Ladies and gentlemen, your 2004 American League champions!

I went to the Sox game last night—good win despite a very shaky second inning for Schilling. My favorite part was when he gave up a hit to the first batter he faced and my friend turned to me and said "Well, there goes the no-hitter." (My second-favorite part was not paying $6 for Budweiser, I assure you.)

I rode the glorious B train—really at its best during rush hour with Boston College and Boston University back in session—to meet up before the game. Next to me on the train was a couple with their young son, all decked out in Sox gear, obviously going to the game. Great. Only, the woman was sporting a 2004 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS T-shirt. Who wears this knowing a WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS version is available?

More importantly, who buys it in the first place unless the Sox lose to the Cardinals? I remember being in Target after the Sox beat the Yankees but before the World Series had started, seeing all the AL shirts and saying to myself "Yeah, it makes perfect sense to buy something that could be obsolete next week."

Defeating the Yankees was huge but not renting-a-shirt huge, especially since the Cardinals series was over so quickly. It's like getting a hole-in-one and bragging that you broke par for the hole. Or winning an open ticket to a Gillette Stadium event and electing to go to a Revs game.