I’m never gonna leave you. I never gonna leave
Holdin’ on, ten years gone
Ten years gone, holdin’ on, ten years gone
— Led Zeppelin, Ten Years Gone
What a wonderful journey these last ten years have been.
On 17 March 2004, I finally stopped procrastinating, purchased the fenwayfanatics.com domain name, and debuted a new web site, which I tagged as the “home to Boston Red Sox baseball fans everywhere.” My intent was to share my interest in this team and its rich history from the perspective of an “everyday fan.”
At the time, we (and by “we,” I mean the collective we that consists of Red Sox fans near and far) were five months removed from Boston’s Game Seven defeat in the American League Championship Series to those damn Yankees, made even more heart-wrenching with the fact that we were five outs from a trip to the World Series. We were also only a month removed from watching the Yankees get the best of us yet again, trading for Alex Rodriguez after we had failed to get our trade for him approved by the player’s union due to concerns with the restructuring of his sizable contract.
Fast-forward ten years and the Red Sox have more than made up for what had been generations of frustrations for its loyal fan base: six post-season appearances, three pennants, and three (!) world championships. Even better, Boston enters this season as the defending World Series champion and, in 18 days, we’ll get yet another opportunity to watch an Opening Day at Fenway Park where the team will take a few extra moments in the pregame ceremony to recognize its players and staff and hand out some hardware in the form of championship rings.
So here we are, ten years gone. In those ten years, FenwayFanatics.com has gone from a simple static site with a small collection of pages to a WordPress-managed site with nearly 2000 pages and posts that span a wealth of information about the team and its history, which I have continued to expand. In addition, I have my Facebook page and a Twitter account where I can share my perspective and thoughts on this team and the game of baseball.
I’d like to believe, had the Red Sox not enjoyed the success of the last ten years, that I would still be here, still proudly carrying the torch for my team. My loyalty has been and always will be strong, regardless of what happens over the next ten seasons, and the seasons to follow.
If life permits, FenwayFanatics.com will still be going strong, too.