The following is an apology letter to Jonathan Papelbon of the Boston Red Sox:
Dear Jonathan,
Hang in there, Pap. Don’t beat yourself up, man. You blew a save and a season with one misplaced fastball. As some of my fellow Lancers would say, “You let the whooole team DOWN.”
So while you’re probably feeling horrible right now, you shouldn’t. You see, Jonathan, you’re not the only man to blame in the Sox’s historic collapse.
Sure, there are the obvious culprits of your fellow teammates, who conspired to squander both a size-able Wild Card lead and a dream season in the final month of the season. However, I think that if we examine this collapse a little more closely, we’ll find the true culprit: me.
After all, I’m the lifelong fan who quit on you. I’m the guy who decided that his Red Sox were just too talented not to make the playoffs. I’m the diehard who took a playoff berth for granted.
I’m the fan who didn’t watch.
I watched a total of three Red Sox games all season. To put this number in perspective, in my Red Sox Nation heyday, I probably watched about 60 to 100 Sox games a year. Usually, I come flying out the gate with my Sox enthusiasm, fade out after the first few games, and then come back strong after the All Star break.
This year, my second surge never came. Neither did my first, for that matter. I was a terrible fan.
“This is when [the Red Sox] need me!”
Jimmy Fallon’s words in the iconic Red Sox movie “Fever Pitch” perfectly sum up the sense of responsibility every Red Sox fanatic feels towards the Sox. The Red Sox needed me this year, and I let you guys down.
So don’t blame yourself Pap. You’re clearly not the only culprit here.
I am.
Unfaithfully yours,
Matt Hanson
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