For The First Time In 86 Years: "Can You Believe It?"

I was born into the fandom of Boston sports. I have never lived in Boston, or New England for that matter, but I was raised by two Massachusetts natives (praise the Lord for that). I grew up knowing that all things Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins were worthy of cheering, yelling, and celebrating. I knew that the Yankees were to be hated and that their fans weren't to be tolerated at any cost.

my dad and I rocking the Brady and Bruschi jerseys back in the day

The first truly BIG sports moment that I have memory of is the 2004 World Series, when the infamous curse was broken and the Red Sox won the championship title for the first time in 86 years. I had only just turned 9 years old at the time but was already mesmerized by Boston sports and the magic that came from being a fan. I loved watching, as I still do, Big Papi's perfect swing translating swiftly into clutch home runs, the long mane of my favorite player of the time, Johnny Damon, and the goofy handshakes exchanged between Orlando Cabrera and Kevin Millar in the dugout. That 2004 team was one of the greatest teams of all time and winning that 2004 World Series was a magic that only Red Sox fans can understand.

I was really young and I don't remember every game that season but I do remember the unexplainable magic that came from it---from watching a team that was supposedly "cursed" from ever winning again finally claim the title, from watching other Boston fans that had eagerly awaited this moment in the stands of Fenway Park holding signs that spelled out the simple phrase, "Believe," from watching Curt Schilling pitch through the pain that left his sock bloody, and from watching the celebrations of my favorite baseball players as they wrote history that season. At 9 years old I was experiencing the magic of the game like I never had before and I loved it.

The summer after their World Series win, my family and I traveled to Cooperstown, New York to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. The town was decked out for the most recent champions, my Boston Red Sox. I remember picking out some new memorabilia including a new t-shirt and a baseball shaped pillow with the Red Sox logo printed across the front. At the Hall of Fame I wore my favorite pink World Series champs tee and matching pink Sox hat where I saw the famous bloody sock of Curt Schilling on display. It was an especially great time to be a Sox fan.

my brother and I in front of the 2004 World Series display at the Hall of Fame (bloody sock on the left)

Over the years, my love for Boston sports has only grown. I'm a typical cocky Boston fan and I like it that way. From the Sox to the Pats to the Celtics and the Bruins, I'll always love the magic that comes from being a fan, just as I did at 9 years old when the curse was reversed and the Red Sox were crowned World Series champs in 2004 for the first time in 86 years. "Can you believe it?"-Joe Castiglione

my brother and I the following season in Atlanta for a game at Turner Field