Dick Ossen's Memories

In 1967, I was working in the advertising business in Manhattan, when I learned from a colleague that a new Red Sox fan club had been started in New York. It was called the BLOHARDS, an acronym for Beloved Loyal Order of Ancient Die-hard Red Sox Sufferers of New York, and had been patterned after the BoSox Club founded in Boston earlier in the year.

Our first speaker was Manager Dick Williams, who promised at our September luncheon that the Red Sox would win the pennant. And so they did. That luncheon (and being a charter member of the BLOHARDS) will stand out in my memory forever.The BLOHARDS are still in existence, make an annual pilgrimmage to Fenway every Opening Day and host a luncheon on each trip the Red Sox make to Yankee Stadium.

The other great memory was being at Fenway for the last two games of the season. While visiting my parents over Labor Day, I was able to buy 6 tickets to each of the two games against the Twins. I left them up there, figuring my parents could give them away in the event we were no longer in the race.

Well, you know the rest. Three of us came up from New York, stayed at my parent's home and went to both games. The final game, Lonborg vs. Dean Chance, was the greatest sports thrill I had ever experienced up til that point. When Rico caught that pop-up the place went crazy. People all over the field grabbing a fistful of Fenway grass. People singing the BC fight song. It was a great ride back to New York and was made even better when we heard on the radio that the Angels had beaten the Tigers in their second game, giving us the pennant.

In a sense, the World Series was anti-climatic. It would have been nice to win, but we already had our Impossible Dream. I believe that was the beginning of Red Sox Nation.

Dick Ossen
Former BoSox board member