At this point, I really cannot tell you how frustrating it is to be a Red Sox fan. I see the Sox, and I see an exceptional team which has the second highest payroll in the majors. Well, with the second highest payroll, we should definitely have made more of a splash in the postseason, as opposed to being swept out like a small dust particle by the Angels’ broom stick.

I mean, having the second highest payroll is great, except that you keep coming in SECOND place in terms of signing the great players, like Mark Teixeira or A.J. Burnett or even C.C. Sabathia.

Sure, the Sox had a strong farm system, producing the likes of Ellsbury and Lester, but the Red Sox had too many inconsistencies both pitching and hitting-wise. During the off season, we’ll see what the Sox do to address their needs.

But, congratulations Joe Girardi. It takes a lot to manage three All-Star caliber pitchers and a lineup that could very well be the American League All-Star team. It seems coincidental that the moment that hell freezes over, the Yanks take home the World Series trophy.

It’s just a whole lot of frustration. My most hated team in all of professional sports outdid the Sox. It took them nine years, but they did it. Maybe the Sox can play up to expectations next season, as in Jon Lester and Josh Beckett coming out strong, Daisuke remembering what a baseball is, at the lineup is at full strength with Vmart and hopefully Jason Bay.

Sox fans, imagine the fire burning your insides, as your stomachs roller coaster through the emotions involved with the last out against those damn Yankees.

Yankees fans, imagine the pain you felt when Ortiz scorched your team in the 2004 ALCS, imagine yourself praying that Papi could not, and would not do it again.

Now stop. Imagine neither Ortiz nor Sabathia was playing. It’s a really empty memory, isn’t it?

If it weren’t for Jackie Robinson’s brave, heroic efforts, that’s what it would be.

Jackie Robinson, a gifted baseball, football and tennis player as well as a top-notch swimmer, opened doors for African-American and Hispanic ball players. He allowed modern day baseball to be what it is today.

In 1945, Robinson played his only career in the Negro Leagues. He put up a stellar batting average, as he hit .387.

The team formerly known as the Brooklyn Dodgers decided that skin color was no way to determine eligibility to play in America’s favorite sport. They felt that if a guy had talent, he should be allowed to compete in the big leagues.

As a result, Brooklyn took a shot with Robinson, and in 1946 signed him to a Major League Contract, all the while knowing that they were gambling. If Robinson didn’t work out, Brooklyn fans would be calling for not only the Dodger’s throat, but Jackie’s too.

Robinson played through the immense pressure, not only was he the first ever black player in the Major Leagues, but he was also under the scrutiny of one of the most passionate fans in the game. The Dodger fans were those who watched the team drop easy fly balls, as they started to “Expect lapses.”

Jackie hit .311 in his career, with 137 home runs and 197 steals. In other words, the Dodgers’ gamble paid off, as they went all in and came out with a Royal Flush.

Jackie Robinson was so good, he “Walked into a white man’s world… and he did a thing mightier than play baseball, he put his name in the history books.” Unfortunately, on some occasions Jackie was not even able to walk into a “white man’s world,” as restaurant and hotel owners refused to allow a black man into their buildings. Despite the daily attacks and death threats that were directed towards him, Robinson continued to compete.

Robinson not only desegregated baseball, but he also gave African-Americans around the nation hope. In other words, he allowed regular, every day African-Americans and Hispanics to keep working hard with their heads held high. A baseball player inspired the entire country.

For the first time, minorities were able to connect with the formerly Caucasian game of baseball.

One fan said, “To see Jackie Robinson in the Brooklyn lineup gave us hope.” He reminded people to keep their dreams in mind, and never give up hope.

He truly embodied the statement, “Never give up.”

Now, I want you to think about the legendary hug Pee Wee Reese shared with his teammate Jackie Robinson. It was a symbol of hope for whites and blacks alike, a symbol that someday, Hispanics and African-Americans would be accepted into American society.

That single hug illustrated the American Dream, as a man who fought through adversity, a man who always looked forward but lived in the now, was able to reach success.