What happened when the seventh game of the American League Champonship between my team (The Boston Red Sox)and the NY Yankees occurs on October 20, 2004

It was another year of anticpation rooting for my team, The Red Sox. But, this year would be different for me. I have been following the team since the 1970's. For those who don't know, the Red Sox hadn't WON a World Series Championship since 1918. It's not like they hadn't tried. I got my first taste of dissappointment in 1975 when they lost to "the Big Red Machine" known as the Cinncinati Reds.
I would suffer through more indignities from the Yankees in 1978, watching Bucky Dent of all people with one swing of a bat dash our hopes of a post-season. And then as I sat in my favorite college pub in 1986 up in the north eastern part of Massachusetts, I would watch in horror as a dribbler down the first base line goes through our fisrt baseman's legs (none other than, Bill Buckner) against another New York team, The Mets. By 2003, I thought I'd seen it all until the Yankees third baseman Aaron Boone came up in the bottom of the 11th and hit a homer off what was (until then) a brilliantly pitched game by our Pitcher, Tim Wakefield.

So, now that you know what I have endured, you can understand how it was not just historically special what the Red Sox did in the 2004 American League Championship Series (ALCS)against the 26 Time World Champion Yankees. You will know how it was a personal "victory" for ME.

The series could have ended terribly with the Yankees winning it in four STRAIT. But, I knew the Red Sox wouldn't let them celebrate in Fenway Park (in Boston, Home of The Red Sox). It was an amazing thing to witness for long time fans like myself to see the time fight so hard to win. The series had heroes from Curt Shilling and his ninth hour surgery on his ankle to David Ortiz multiple game winning hits and when it went to Game Seven, I knew this was the year. Game Seven in 2004 would fall on October 20th. It was gratifying to see that THIS game would not be the nailbiting, come-from-behind, extra-inning, thank god for Big Papi (David Ortiz) kind of win. Sure Game Seven was a blow-out but, they came back from three games down to do it...

Because it happened on October 20th, and that made it "The Best Birthday Ever"!