by Bill Simmons
First published 2005
Bill Simmons opens with decades of Red Sox heartbreak weighing on every Boston fan who dared to believe. The ESPN columnist examines each moment of the 2004 season through the eyes of a lifelong supporter who has endured the Curse of the Bambino. Simmons breaks down the team's key players and pivotal games while wrestling with his own superstitions and fears. He captures the tension between hope and inevitable disappointment that defined Red Sox fandom for 86 years. The book follows the dramatic playoff run that finally delivered a championship to Boston. Simmons reflects on how victory changed not just the franchise but the identity of an entire fan base that had built itself around beautiful failure.
Genres: sports, biography-memoir, baseball, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: overcoming-adversity, underdog
Setting: Boston
Period: 2004
353 pages · Hardcover · ESPN