Epstein, Red Sox Squander Goodwill
October 2, 2005
BOSTON (Reuters) -- As the Boston Red Sox wrap up a disastrous 2005 season and begin to prepare for the playoffs, many are wondering how such a beloved team has fallen so far, so fast, in the eyes of American sports fans.
Margaret Reed, of the public relations firm Windsock Inc, has followed the rise and fall of the Sox. "When the Yankees beat the Red Sox in Game 7 of the ALCS in 2003, you really did have the world united with Boston. Everyone was a Red Sox fan. Everyone felt their pain. And this feeling of goodwill continued right through Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS." The Yankees had a 3-0 lead in that series, and it looked like Boston would lose again.
It didn't happen. Reed continues, "They came back and just humiliated the Yankees, winning four straight. It had never been done before. And then they went on to sweep the Cardinals. Eight straight postseason wins. This is not the kind of thing you do if you want to galvanize the entire country behind you."
The results have been clear this season. Fewer Red Sox caps are worn in other ballparks. And in Yankee Stadium, where the Sox once had many fans, it's become downright ugly. "The Yankees always beat the Sox. Now, they beat us, and it's like, they used to be a nuisance, but now we really hate 'em," says Brooklyn native Phil Fleming. More evidence of a growing divide that had started as early as the winter of 2003-2004, when Red Sox management first called the Yankee organization "The Evil Empire."
"Yeah, the 'Evil Empire' comment was what started most of us thinking about it, and then the way they treated the Yankees in the ALCS really cemented it," says Connecticut resident Alison Greider. "This state has always been divided between Sox fans and Yankee fans, but it was always pretty friendly. Now the Red Sox have really turned the world against them with their arrogance."
Larry Sullivan of Worcester has been a Sox fan for all forty-four years of his life. "I had a Red Sox pacifier as a baby," says Sullivan, known as "Sully" to his friends. But Sullivan will not be rooting for his team this year. "It's like, we've got our ring. Why not let one of the less fortunate teams have a chance? I was visiting my mom in Florida and we went to a Devil Rays game. I was like, is this the farm team? Who are these guys? And I think that until people have traveled and seen how bad some cities have it in terms of baseball clubs, there will always be this kind of inequality. I just can't root for the Sox in good conscience anymore, knowing what I know now."
Sullivan has been called a "Sox Hater" by some in his neighborhood, but he denies it, and says those hurling the accusations are ignorant. "I don't hate the Red Sox. I'm just not rooting for them to win."
Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein refused to comment for this article, but through a spokesman did deny that the 2005 season has been a quagmire, despite the fact that the Sox have lost nearly half as many games as they've won. The spokesman pointed out that the Red Sox made the playoffs this year, and won their division. However, he would not rule out that the Sox could indeed lose not only the World Series, but the ALCS, or even the ALDS, where the Sox haven't lost since 1998.
Should Boston fall short, many believe it will be a wake-up call for Sox ownership. "They still have a chance to make things right," says Reed. "The Red Sox have gone from being America's Team, a loveable underdog, to being reviled even among their own fans. We can only hope someone does something about it."
BOSTON (Reuters) -- As the Boston Red Sox wrap up a disastrous 2005 season and begin to prepare for the playoffs, many are wondering how such a beloved team has fallen so far, so fast, in the eyes of American sports fans.
Margaret Reed, of the public relations firm Windsock Inc, has followed the rise and fall of the Sox. "When the Yankees beat the Red Sox in Game 7 of the ALCS in 2003, you really did have the world united with Boston. Everyone was a Red Sox fan. Everyone felt their pain. And this feeling of goodwill continued right through Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS." The Yankees had a 3-0 lead in that series, and it looked like Boston would lose again.
It didn't happen. Reed continues, "They came back and just humiliated the Yankees, winning four straight. It had never been done before. And then they went on to sweep the Cardinals. Eight straight postseason wins. This is not the kind of thing you do if you want to galvanize the entire country behind you."
The results have been clear this season. Fewer Red Sox caps are worn in other ballparks. And in Yankee Stadium, where the Sox once had many fans, it's become downright ugly. "The Yankees always beat the Sox. Now, they beat us, and it's like, they used to be a nuisance, but now we really hate 'em," says Brooklyn native Phil Fleming. More evidence of a growing divide that had started as early as the winter of 2003-2004, when Red Sox management first called the Yankee organization "The Evil Empire."
"Yeah, the 'Evil Empire' comment was what started most of us thinking about it, and then the way they treated the Yankees in the ALCS really cemented it," says Connecticut resident Alison Greider. "This state has always been divided between Sox fans and Yankee fans, but it was always pretty friendly. Now the Red Sox have really turned the world against them with their arrogance."
Larry Sullivan of Worcester has been a Sox fan for all forty-four years of his life. "I had a Red Sox pacifier as a baby," says Sullivan, known as "Sully" to his friends. But Sullivan will not be rooting for his team this year. "It's like, we've got our ring. Why not let one of the less fortunate teams have a chance? I was visiting my mom in Florida and we went to a Devil Rays game. I was like, is this the farm team? Who are these guys? And I think that until people have traveled and seen how bad some cities have it in terms of baseball clubs, there will always be this kind of inequality. I just can't root for the Sox in good conscience anymore, knowing what I know now."
Sullivan has been called a "Sox Hater" by some in his neighborhood, but he denies it, and says those hurling the accusations are ignorant. "I don't hate the Red Sox. I'm just not rooting for them to win."
Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein refused to comment for this article, but through a spokesman did deny that the 2005 season has been a quagmire, despite the fact that the Sox have lost nearly half as many games as they've won. The spokesman pointed out that the Red Sox made the playoffs this year, and won their division. However, he would not rule out that the Sox could indeed lose not only the World Series, but the ALCS, or even the ALDS, where the Sox haven't lost since 1998.
Should Boston fall short, many believe it will be a wake-up call for Sox ownership. "They still have a chance to make things right," says Reed. "The Red Sox have gone from being America's Team, a loveable underdog, to being reviled even among their own fans. We can only hope someone does something about it."
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