<![CDATA[Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season]]>

false <![CDATA[Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168392291m/32694.jpg 32694 12 Fans watching the 2004 baseball playoffs were often treated to shots of Stephen King sitting in the stands, notebook in hand. Given the bizarre events on the field, from the Red Sox's unprecedented comeback against their most hated rivals to their ace pitcher's bleeding, stitched-together ankle--not to mention the Sox's first championship in 86 years--you could be forgiven for thinking King was writing the script as he went along, passing new plot twists down to the dugouts between innings. What he was writing, though, along with his friend and fellow novelist Stewart O'Nan, was Faithful, a diary of the 2004 Red Sox season. Faithful is written not from inside the clubhouse or the press room, but from the outside, from the stands and the sofa in front of the TV, by two fans who, like the rest of New England, have lived and died (mostly died) with the Sox for decades. From opposite ends of Red Sox Nation, King in Maine and O'Nan at the border of Yankees country in Connecticut, they would meet in the middle at Fenway Park or trade emails from home about the games they'd both stayed up past midnight to watch. King (or, rather, "Steve") is emotional, O'Nan (or "Stew") is obsessively analytical. Steve, as the most famous Sox fan who didn't star in Gigli, is a folk hero of sorts, trading high fives with doormen and enjoying box seats better than John Kerry's, while Stew is an anonymous nomad, roving all over the park. (Although he's such a shameless ballhound that he gains some minor celebrity as "Netman" when he brings a giant fishing net to hawk batting-practice flies from the top of the Green Monster.) You won't find any of the Roger Angell-style lyricism here that baseball, and the Sox in particular, seem to bring out in people. (King wouldn't stand for it.) Instead, this is the voice of sports talk radio: two fans by turns hopeful, distraught, and elated, who assess every inside pitch and every waiver move as a personal affront or vindication. Full of daily play-by-play and a season's rises and falls, Faithful isn't self-reflective or flat-out funny enough to become a sports classic like Fever Pitch, Ball Four, or A Fan's Notes, but like everything else associated with the Red Sox 2004 season, from the signing of Curt Schilling to Dave Roberts's outstretched fingers, it carries the golden glow of destiny. And, of course, it's got a heck of an ending. --Tom Nissley 1020123 2004 Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season total:569|5:158|4:157|3:173|2:64|1:17| 569 2082 780 71 4 2 false false Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Wed Jul 18 17:39:50 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 18 17:40:25 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 2 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 26 12:32:52 -0700 2007 Tue Jan 22 06:57:55 -0800 2008 --------------
Stephen King is hilarious in this chronicle of the first Red Sox WS win in 86 years. O'Nan gives more of a straightforward account, King def steals the show. Great book, esp if you are a Sox fan. ]]> 3 1 false false Sat Jul 26 05:22:07 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 08 11:53:06 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 26 05:22:07 -0700 2008 If you're not a baseball fan, this book is not for you. If you are, then this book...more...]]> 3 1 false false Thu Sep 04 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 25 21:41:22 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 04 15:51:16 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Mon Jul 23 20:51:56 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 23 20:52:56 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Wed Sep 12 21:03:41 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 12 21:03:57 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Apr 28 09:41:51 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 28 09:46:08 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Fri Jul 06 14:30:38 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 06 14:34:48 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Tue Jun 23 09:57:17 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 10:09:20 -0700 2009
This is a fun read for diehard Redsox fans, especially those who grew up on Stephen King and loved his books. I have enjoyed reliving the magical moments leading to the miracle that was 2004! This is not a story...this is a diary/e-mail format th...more...]]> 1 1 false false Tue Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Thu Dec 13 01:17:07 -0800 2007 Thu Dec 13 10:41:08 -0800 2007 5 1 false false Sat Dec 25 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Tue May 20 22:37:12 -0700 2008 Tue May 20 22:39:17 -0700 2008 GO SOX!]]> 1 0 false false Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 06 16:15:28 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 02 08:43:58 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 29 12:30:25 -0700 2007 Thu Nov 15 18:31:12 -0800 2007
To make things simple in conversation, I have often fallen back on telling people I am not a sports fan. So it was a suprise for a few friends of mine when I was going ca-razy during the post-season Red Sox games this year. The way I see it, being a fan of the Red So...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jan 05 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 17:24:37 -0800 2009 Sun Apr 26 09:07:36 -0700 2009
A) Baseball
B) The Red Sox
C) Stephen King
D) Stewart O'Nan

I reiterate...D...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Sat Oct 13 15:28:49 -0700 2007 Mon Nov 26 22:08:49 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Wed Jul 18 18:42:43 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 18 18:49:36 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Apr 17 11:58:01 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 17 11:59:48 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Sun Jul 19 14:41:42 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 19 14:42:24 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Mon Sep 03 17:01:35 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 06 15:09:31 -0700 2007 the voice of reason and King being the crazed fan. Consequently, O'Nan's writing is more disciplined and informative while King'...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Dec 28 21:51:19 -0800 2007 Fri Dec 28 22:16:58 -0800 2007 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=32694