Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season

The fact that two die hard Red Sox fans who happen to be great authors chose 2004 of all the years to chronicle the regular and post season is far and away the greatest gift the baseball gods have ever given us. Any fan of the game will absolutely love this book.

I have been a Red Sox fan as long as I can remember. Moving out of New England years back, I still follow the Sox and ecstatic was not even the word when I saw Foulke throw the ball to first to record the final out. And I got to relieve this memory and more in Faithful. What I loved about the book is not only did it follow the games, it followed the life of two other Sox fans and how it can be all-consuming to be a part of "Red Sox Nation" I loved that even though Stephen King is a famous author he still gets excited by his idols and wants autographs and other memorabilia just like little kids. Being a Sox fan is not easy at times and they showed the angst and anxiety that comes along with the job. But I bet if they had to do it over again, they would not change being a Sox fan for anything. And neither would I.

Stephen King is more than a horror writer, he has seen horror first hand. He's survived a horrific car accident, but also, he has seen too many Red Sox heartbreaks. He can remember the days of Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Bucky F-ing Dent, 1986, 1999 and 2003. He and novelist Stewart O'Nan compiled their e-mails, correspondences and personal journal entries for this special book. What was going to be a discussion between two Red Sox fans showing their frustrations over another failed Red Sox campaign became an excellent recap of the 2004 season from Spring Training to the final out of the World Series. O'Nan and King are excellent writers. Their styles shine brilliantly in their e-mails to one another. They do not edit their original disgust about manager Terry Francona. They do not hide their frustation over the horrendous June stretch that eventually led to the trade of Nomar Garciaparra. They can be funny, witty and critical at the same time. This is not only for Red Sox fans, but baseball fans who follow thier teams as passionately as O'Nan and King. I highly recommend the book.

As a Detroiter, I am truly happy for Sox Fans...I know how happy we hockey Fans were when the Red Wings won their first Stanley cup in 48 years back in 1997...I can only imagine what sox fans felt waiting over 80 years! I've had the opportunity to meet Stephen King..Oddly enough here in Detroit as he was following his Red Sox on a road trip. We talked for about 15 minutes and he wanted to talk more about the Sox than his books! That was about 15 years ago and he's remained a truly passionate fan. This book with his daily journal is really a hoot to read. It's kind of cool to see a guy who's a millionaire many tims over agaonizing over his favorite sports team just like the guy on the assembly line in the Ford plant. King paints a picture filled with hope yet covered with a layer pessimism that only one who has seen so many dashed hopes can ever relate to. The missives back and forth between King and O' Nan, discussing stats and performances like a couple of fan boys was so fun to read. It's serendipitous too that this, the most significant and eventful season in Red Sox history, was the one King and O'Nan happened to chronicle. It had more tortuous (often torturous) story lines and plot points than either novelist could hope to devise - from the team's promising start to its maddening mid-season mediocrity to its overpowering win streak that annihilated the wild-card competition to its monumental post-season comeback. What a read. Enjoy it Sox fans!

Bear with me for a second here...I am not really a Red Sox fan. At least, I wasn't until the playoffs. Naturally, being a good American, I rooted for the Sox against the "Evil Empire," and I was worried about them when they were down 0-3. As they began their amazing comeback, I felt myself being swept under their spell and by the time they went into the Series, I had gone out and bought myself a nice "B" ballcap. This book captures all of the joy and magic that the Red Sox gave to ALL baseball fans (except for a few diehard fans of the Yanks and Cards). Let's face it...stories like the Red Sox in '04 are why we love baseball. It's the stuff of legends. Yeah, sure, the overpaid billionaires on the Yankees might win the Series every other year, but all of their victories combined aren't as special as that of the Sox this year. My team didn't make it to the Series this year, but thanks to the Red Sox, I had something to really cheer about. Steven King and Stewart O'Nan provide giddy, partisan commentary that perfectly reflects the hopes, fears, frustrations, and triumphs of this franchise and their fans. I read a pretty hateful review of this book from a Yankee fan who apparently can't handle the truth, but speaking as an * objective * fan of baseball at large, I can tell you that most of the country was pretty thrilled at the Red Sox and their victories, especially over the Yankees. Hey, the Cardnials are a great franchise also, but this was the year of the Sox, and this book gives underdogs everywhere cause to cheer. If you love baseball and great sportswriting, pick it up.

"It's amazing how loud you have to yell at the TV so the players can hear." The amazing thing is that Stephen King was just as scared to watch the Red Sox as the rest of us were this year. Thankfully, this is one of the great baseball books, and I've read most of them, from Bouton to Stengalese. Netman in the Monster Seats, Mr. King's tics, and a double diary format that makes it very tempting to skip to the end to see if they had as tough a time as I did watching the playoffs! This is a must have for any real baseball fan's library.