Thanks, Dad: You know I recognize your voice, right?
As the 2005 season got underway, I started to keep things — ticket stubs, newspaper articles — and I began to jot thoughts down. I started an essay after the 2005 season that I never finished. All of those writings have never seen the light of day, but here we are, 15 years later, so maybe it’s a good time to drag them out. Some of these entries will be full-length, others shorter, like this one.
After the Opening Day victory, the Sox win Game 2 of the season in a thrilling, 9th-inning comeback. But they miss the chance to sweep Cleveland in the series finale to start the season 3-0, with the bullpen imploding in the 11th inning.
I get home from work, and there’s a message on my answering machine. “Uh, hi, Laura. This is your dad. (He always announces himself in this way. As if I don’t know.) Looks like the Sox aren’t going 162-0 after all. Alright, bye.”
***
The Sox have a pattern going: they win the next three series by winning the first two games of each, then dropping the third. Minnesota, Cleveland again, Seattle. The pitching is so good, but I am irked at their inability to get a sweep. Bad sign for the future, I think. It’s all smoke and mirrors. No killer instinct. Blah blah, other cliches.
“Uh, yeah, hi, Laura. This is your dad. You know, if the Sox win every series, then they’ll win the whole thing. OK, bye, talk to you later.”
[Note from the future: My answering machine – actual tape and all – got quite the workout in 2005.]
South Side Hit Pen 
Hi Laura, this is DuhSox. The Sox didn’t go 162-0 in 2005, but they are still undefeated in 2020. Ok, bye talk to you later.
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Hi, Laura. This is phil. I still do something similar when I call my eldest and get her voicemail. I say “Hey, it’s me…” I’m sure she rolls her eyes, but I seem to be unable to stop myself. PS – things will turn out pretty well for the 2005 season. As for 2020, the Magic Eight Ball says: “Difficult to tell. Ask again later.”
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