The Jonathan Factor

Last night the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 6 – 1, to win the 2013 World Series. This is their 3^rd World Series Championship in 10 years, a record to be envied, and the first time since 1918, that they won the deciding game in their home ballpark.

Last year, the Red Sox finished in last place in the American league East, with a record of 69 wins and 93 losses. In a complete reversal, they finished this year in 1^st place in the American League East, with a record of 97 wins and 65 losses. There are many theories about how the Red Sox accomplished such a fantastic turnaround.

Many feel it was the General Manager – Ben Cherington – who engineered such good signings during the off season – Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, and Stephen Drew.

Some say it was the “unknown” players they acquired or had in their system  – Daniel Nava, Johnny Gomes, and Koji Uehara.

Still a 3^rd group said it was when they hired John Farrell as their new manager.

All of them are plausible theories, but the truth of the matter is, the Red Sox are World Champs because of “The Jonathan Factor”.

“The Jonathan Factor” refers to my grandson – Jonathan Callahan.

I first learned of “The Jonathan Factor” a few weeks ago, when my favorite team, the Detroit Tigers, were locked in a heated battle with the Red Sox for the American League Championship, and the right to play in the World Series.

The Tigers were playing in Detroit and had just won Game 4, to tie the series at two games apiece. My son called me from his home in Iowa, and he found me in a fairly jovial tone because the Tigers only had to win two of the next 3 games to head to the World Series. I was feeling good about my chances because we had three of the top pitchers in the American League, poised and ready to go – Max Scherzer, Anibel Sanchez and Justin Verlander. Surely, two of them would be winners.

I asked my son if his favorite Red Sox were “quaking in their boots”, and he said, “Not as long as we have ‘The Jonathan Factor’ on our side”.

This is how he explained it.

When his son, Jonathan was born in January of 2004, that summer Robert took him to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park and held him in his arms. That year the Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918 and broke their infamous “drought” of World Series failures.

In 2007, while living in Ohio, Robert took Jonathan to his second Red Sox game, in Cleveland. That year the Red Sox beat the Colorado Rockies in the World Series.

This year, I was supposed to visit with my son and his family in Iowa, but couldn’t make the trip. I did, however, send them the tickets I had purchased for the Kansas City Royals – Boston Red Sox game on August 11^th…. Jonathan’s third Red Sox game… and this year the Red Sox won the World Series again.

Now I know why my Detroit Tigers never had a chance. I also know why the Cardinals, despite an interference call, and facing a Red Sox lineup that suddenly had “cold bats”, didn’t stand a chance, either… “The Jonathan Factor”.

My son feels that season tickets from the Red Sox are in order, and he may be right. I figure they should at least let my grandson lead the victory parade through downtown Boston. He and “Big Papi”!

As the late Paul Harvey used to say… “Now you know the rest of the story.”