Hanging Chads in RSN

So now, we wait for the votes to be counted…

Regardless of the outcome, this has been a spectacular experience. I want to commend the other finalists, Jared Carrabis, Cheryl Boyd, Cindy Brown, Sam Horn, Jerry Remy, the Texan behind Big Pupi, Peter Gammons, and Rich Garces for a truly fun campaign. In particular, the candidates who showed up at the debate with Tim Russert and Tina Cervasio (first five on the list) really impressed me with their courage, their ideas for improving the fan experience, and their light-hearted approach to this whole “competition.”

And the greatest thing about being endorsed by Doris Kearns Goodwin is not the votes it attracted, but the memory I have of calling her afterwards to introduce myself and thank her — and hearing her great excitement about my disbelief and gratitude. What a classy woman she is. And a real Red Sox fan, to her core.

For us candidates, and all the people we met and emailed and received emails from, this campaign has been less a “competition” and more a celebration of the Red Sox and its fans. Before this whole RSN business started in July, I knew Red Sox Nation was huge and that the Red Sox were integral to the lives of millions of people around the world, but this process has truly opened my eyes to the magnitude of it all.

Indeed, the emails I’ve received from fans around the world have led me to the realization that baseball ISN’T just a game, the Red Sox AREN’T just a team, and Fenway Park ISN’T just a ballpark. The importance ascribed to these by countless SANE members of Red Sox Nation reveals that there’s something about baseball, the Red Sox, and Fenway that transcends their literal, banal definitions. Our emotional lives, our relationships with family members and friends, would be DIFFERENT without the Red Sox. And regardless of whatever role I may or may not have in this first “presidential administration,” I look forward to writing more about this phenomenon on this blog, for whomever is interested….

Thanks to all of you who supported my candidacy, or who supported others, or who took any interest in this campaign. It may appear to be a silly contest, but I have high hopes that whomever is elected will make a positive impact on people’s lives that no one can call “silly.”