I was at the exact perfect age — high school seniordom — when the Red Sox achieved that wonder of wonders and won the world series for the first time in 87 years. To understand how momentous that was for Bostonians, you really had to have been there — my headmistress declared a day off from school, there were parades and people dressed up in Red Sox outfits every day that week.

The curse was reversed! Even more than that miracle, though, was the miracle that some people who had less than zero interest in sports (like yours truly) suddenly became excited by the games.

All of us, no matter what our sports background, were on the edge of our seats as the Red Sox struggled to beat the Yankees, our mortal enemy, and then the Cardinals. Each won game was one more day we were still alive, and I still remember the excited discussions at school. People who had never held a baseball in their lives were talking strategy and statistics; Red Sox caps came out in every possible color.

It reminded me of how fun and exciting it can be to pretend to be a tomboy even for a little while, especially in the summer, and get your head and heart into a game. Sports are made not just by the playing, but by the watching. Every great athlete dreams not just of winning, but of having the crowd go wild. Read More »