Day 214: Thank You, Red Sox... World Series Champions!!

Dear Red Sox,

I'm not sure if you got a chance to read my letter to you back on July 16th... if not, here it is. Surprisingly and gleefully, not much has changed since that day. My feelings for this team never changed. And your drive to succeed never changed. You all went about the season like it was your passion, and not your job.

Now, to reward your fans with not just a worst to first turnaround, but a worst to World Series Champion turnaround, is something that, as a fan, I will never forget. There was a will, there was a desire and there was a camaraderie that fueled this team to overcome adversity and deficits that many Red Sox teams from years past would never have been able to accomplish.

For a team that rarely had problems producing hits and runs over the regular season to still triumph when many of the bats went quiet, was a feat beyond explanation. When bats were silenced, the pitching lifted the team. When pitching floundered, batters who may have been slumping, made timely hits.

And let's not forget about the MVP of the World Series... David Ortiz. The one bat in the lineup that never quieted. The one bat that instilled fear into each pitcher who dared to take the mound against him. In the end, Big Papi batted .688 in the Series and at one point, reached base in nine consecutive at bats. But it was not only his bat that had such a huge impact, but his enthusiasm and leadership. When Ortiz pulled the troops together for a game four pep talk, the Series took a turn in the Sox favor—a pivotal moment for sure.

Jon Lester deserves major kudos as well. The game one and game five starter was masterful in both World Series outings, and if Ortiz hadn't been so locked in, he may have collected that MVP award. Lester has had his problems over the past couple of seasons, but he dug down deep and pulled off one of his greatest accomplishments. He won both starts, allowing just one run, striking out 15 in 15.1 innings, finishing with an ERA of 1.73.

I wish I had the words to thank ever single amazing guy on this team who not only played such a huge role in this World Series run, but also succeeded in reigniting my faith in the team I've loved my whole life. You know who you are... and so does every member of Red Sox Nation. We'll never forget...

For the third time in 10 years, I sat in front of my television, celebrating a World Series Championship and crying tears of joy. So thank you, Red Sox, for making this season one full of fantastic fun and foolish facial hair.

Congratulations!
~Stacy