Don't Stop Believing!!!

My Dad took me to my first White Sox game when I was two-weeks old.  I remember almost catching a foul ball while sitting with him at a game against Seattle while downtown Chicago was being flooded.  We have pictures from games every year as I got older and older. 

But no World Series games.

And then there was last night.

I'm 19 years old and it was my first World Series game.  But my Dad is in his 50s and it was his too.  Being there with him was awesome after the hundreds of games we have been to together in our lives.  All I was hoping for was a White Sox victory.

But we were treated to the best game we will probably ever see.  And I have seen some good baseball games.  Being the North Sider I am, I have been invited to some good Cubs games.  I saw Game 7 of the 2003 NLCS.  I saw the one-game playoff against the Giants in 1998.  And I was at that epic Saturday game against the Yankees in 2003.

And I've seen my share of walk-offs and grand slams at Sox games. 

But nothing compares to what my Dad and I got to witness last night.  Down 4-2 in the 7th as the Astros brought in Chad Qualls, I turned to my Dad and said, "I will give up any future Sox ticket no matter when it is for a Konerko home run right now."  And I sure got what I was hoping for.  My favorite player hit a grand slam at a World Series game that I was at.  It was unbelievable.

I hugged my Dad for a long time and just started crying.  I haven't cried since one of my best friends passed away 2 1/2 years ago.  But when Konerko hit that shot, the emotions just poured out.  And I couldn't stop.

Everyone around me wanted to give me high-fives, but I just grabbed them and hugged them.  I hugged everyone.  Will Perdue was sitting behind me and I just grabbed him. 

I didn't even see where the ball landed.  As soon as it hit off the bat I just started freaking out.  I knew it was gone. 

Just amazing.  Couldn't ask for more.

And then somehow we got more.

After we squandered the lead, the most unlikely of heroes hits a homerun.

The ball jumped off Scott Podsednik's bat.  But I'm just thinking, "That's got to be a can of corn... wait, the outfielders are barely running and looking in the stands.  No way, homerun!"

I still didn't believe it.  There was no way Scott hit a walk-off. 

I always know when the ball is going to leave the park.  I've seen so many homeruns from my seats behind home plate and I know the players swings.  Like I said before, I didn't even have to see where Konerko's bomb landed.  But I'm not used to Scotty hitting them out.  And I didn't believe it.  It was the hardest hit ball of the night.  Any other player and I would have known right away.  But there was no way Scotty could do it.

I'm still not sure if I believe it.

What a night.  I just wanted a win.  I got a whole lot more.

Even if we don't hold on to this, I will have Game 2 of the 2005 World Series as a story the rest of my life.  That is why this game is the best in the world.  Last night is why you stick with your team through 88 years of despair.  The sweet is never as sweet without the sour.  All the tough times we had in August and September.  All that stress that even caused me health problems.  That is why I went through it.  Because when moments like last night occur, the emotions just come pouring out.  There is nothing more I can say.