans all these years: obnoxiousness. We are Sox fans ; we are and always should be better than that.

[mick]

jeez. i'm a sox fans. the knuckleheads responding with venom here aren't Sox fans. They're bandwagon fans. If they were Sox fans, they wouldn't have all this anger. We've got 2 championships, why would I be angry about anything?

These same bandwagoneers will be on the Rays bandwagon if they win it all. They were on the Yanks bandwagon in 96-00.. yeah, that's right. They've got a closet full of Yankee/White Sox/Marlins hats. Whoever wins, they root for them and act like total asses.

[Red Sox imagiNation]

gotta love these revisionist "Chowds" ... 5-6 years ago when the imaginNATION was in town there weren't 1/2 as many fans as you get now
typical bandwagon front-runners ... 1/2 have probably never been to Boston let alone know where it is on the map ... reminds me of "packer fan" how they came outta the woodwork down here in the Bay area when they started winning --- didn't draw 1/2 as many fans as the Bears brought here year after year but get them into the playoffs and they all had a cousin from Kenosha or an aunt in Oshkosh ... LOL
same for these clowns that down here that never had the backbone to cheer for a team that wasn't winning ... obvious self-esteem issues! ROTFLMAO

[George]

I like the "clever" nicknames the Tampa Bay Gays have for the Red Sox. They must sit around all day thinking this stuff up. Here's one for ya, Gays fans....What kind of hot dogs do they sell at your stadium in October? Hahahaha, I guess you'll never know !!!