Why I'm a Red Sox fan

B"H

I have been following the Red Sox since I was very young. I became interested in baseball when I was 6 or 7, back when very few girls (or women) were sports fans. In the days of local baseball only on TV, how did a young fan get to know about teams out of her market?

Can you love four teams at once?

I first started following baseball when I was very young. In the days of local baseball only on TV, how does a young fan get to know about teams out of her market?

Enter Topps Baseball cards. My brother and I loved collecting baseball cards. We got started with some old cards (from before we were following baseball) and this whetted our appetite to see more cards. After all, thanks to Topps (and that ubiquitous flat pink bubble gum) we could get to know players and their stats.

My brother and I were also math "geeks" (as much as you can be a math geek in 1st and 2nd grade!) so the statistics on the back fascinated us (mind you, I still am obsessed with statistics).

Growing up when we did, being a Mets fan was natural. But, though my brother also liked the Yankees, I hated the Yankees. I'm not quite sure why, but I always felt that being a Mets fan meant I couldn't like the Yankees. So who should I follow in the American League?

Well, being the red blooded American girl that I was in my early years, I chose the teams I liked based on the cutest players. And, at the time, the cutest players (besides the Mets) were on the Los Angeles Angels and the Boston Red Sox. So those were the teams I followed.

Strangely enough, I also started following the Patriots and the Celtics (I still follow the Celtics even though I'm not as into basketball as I was in college, but I digress....)

My favorite player on the Red Sox back them (Oy, I'm dating myself!) was Tony Conigliaro. I had a major league (no pun intended!) crush on Tony C. And then it happened.....

Tony C. was hit with a baseball (after some jerk set off a firecracker). He was taken out of the game and was out for a while. He tried to come back several times, once even trying to pitch, but he was never the "whiz kid", the promising young player, he had been before the accident.

I was working as a programmer when I heard he had passed away. I cut the obituary from the newspaper and hung it (with magnets) on my credenza. Tony C. was gone. And so, that day, was a bit of my youth.

I still root for the Red Sox. But I'll always remember Tony C.

Show your preference by buying Red Sox merchandise from Amazon!

In addition to our Cafe Press and Zazzle sites (see modules above), we also have a store on "Printfection" which includes cutting boards (good wedding or housewarming gifts), mugs and cups, tees, etc.

This canvas bad is only one of several Baseball Season themed items at our store:

Compugraphd Printfection site

(Click on the picture to go directly to this product's page)

I just discovered Printpop -- check out my entire portfolio or click on the graphic to see just this product (called "Baseball Season"). Check back periodically as new designs are uploaded.