We are all Boston fans today...

Quote of the Day:

"During hard times like this the stronger stay together and our nation is best at it."

-- David Ortiz

2nd Quote of the Day:

"I can't wait to put my jersey on today...I get to play for the strongest city out there."

-- Will Middlebrooks


By now, I'm sure you all have heard about the horrific tragedy at yesterday's Boston Marathon.  Unspeakable horrors spoiled an what-up-to-that-moment was a terrific Patroit Day, featuring a walk-off Red Sox win and the world's most famous race. 

I won't elaborate or go into detail about everything.  You all probably know most about what happened already (or at least as much as I do) and there is still much to be discovered as more information is revealed. 

But yesterday will forever change how my perception will be of the words "marathon" or even "Boston" for the rest of my life. 

April 15, 2013.  Boston Marathon. F****** terrible stuff.  
I was about 14 when 9/11 went happened and my instant reaction as much as a teenage boy could process was, "We live in a terrible place."  I had similar thoughts yesterday and myself and a nation watched the carnage on CNN. 

But I was wrong then and I was wrong today. I don't know what's going to be discovered about what kinds of evil was behind all of this mayhem. Whether it was only one human cretin or an entire fringe group of broken souls.  That will be discovered soon enough. 

But here's what I do know. Whether it's a single person or a hundred people there were many more heroes made yesterday than faceless villains that started this mayhem . 

Like the heroic firemen and police of NYC during the World Trade Center attacks, the Boston Police, Fire Department, EMT and countless other anonymous heroes rose to horrific occasion that they neither expected nor wanted.

Going back and looking at videos on the news and there are police, security and other people running towards the choas to help out, rather than away in fear.  The throngs of Red Sox fans streaking out of Fenway and to the finish and seeing the gallery of spectators, family and friends enjoying what should have been a beautiful New England day remind us that this is an amazing country and even larger one and we're lucky to live in it.

Yet the carnage that followed also was a stark reminder that are grim costs incurred for the privilege of living in America. One of them is that every so often, a guy's circuits get fried in the head and we wind up with an Aurora, a Newtown, or a Boston.
 
But the majority of us stands against that darkness and like medicine attacking a sickness, with our courage,  we eventually weaken and eventually wash away the evil.  .
 

Some of my most comforting memories after 9/11 was the sight of baseball players taking the field again.  Sammy Sosa running out to right field waving an American flag.  Derek Jeter, Mike Piazza and other New York figures standing next to first responders.  President Bush throwing a perfect strike opening pitch at a World Series hosted by the same city just mere weeks after so much tragedy. 

Boston will stand.  The Red Sox will play.  And while it would be trivial and perhaps even insincere to suggest that baseball (or sports for that matter) will heal all the hurt, pain and anger that will follow in the coming weeks and months, the point is that we will continue to live.  Baseball and sports will continue to be played.  And all the confusion that these nemeses tried to inflict on one of our countries great cities will fade with each passing day of summer and with every pitch at Fenway.  We will continue to live and Boston will continue to be a great sports town. 

So don't be afraid to cheer for the Bo Sox this week.  They deserve our support, especially when times like this remind us that while sports are just sports, they are also part of our nation's fabric and no one can take that away, though they may try.  We are all Boston fans today.  And when you next witness unspeakable violence or fear just remember that Boston will continue to live, baseball will continue to be played and good will always outnumber evil.