Now in paperback: the inside story behind a crucial chapter in Red Sox lore-and a turbulent time in a troubled city. George Steinbrenner called it the greatest game in the history of American sports. On a bright October day in 1978, the Boston Red Sox met the New York Yankees for an epic playoff game that would send one team to the World Series-and render the other cursed for almost a quarter of a century. Award-winning sports columnist Bill Reynolds masterfully tells the dramatic story of the rival teams and players at this pivotal moment, and explores the social issues that divided Boston that summer and their influence on one game beyond the realm of sports. Bill Reynolds  is an award-winning columnist for the  Providence Journal  and the coauthor of the  New York Times  bestseller  Success Is a Choice . He is also the author of  '78 , Cousy , and  Fall River Dreams . Table of Contents   Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Acknowledgements   CHAPTER ONE CHAPETER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE   EPILOGUE NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 10 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England First published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. First Printing, April 2009 Copyright © Bill Reynolds, 2009 All rights reserved   REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA: Reynolds, Bill, 1945- ’78: the Boston Red Sox, a historic game, and a divided city/Bill Reynolds. p. cm. eISBN : 978-1-101-02878-0 Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. PUBLISHER’S NOTE Publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. To my sister, Polly Reynolds, whose spirit in the midst of daily adversity, is a constant inspiration.   And to Lizzy, for her ongoing support and encouragement. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A special thank-you to: David Vigliano, my agent and professional adviser for twenty years now, who saw that this could be a book when it was just an idea floating around in my head. Dan Ambrosio, who shepherded the idea through the world of New York publishing. Mark Chait, who edited this book, shared the same vision of it that I had, and made it better at the crucial time when it needed it most. No writer can ask for more. Art Martone, the sports editor at the Providence Journal , whose insight into the Red Sox in the seventies was instrumental in the beginning of the process. The Red Sox, specifically Dick Bresciani and Pam Ganley, who went out of their way to be helpful. Liz Abbott, whose help in research and in acquiring the pictures was invaluable. Isabelle Brogna, my techie wizard, who saved me from falling into a technological swamp, and Katie Myers, who helped with the pictures. O n September 25, 1978, the Boston Globe ’s Ray Fitzgerald wrote a column on the sports page titled “Lunacy and the Red Sox Fan.”   Its premise was that an unidentified man had been found walking aimlessly on a Back Bay street, “talking to lampposts and trying to interest a wire-haired terrier in a game of cribbage.” So he was brought into a clinic and placed on a cot, a tag around his neck. The doctor read the inscription on his tag. “I am a Boston Red Sox fan and no longer responsible for my