No, I wouldn\u2019t do that! I\u2019m going a different way with this. I hate to bring up unpleasant memories but think back, for one brutal moment, to the 2023 offseason. Or the offseason before that, or perhaps any of our collective offseasons since approximately 2018. I\u2019ll zoom in on last year, the year of Full Throttle, since that was the absolute height of hypocrisy combined with inaction. We were promised something, ahem<\/em>, and someone didn\u2019t deliver. That\u2019s coal-in-stocking nonsense right there.<\/p>\n But this year, how different does it feel? We just signed an ace<\/em>! We finally moved on from Enmanuel Valdez! I mean, bless his heart, but\u2026no<\/em>. He could not continue to be part of our regular infield, not if we take ourselves seriously.<\/p>\n There are more moves to make, more ways to improve, but we\u2019ve picked up momentum. I don\u2019t believe that signing Crochet will be our last significant move. The Sox seem to have a vision, whether that\u2019s the result of having several heralded minor leaguers ready to move up, whether John Henry came to his senses, or whatever\u2026it\u2019s happening at last. Something else is<\/em> going to happen, I can feel<\/em> it.<\/p>\n I was delirious with happiness at this time last week, due to the Crochet signing, and that\u2019s a throwback feeling. This week, that raw emotion has matured like fine wine into an underlying optimism that\u2019s stayed with me. It\u2019s been a gift that keeps giving.<\/p>\n Riding that wave and waiting for the Sox to make their next move, here\u2019s what else has been going on this week. On the last in-office day before the break, one of my coworkers edged into my cube, hiding something behind her back. We talk about baseball a fair bit because she is just about the biggest Mariners fan in the known universe. Blocking my view, she pinned the mystery item up on my wall with a flourish to reveal the most beautiful little mini-pennant that says Fenway Park!<\/p>\n And not just any pennant\u2014this isn\u2019t something that you can buy in any store! This pennant was once a promotional sample sent by a printing company. It happened to say Fenway Park, but it said some other stuff too. It\u2019s not even the Red Sox colors. But my colleague removed the non-essential text, altered and sewed it with care, and put it all back together. It now perfectly celebrates my home ballpark, and you\u2019d never know it was ever anything else.<\/p>\n How awesome is that! I didn\u2019t even know this person sewed! (Side note: maybe I can ask her to Crochet me something too?)<\/p>\n But wait! There\u2019s more.<\/p>\n She bustled away as I sat there, open-mouthed and stammering thanks and amazement. A minute later, she came back and pinned up a Massachusetts license plate too, specially endorsed for the Cape and Islands. I haven\u2019t seen one of those on a vehicle in years<\/em> (that\u2019s what I get for moving 3000 miles away).<\/p>\n And then she was gone again. She didn\u2019t want to spend a lot of time discussing it, or going over her good deeds. Quick as Jarren Duran and crafty as Rafael Devers executing a double steal that scored a run.<\/p>\n So here we are. Yes, we\u2019re still waiting for more pitching\u2014both starting and closing, please and thank you. We know our infield needs to cut down on errors, but how that will happen remains murky for now. And how will Craig Breslow solve our lack of right-handed hitting?<\/p>\n So yes, there are unknowns\u2026but we\u2019re also satisfied, not stewing or worrying as in offseasons past. (Wait, did I just stumble on an idea for next year\u2019s holiday feature?!) Not so satisfied that we can\u2019t even look at the dessert menu, but satisfied as in, this feels good right now<\/em>.<\/p>\n Yes, I have a lot of trepidation about what the new year will bring\u2026a lot of things will be changing\u2026the Grand Illusion will leave and possibly never reassemble\u2026but very little of this anxiety is focused on the Red Sox (other than my concern that Triston Casas might leave us). I\u2019m not predicting a championship; I just mean that I like the direction we\u2019re moving in at last.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a wonderful life in Red Sox Nation right now. It\u2019s not perfect, but it is<\/em> wonderful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Still basking in that Winter Meetings glow!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"It\u2019s](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/kJgMyokM8ytHa8Aq90sOtvI1qQQ=\/0x0:2500x1484\/320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:2500x1484):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/25797868\/fenway_pennant.png)
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