[direwolf74]

This win is no more of an accomplishment than the Angels' win or the Marlins' wins.

True, but the difference is the amount of emotional baggage that has been lifted for Sox fans. The Marlins' didn't exist long enough for any bad memories to build up, and do the Angels really have any fans? I mean its not like books were written about the plight of the Marlins or the Angels pre-World Series victories.

The best parallel I can draw is being a Leaf fan (which I am). A Stanley Cup win by the Leafs (insert joke here) would mean sooooooo much more to a typical Leaf fan than what this past season's Cup win meant to Lightning fans - assuming there are any.

Agreed. The history, tradition and lore surrounding the Red Sox goes much deeper than teams like the Marlins or the Angels. One of my good friends is originally from Boston and he's always telling me how much the people in that city live and die by the Sox, much more so than the Patriots or even the Bruins. Boston is and always was a baseball town. As a Calgary Flames fan I know how much it hurts to be out of the playoffs for a measly 8 years. Take that and multiply it by 12 and you'll get a good indication of the joy Bostonians must be feeling today.

And as for the comment about the fans having nothing to do with it, I totally disagree. I think the fans play a HUGE role, not only by buying the tickets and the merchandise, but most importantly by filling the stadium/arena to capacity and cheering our lungs out during each game. I was a first-hand witness to this last spring when the Flames made their amazing run. I firmly believe that Iginla and company wouldn't have gotten that far without the insanely devoted support of the fans and the city. The players do their part and we do ours. It's all part of the package.