Foiled Again?

Given that the Red Sox are in the world series for the second time since I've made aliyah, nobody should be surprised that at least one blog post was devoted to the olde towne team. I was recently discussing with a friend the difference between the Red Sox championship run in 2004 and their current campaign. Our conversation mainly revolved around the impact of the curse being broken, a topic that was also touched upon in this Boston Globe editorial. Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled that the Sox won in 2004 and wouldn't have it any other way - especially how they came back from being down three games to none against the Yankees. But I wonder to what extent the identity of Red Sox Nation was lost when the curse was broken. For years (86 of them) generations of Red Sox fans were united by their shared agony. In years past, when the fans had their collective hearts broken, they at least were secure in the knowledge that they were apart of something bigger than themselves. In that way, the curse served to unite Sox fans and gave them a chance to be a part of something bigger than themselves. In a way, it was a kind of group masochism where you were bonded to your fellow fan through the shared experience of dashed hopes. Now that we are the fullfilling our pre-season playoff expectations we can appreciate the excellent play of the team, but if the quality of play slips will the Nation dissipate without it's previously unifying force now removed? Worse yet, if the Red Sox continue to win, will fans become spoiled and expect a world series every year? Could we become the Yankees of the 21st century?

I guess we'll just have to win and find out.