The Red Sox' victory over the St. Louis Cardinals wasn't supposed to be this easy.

It wasn’t supposed to be this easy.

It was as simple as Keith Foulke tossing a ball underhanded to Doug Mientkiewicz.  When Mientkiewicz stepped on first base it officially ended 86 years of frustration for the Boston Red Sox.

There was almost none of the agony and anxiety that accompanied the unprecedented comeback against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.   

The closest it came was in Game 1 when the St. Louis Cardinals twice tied the game.  It should be noted that I was talking to an old friend on the phone when the game began.  When our conversation concluded, the Red Sox had a 7-2 lead.  Before I knew it, the Cardinals tied it at 7.  So I called my father.  The Sox retook the lead, 9-7.   No sooner had our conversation concluded when the Cardinals tied the game yet again, 9-9.  So I called my older brother.  He was not home so I left a message.

As the phone rang, Mark Bellhorn hit a two run homerun to give the Sox an 11-9 lead.  Talk about answering the bell.

Prior to the game, I had attempted to buy a ticket on the street.    A single ticket cost $1,200.  As it turned out, many of the tickets in question were forgeries.  It was probably just as well.

There were scores of people with signs like, “Drove up from Minnesota…” or “Drove all the way from Ohio…” or “Father and Son Seek Tickets… and my personal favorite, “Will Work for Ticket.”

The Red Sox committed four errors in each of the first two games.  But the Sox pitching was so dominant that it did not matter.  Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe did not give up an earned run between them.  Schilling gave a gutsy performance in Game 2 as his ankle continued to bleed.  Pedro looked like the pitcher who won three Cy Young Awards.    

But Derek Lowe might have been more amazing than both of them.  I saw Lowe pitch twice at Fenway Park this season.  On both occasions, he got lit up and was beaten by the Kansas City Royals and the Baltimore Orioles, not exactly pennant contenders.  When I would tell people that I had seen Lowe pitch they would apologize as if to empathize with my suffering.   

I don’t think anyone would have believed that Lowe would be the winning pitcher in the deciding game of the Division Series, League Championship Series and World Series three short months ago.

It was nice to see Manny Ramirez named World Series MVP.    He appears in a Reebok commercial where he dreams of being Series MVP.  Ah, how art imitates life.  At this time a year ago, Manny had been put on waivers and was very nearly traded to the Texas Rangers for Alex Rodriguez.  Imagine if that deal had gone through?  Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make.    

Unlike Nomar Garciaparra, Manny didn’t dwell over perceived mistreatment.  He just let it roll and he moved forward.  Over the past four seasons, New Englanders have come to accept that Manny will have — how to say this — brain cramps on the bases and in the field, as demonstrated by his two errors in Game 2.    But he is also capable of making spectacular plays in the field and can hit the ball as far as any human being ever could.  He has in the past dyed his hair blond.  When he does so he reminds me of a Latino Harpo Marx.  He doesn’t give the impression that he either knows or cares about anything, but knows more than he lets on, and at the end of the day always seem to have the last laugh.

Of course, I maintained my superstitions from the League Championship Series.  I continued to walk home from work while listening to the game on the radio, stop for something to eat and upon my arrival home turn on the radio before turning on the TV.

I also slept wearing my Bush-Cheney ’04 T-shirt.  For good measure, I have left a bottle of Black Forest Berry Honest Tea undisturbed in the fridge and have let my hair and sideburns grow.  For those who want to know, my superstition did not involve undergarments of any kind.

So is the curse finally broken?  Well, I still say beating the Yankees was a bigger achievement and was what broke the curse.  How else can one explain the easy manner in which the Red Sox dispatched with the Cardinals?  The Cardinals never had a lead in the Series.   This would have never happened two short weeks ago.    

Of course, I went outside.  I walked to Kenmore Square though I avoided Lansdowne Street this time.  The crowd got thick very quickly so I made my way back to Boylston and Massachusetts Avenue and remained in that general area.

There were a few smoke bombs and some speeding motorists but there were a few more police officers.  A lot more.    

It is easy to get caught up with the mob.  I got hit with a water balloon and for a few moments I wanted revenge.  But I thought better of it and just walked away.

Otherwise it was a pleasant evening.  I gave the guys high fives and hugged a few women.  The most interesting person I saw wore an Orlando Cabrera T-shirt with a black mini skirt and red stockings.  I said to her that at the beginning of the year she would have had to wear that in Montreal Expo blue.  That prompted a discussion of the Expos impending move to Washington D.C.  I informed her that they would not become the Senators because the Texas Rangers own the rights to that name.  She replied,  “Well, you know who used to own the team?”  I gently reminded her that situation had prevailed prior to President Bush’s ownership of the club.  Fortunately, our moods were good and there was no acrimony.  This was a night to celebrate.  I wonder how she would react if she knew that Curt Schilling is planning to campaign for President Bush in New Hampshire?

I remained outside until 2 a.m. and did not retire to bed until nearly 3 a.m.

The line to get copies of the Boston Globe was two deep.

A co-worker asked me if something was lost because the Red Sox finally achieved triumph.  He offered that the passion for the club would never ever be the same since we had finally won it all.     

An interesting question.  I mean the Sox could rattle off three more World Series rings in the next five years.  They could also go another 86 years without winning a World Series.  Only time will tell.     

After last season’s disappointment, a film titled Still, We Believe was released.  One Red Sox fan put it like this,  “If they ever won, I wouldn’t know what to do.”  Well, they have won.  The time has arrived.  We’ll enjoy this time now and for many years to come.     But knowing this city I cannot believe that they will be satisfied with one championship.  When you win one you want to win more.  The hunger remains.

I have been watching World Series for a quarter century now and have often wondered what it would be like to be in the city that wins it all.  When I found out I would be moving to Boston nearly five years ago, I looked forward to moving to a baseball city with a team that had such a turbulent history.  I wondered if the Red Sox would ever win it all during my time here and how close I would be to what was happening.

Now that they have, it is something that I can forever share with family, friends, co-workers as well as with a wife, children and grandchildren should I be so fortunate to be blessed in that manner.

The victory march takes place on Saturday morning.  It passes right through my neighborhood.  I plan to walk along and follow the procession.  I will enjoy it every step of the way.