The New ESPN Documentary About The 2004 Red Sox Looks Bad

Brad Mangin. Getty Images.

Even the first line of the trailer is annoying. 

"If you were from Boston, you were a born loser." 

Yeah, Ben. It was so bad being a Boston fan. 

Those Bruins teams that won Cups in '70 and '72 were terrible. It was painful to have to watch Bobby Orr skate for the Bruins in his prime. I was not born then, but I can only imagine. 

Or the 1980s…just an embarrassment for Boston. Champs in 1981, 1984, and 1986. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson helping to rekindle national interest in the NBA. Oh yeah, two Celtics’ titles in the 1970s. 

You’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I’m judging this new ESPN Red Sox documentary on its trailer. 

It looks bad. It sounds bad, too. 

From the YouTube description above on the documentary, titled Believers. 

Believers: Boston Red Sox tells the story of how, for 86 years, the Red Sox broke the spirits of generations of their most devoted followers, falling short of a championship in heartbreaking and unforgettable fashion, time and time again. Yet through every collapse, every missed chance, and every season of disappointment, Boston fans held on to an unshakable belief that redemption would come.

Okay, so it’s about the fans. That might be interesting.  

Featuring appearances and commentary from Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Katie Nolan, Bill Burr, Donnie Wahlberg, Uzo Aduba, Sam Jay, Maria Menounos, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Neil deGrasse Tyson. 

Oh, so not fans, just famous people? Super. 

I mean, it has been 21 years since that 2004 team won the World Series. My guess is that if there are/were some fascinating fan stories, we would have heard them by now because we’ve had plenty of 2004 Red Sox coverage.

Just last year, we got the Netflix Doc, The Comeback, on the 2004 Red Sox. It got huge hype, and I went in thinking it would be overrated, but it was excellent. I reviewed it at the very popular newsletter I founded and then signed away to Dave and Barstool this week, MutStack.com.

That felt like a good final word on the 2004 team. Guess not. 

There have been others. NESN produced Faith Rewarded just a few months after the Sox won in 2004, featuring some great footage and commentary. Bill Simmons was part of a 30 for 30 about the team, Four Days in October. I just remember Simmons and Lenny Clarke in some weird bar setting, talking like “fans.” 

In just a 60-second trailer, we hear about “The Curse” twice. How early into this thing will we get someone explaining “The Curse of the Bambino” to us like we’re nine years old? Also, there is no curse. Was no curse. It was a pretend narrative driven by Boston Globe writer Dan Shaughnessy to sell some books. 

And I have no interest in reliving the self-loathing of Red Sox fans tied to a sports writer's marketing tool. 

Give me an hour on the 2013 Red Sox, who shook off the residue of the 2012 Bobby Valentine disaster to win a World Series. That six-game 2013 ALCS with the Tigers had four one-run games. I’d take an hour on that series alone. 

The 2018 team won a franchise record 108 games on route to a World Series win over the Dodgers. They could use a deep dive on just how good they were.

Or, how about this - give me an hour on why Red Sox owner John Henry has not had a public press conference with the media since February 17, 2000. That’s 2039 days since the owner of the Red Sox took questions public from the media.

Harry Frazee. The Bill Buckner play. Aaron 'Bleepin' Boone. Bucky Dent. Grady Little. 

Been there, done that. 

Look, I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong, and I often am. And I'll be the first one to watch this three-part docuseries when it debuts next week. Gotham Chopra is involved, and he did a good job with the Tom Brady series, "Tom vs. Time." 

But based on that trailer filled with recycled themes, I have a suspicion I'll be right about this when I'm back here reviewing it in a few weeks.