Boston Red Sox and the Meaning of Life

Book excerpt: “If we could have scored one more run than the White Sox in each game, I think we would have won the series”---so opined Boston manager Terry Francona. Sharp observations such as this have brightened the Red Sox Nation through the years. “All literary men are Red Sox fans,” said John Cheever. And while the Red Sox made it to the top of the baseball world in 2004 after a long and tortured history, presidential hopeful John Kerry remarked, “If anything prepares you to be president, it’s being a Red Sox fan”---even though he ultimately failed to reach his goal. The franchise that has gone from dynasty to dud and back to dynasty has inspired its share of comments from pundits and wisecrackers, legends and toffs. And the Sox have had their own world-class quipsters and philosophers, from Cy Young, Bill Lee, and Ted Williams to Jimmy Piersall and Manny Ramirez. Collected here are the best-known, wittiest, pithiest, and most entertaining writings, quotes, and quips relating to the Red Sox, accompanied by a rich collection of historic and modern photographs.