Wes Mantooth

I don't know how easy it is to measure importance, for me, most of the time sports are something to do to pass the time. When I get home at night I love just vegging out for a bit and letting my mind relax, sports are perfect for that. No reruns, condescending scripts, bad acting or lame plots just a fresh new game to watch. Honestly in my opinion its better then most stuff you'll find on tv.

When I was a kid my Dad pushed me into sports a bit, I played baseball, hockey and I even boxed for awhile (never fought and stopped training when I begin to take up music) and I think that may have played a role in being a fan today, sports are just something I've always been into I guess...however sometimes they do transcend the boundaries of just simple entertainment....

Take the Boston Red Sox for example, I've been a fan since...well as long as I can remember. My Dad is a fan...so is my Mom..so are my uncles and aunts...so were both of my Grandparents and all of my Great Grandparents. The Red Sox and baseball were around me all the time and so much of my childhood, in fact family history is attached to that team and sport. My grandfather used to tell stories of sitting in the stands with his Dad at freshly opened Fenway park (opened in 1912) during rare business trips into Boston. His wife, my Grandmother was a lifelong fan as well, only she was 2 years old when they won the world series in 1918...she died in 1996 having never seen them win a world championship and yet she sat in front of the tv or radio for probably every game for pretty much most of her life hoping she might see it happen again.

When my Grandfather died she moved into our house, I was maybe 4 or 5 and I remember sitting at the foot of her chair, baseball cards spread out at my feet, ball cap on backwards and just loving being around my Grandma. Baseball didn't matter, I loved the attention and I watched every game I could with her just like that until I began growing up. As a busy teenager it became harder and harder to spend that time together but I always tried, opening day was a big event for us and I always made sure we got to watch together no matter what was going on in my teenage life. When she suffered a stroke it was 2 weeks before opening day, I remember sitting in my bedroom watching the game with a knot in my stomach because Grandma was stuck in the hospital and couldn't watch...it sounds silly now but it...it was just very sad. Two years later she died, 2 weeks after opening day in April of 96, I didn't watch baseball again for a number of years (I'm honestly getting teary eyed writing this guys).

I eventually got back into it and watched a lot with my Dad, its something that brought us together after a pretty...lets say tense relationship as a teenager. We still didn't always see eye to eye but when a Red Sox game was on we almost became buddies, I still try to call him during games to this day so we can watch a little together over the phone. Anyway in 2004 the Red Sox broke the 86 year curse and actually won a World Series...wow. I made a point of going to my parents house to watch it when my Dad and I realized they might actually do it. There I sat in my parents living room, the same place I sat as a kid, watching the Red Sox win a World Series on my parents ancient 1980's console tv. When the last out happened I sat there with tears rolling down my cheeks, not for some dumb sports team but because of how much it meant to so many people I loved who never got to see it (3 of my Grandparents and a cousin died in 95-96), I know it probably sounds ridiculous, I don't know, I can't explain it if you don't get it. In my Grandmothers final years watching the Red Sox was pretty much all she had, crippled by arthritis and diabetes, most of her family long since gone she spent most of her time in a chair in front of the tv she just couldn't do anything, it gave her hope and joy, something to look forward to and it was always there, more importantly it gave us an excuse to spend time together.

The day after they won it I took my old Red Sox cap my parents still had in the closet, scribbled World Series Champs 04 in a felt marker and left it on her grave. The odd thing was is as I was doing this I looked around and noticed dozens upon dozens of Red Sox hats, jackets, t-shirts and baseball cards littering grave sites all up and down the cemetery...apparently I wasn't the only one.

Wow sorry guys for the length guys, I got writing and it just sort of flowed out of me...thanks for reading if you did.

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