Baseball fans, stand behind your team

True fans never quit. They never give up. They never stop believing.

Some of the truest fans… True fans never quit. They never give up. They never stop believing.

Some of the truest fans to have ever graced the world of sports are those of the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

Down three games to none, Boston was looking at the possibility of a sweep. All odds were against them. Even with wins in games four, five and six, Boston would be going against every trend in baseball history. Never before, in 100 postseasons, had a team come back from a 3-0 deficit to force a seventh game, let alone win it. Not ever.

As the rest of the world sat back and waited to see whom the Yankees would face in the World Series, Red Sox fans continued painting signs that asked “What curse?” They never stopped believing.

Yankee fans never gave an inch. They, too, never gave up. With their team down 8-1 in the seventh inning of the deciding game of the series, these fans didn’t lose hope. As Pedro Martinez entered the game, mocking chants of “Who’s your daddy?” echoed throughout the stadium. These were their Yankees and they would fight with them until the final pitch of the game was thrown.

And fair-weather fans will not be found there. Not in the Bronx of New York, nor in the heart of Boston. These fans are hard-core. These fans are crazy. These fans are the best fans out there!

Having grown up in Pittsburgh, I’m a true Bucco fan. I bleed black and gold. And yes, I know the Pirates have not had a winning season in more than 10 years, but they’re still my No. 1 team. Every year, I’m the fan believing the Pirates will play in late October. I live for that day.

Call me stupid. Laugh. Go ahead. I don’t blame you.

But that’s what I am, a true fan. No matter what the odds are, no matter how bad a situation may be, I refuse to give up on a team I love.

Until the day the Pirates face the Red Sox in the World Series, come playoff time, I’ll put my “hometown passion” behind Boston. And just as my brother has — who is, by the way, one of those true Red Sox fans — I, too, will root for Boston’s manager Terry Francona from New Brighton, Pa., to win it all. There was just something about hanging up a huge “Yankees Suck” sign in my dorm room that brought a smile to my face.

That’s what this rivalry does. It has the power to embed a passion in sports fans everywhere. Even people who rarely follow baseball seem to realize the magnitude of this classic battle. And if you don’t, where have you been for the past eight decades?

At the start of this series, team apparel popped up everywhere on campus. Students started sporting the logos and colors of the team they had chosen to support. Even fans like me, who aren’t religious followers of either team, seemed to rally behind one or the other.

It was amazing. Everyone who even remotely cared about the sport had claimed their team. And even more surprising, everyone — even the “new” fans — seemed to show some level of passion for their team.

There’s just something about this rivalry. It just brings out the best fan in all of us.

Witnessing this passion has renewed my belief in Pitt fans. If we can cheer on a team that is as far away as New York or Boston, we should be able to show our team the same passionate support. Wear that blue and gold with pride. Fight with them to the end. Believe the impossible is possible.

And then, if our team falls short, don’t let go of that pride. Hold on to it. Red Sox fans have been waiting, year after year, since 1918, to see the World Champions reside once again in Boston. So many times, they’ve come so close, only to fall just short of making it to the World Series. Each and every time they’ve had to walk away without reaching that “holy grail” only to say, “We’ll get ’em next year.”

These fans will never give up. They will never lose hope. And if once again, this year, their Red Sox fall just short of breaking the persistent “curse” — one that has haunted the team since the trade of Babe Ruth to the Yankees — these fans will take their love and their passion and anticipate the start of next season.

If we, as Pitt fans, put as much heart and dedication into our Panthers as I saw students put into the Red Sox and the Yankees last week, this could be an amazing place! Maybe Boston’s unbelievable journey will teach us all a little lesson on loyalty.

Don’t be a fair-weather fan. Start believing in your team. Never give up on them. After all, it could happen.