Misery has no company with these Sox fans

Opening Night right around the corner, let's get right to it -- this could be the year.

And if it's not, well, so what.

Not everyone feels the same way, but the afterglow of Boston's first World Series championship in 86 years has left some fans prepared to issue the Red Sox an intentional pass on any potential shortcomings this season, and perhaps for years to come.

"For the first time in my life, I don't care," said 53-year-old Lloyd Benson, who grew up in Swampscott and fondly recalls his first trip to Fenway in 1958, when righthander Frank Sullivan led the Sox to a 13-3 thumping of the Yankees. "I know it might sound trite, but hey, they won, and I'm a happy guy now no matter what happens -- and I can honestly say that I never thought I'd get to that point in my life.

"We did it! For me, it was actually worth the wait."

Tim Melligan, 36, grew up in South Buffalo, N.Y., and took on the Red Sox as his favorite team "in the dreaded 1978 season." Had it not been for a father and brother who were ardent Yankee fans, he figures he might have been swayed "to join the dark side" of Bomber fandom.

"I just wasn't going to let that happen," said Melligan, who now lives in Woodstock, Ga., with his wife, three sons, and basset hound, "Bo Sox" -- heir to the family doghouse originally occupied by "Fenway." "If you grow up with the agony of the Bills and the Sabres, taking on the Red Sox as your team is just a natural."

For his more-than-a-quarter-century allegiance to all things Red Sox, Melligan isn't about to lower his expectations.

"What, are you kidding? It starts all over again, this Sunday," he said. "It ultimately comes down to that you have to play the Yankees, and you have to be better. That's it. You're staring at those guys. [Derek] Jeter. A-Rod [Alex Rodriguez]. All of 'em. And now that you've won the Series, hey, the idea is to win every single year. Is that asking too much, really? I don't think it is."

Closer to home, 43-year-old Dave Kazanjian, co-owner of Whirlaway Sports Center in Methuen, is also among the hardball hardliners who, after a lifetime of waiting, now want more. Owner of Red Sox season tickets for more than 25 years, he goes to some 50 games a season at Fenway.

"The way I see it, if anyone says they're content now, they weren't a true fan to begin with -- those are the bandwagon guys," said Kazanjian. "Free pass? Never. You taste victory after 86 years, and finally know how good it is, you want that again."

If Red Sox Nation is treated to a poor start, Kazanjian won't be any less troubled than he has been over similar disappointing starts the last 35-plus years.

"Look, what they did last year was amazing," he said. "I mean, give me the optimum dream, and it's to go down, 0-3, to the Yankees, and then beat those guys in four straight. Then, go on to win four straight against the Cardinals, and win so easy that it's not even like the World Series. I mean, come on. Write it better than that. Impossible. But I want to see a true champ. Don't let me see 10-20 or 8-22 at the start here. Uh-uh."

Patsy Valentine and her husband, Bob, both retirees living in Peabody, have been hooked on baseball for going on a half-century, dating back to the early 1960s when Dick Williams, Bob's cousin, would come to town as a player with the Orioles and join the Valentines for dinner. Williams later took over the Sox as manager for the amazing season of 1967.

"Now that they've won, I kind of feel they can do no wrong," said Patsy. "I don't know if I should feel that way, but I do."

Dan Lorge, 33, grew up in Paxton, now lives in Manhattan, and teaches US history on Long Island (Herricks High in New Hyde Park). He delights on dress-down Fridays, when he can proudly wear his T-shirt -- Red Sox `04 World Series Champs -- to the classroom.

A Sox fan since 1977, Lorge believes Red Sox Nation will be a kinder, gentler lot in 2005, no matter how the season plays out.

"The only thing that could diminish them -- and I don't see it happening -- is that if it came out that Manny [Ramirez] or [David] Ortiz were on steroids, and that tainted everything that happened last year," said Lorge. "Other than something like that, I think you'll see the whole team get a pass until this generation of players -- the guys who won it -- departs."

As a litmus test for tolerance among Sox fans, said Lorge, he could almost measure it in inches this winter. His mother, Barbara Lorge, sounded nonplussed after shoveling her driveway, after a fresh blanket of seven inches fell in Paxton.

"She's 63 years old, and I asked her, `So, Mom, how's that shoveling going?" recalled Lorge. "And she said, `Oh, it's fine. . . that's New England . . . and besides, the Red Sox won the World Series, that makes it easier.' "

Ralph Verrilli, 41, grew up in the Bronx and now lives in Concord. He swapped his pinstripes for Red Sox at least 10 years ago, and figures Boston fans will expect even more out of their heroes now. No free passes.

"Not even close," said Verrilli. "It's this feeling of, you know, finally you've won, you've reached the pinnacle. I think a lot of fans feel validated, `OK, we really do have the right team -- we can hold our heads up high.' They aren't going to be happy with less."

Steve London, 62, is a sociology professor at Simmons College, still trying to recover from the Braves' departure to Milwaukee. He knows Red Sox fans are a loving lot, and believes the tide of goodwill for the team will remain high after last season. But a lifetime of being a sports fan in Boston has left him slightly cautious.

"I grew up idolizing Ted Williams," said London. "Really, I loved him. I remember going to games, wanting to sit close to left field, just to be near him. Well, he played for some horrible teams, and people forget this, but they would rope off the seats down behind third base and toward left field to keep the fans away from him. I was at the infamous game when he spit at the fans. The boo-birds were brutal. It can be a very hard town."

Jason Schrieber, 33, grew up in Sterling and figures he has been a diehard Sox fan for nearly 20 years. With one now in the win column, he figures Red Sox Nation can relax.

"Even if they play .250 or .300 baseball this year," said Schrieber, a transportation planner for the city of Cambridge. "It could be that bad, and I still think you'd see fans in the stands relaxed, enjoying their beer. I think we've moved beyond all the years of agony and gotten to this point with one of the great sports accomplishments of a lifetime. It made up for all the crazy seasons, and the rest is frosting on the cake."

A year ago, said Schrieber, he was anxious, even reluctant to be a Red Sox fan. Aaron Boone's homer, defeating the Red Sox in the ALCS the year before, accentuated all the horrors of being a Red Sox fan. He was held in the grip of that nightmare as the '04 season dawned. Not so this April.

"I don't feel any of that, and I've got to say, I feel so relieved," said Schrieber. "They definitely get a pass from me. Now, that said, I'd still like to see them win two or three in a row. Who wouldn't? But if it doesn't happen, well, it happened already."