Game 4

I never would have imagined I'd be actively rooting for the Red Sox to not win the World Series, but tonight, I have to confess, I kind of am.

No, living in New York (and with a Yankee fan) has not dulled my enthusiasm for the Sox. (Well, OK, perhaps I feel a little less fervent about them than I did on '04, but it's not because all the Yankees have gotten to me. It's because the Red Sox have managed to become a seriously annoying team. I mean, not only can you pay for citizenship in "Red Sox Nation" but they now have a president. Also, there's that unspeakably bad Jimmy Fallon movie.)

Tonight, I have a much more selfish reason for hoping they'll let this one go: money.

Last week, when Jesse decided to go to Colorado to see Game 3, visit some friends and his aunt and uncle, I decided against joining him, since my wallet couldn't really justify the trip and I had some other obligations (work event, birthday party) I couldn't really back out of. But I did agree to help him get tickets when the Rockies put them on their website.

Like eight million other would-be buyers, I failed on Monday, but managed to sneak through on Tuesday afternoon. Except, not for Saturday night's game, as planned, but for Monday night's possible Game 5. As I entered my credit card info, I hesitated briefly, but figured even if Jesse could not use the tickets, we could sell them for some profit. And that turned out to be exactly what happened: Jesse's travel plans were not flexible, but the tickets went for more than twice what I paid when we posted them on StubHub.

I started to get excited thinking about what I'd do with the $700ish in profit I'd be getting -- it would more than cover the Spice Girls tickets I was a bit too eager to buy (um, anyone interested in going to the Feb. 10th show in Newark?) and there'd be some extra for an ipod to replace the one that was so cruelly stolen (along with my wallet) last month.

But all that is for naught if there is no Game 5, which is looking less and less likely as the innings progress.

So, I know this is really selfish, but I don't care. New England fan arrogance has gotten to me and I am more than confident the Sox will win the World Series. (Also, the Pats will be undefeated until next pre-season, and Jonathan Papelbon and Tom Brady can Riverdance together on Comm Ave. Whatever.) So I'm not rooting for them to lose it all. Just one game.

(And, yes, I know by posting this, I am totally tempting fate. But if this entry goes on to spur another amazingly heartbreaking 86-year losing streak, well, it's kind of awesome that I'd have that sort of power, don't you think?)