Closure

I am not into closure.

At least not what passes for closure today. Closure is yet one more word that was picked up by some egg head and worked its way into the minds of the great unwashed.

Now everybody needs closure.

Dude gets up in the morning and can't move his bowels. He has no time to await the sacred event, so he hurries off to work.

He gets home 12 hours later, settles back down onto the porcelain throne and is wildly successful.

He bounces downstairs and proudly tells his wife: "Marge, I just got closure."

Closure this, closure that.

Our society picks up words, picks up phrases and then proceeds to beat them to death. Empirical studies show that 95% of the people who now use the word closure five times a day did not even know what it meant  a year ago.

I dig genuine closure but it is a hard thing to find.

I watched a chunk of the Red Sox World Championship parade yesterday. The city of Boston came out on a magnificent early November day to exult in pure emotion. To look up to inspiring characters, to participate in a wedge of history.

And to get closure.

When they stopped the duck boats at the Boston Marathon finish line, placed the trophy on it and sang God Bless America, with Salty and Gomes holding 617 Red Sox jerseys over the trophy, over the finish line, I was speechless, over the top emotional and blown away. As was everybody there and everybody watching on TV.

Marathon officials were standing alongside Saltalamacchia and Jonny Gomes. The connection had come full circle, the cleansing , of a sort, had come to fruition.

After the song had been sung, a 617 jersey was placed over the trophy on the finish line.

Typically we milk tragedy for maximum effect and for ratings. Manufacturing phony emotion in an attempt to mimic genuine caring.

It happens a lot in this country and I vomit every time I come up against it.

Not so with this tragedy and this team and this city.

From Day One the Red Sox made it clear that this was personal. From Day One the people of the city of Boston made it clear that this was personal.

And everybody made it perfectly clear that the city would bounce back. That you cannot fuck with the city of Boston.

The Sox were a magical team this year. You could feel it every day. A collection of free spirits who could have fun and get the job done. A team that came back game after game after game.

That is the point. They came back. Tine after time. They never gave up and you could feel that spirit oozing right out of your TV.

Part of that determination was inspired by the pure evil that was laid at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in June.

B Strong in centerfield. A reminder. An inspiration.

The Sox made it happen. They went all the way. From worst to first.

Absolutely amazing.

Yesterday you could feel the vibe in the city of Boston, the gratitude of the people of Boston, the resilience of the people of Boston, the defiance of the people of Boston, for the strong and improbable statement made by the Boston Red Sox.

It is a sad commentary on our society that tragedy has become commonplace. That magic is often tainted by violence. Too few celebrations, too many tragedies.

What the Boston Red Sox did for this city cannot be overstated. They took an entire city and lifted it out of despair on their own. They made it a mission and they fulfilled the promise.

People were smiling at the Boston Marathon finish line yesterday.

That is called closure.