I make lists in my sleep.

Reasons to be a Member of Red Sox Nation:

(in no particular order)

1. Kinship. Wherever you go in America, you're bound to run into a Sox fan. I've rarely ran into a bond of strangers like that of RSN.

2. On the rare occasion you run into a non-bandwagon Angel (aka the want-to-be Yankees of the West) fan, glares ensue. You just smile and move on because you know that they are just dealing with an inferiority complex. We may be their biggest rival, but they will never be ours.

3. Upon running into a Yankee fan, glares ensue on both sides. The greatest rivalry in all of sports. There's curses. There's Big Papi's jersey beneath the new Yankee Stadium...and then there's the removal of such, for the Yankees can't risk a curse. Their fans can't handle heartbreak (that's that thing they're feeling as they watch us in the postseason from home. They just don't know it).

4. Fenway Park is one of the two remaining original ball parks...and we don't have any of that "Noise-o-Meter," rally towel, rally monkey (ahem), thunderstick crap. We're all original, and our fans know when to cheer on their own.

5. The Green Monster. Now THAT'S a home run.

6. We've got old guys who play through pain a rookie wouldn't play through. We've got rookies who respect the old guys, understand who they're playing with, and the expectations they must surpass. We've got more heart for this game than most teams out there.

7. April-September is playoff-caliber baseball. October is a whole 'nother story.

8. It's not individuals. It's about the team...and winning. There are no stats. There are no MVPs. There are no All-Stars. There's only a ring at the end of October.

9. There's heartbreak. There's getting swept at home. There's 14-inning losses. There's blowing a lead. There's a ball passing between Buckner's legs, losing the World Series. There's an 86 year curse. We thrive on heartbreak. There's an endless list. There's not good baseball without heartbreak. And the Sox...well, they'll break your heart, and leave you begging for more.

10. There's overwhelming joy. There's coming back from a 0-3 deficit in the '04 ALCS to win 4 against the Yankees. There's Lester's no-no. There's Tek's 4 caught no-no's. There's Dice-K going 18-3. There's Tek taking down A-Rod. There's two rings in 4 years. There's the bloody sock. There's a 12-1 postseason record against the Angels. There's Ellsbury's first ever 3 run single in the postseason against the Angels. There's (dare I say it) Manny's 500. There's Papelbon's celebrations. There's BecKKKKKett. There's rookies hitting in game winning runs. There's walk-off wins. There's Tek chasing guys off 3rd. There's an endless list. If you can make it through the heartbreak, there's sweet, sweet victory. And it never gets old. Never.