Faithful Fenway fans hope for Red Sox World Series win

Published: 2004-07-21

PITTSFIELD, Mass (CNS) -- Together they represent 409 years of being loyal Boston Red Sox fans. Elsie Bertolino, Frank Packlick, Mary Lunney, Tony Polom and Deacon Leo Coughlin were interviewed by The Catholic Observer, Springfield's diocesan newspaper, about what it is like to be a die-hard Red Sox fan. These five are like so many of the Fenway faithful. They have cheered for their Boston baseball team for decades. They can recall great moments and, of course, great heartaches, as they talk about the Sox, a team that hasn't won the World Series since 1918. Bertolino, 94, a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Pittsfield, is the senior member of this five-member fan squad. She became a "serious" Red Sox fan around 1930. Proof of her devotion is a stack of score sheets she has kept throughout the years. She would listen to the games on the radio and keep score while ironing or performing other household duties. "They're going to do it," she said of her favorite team. "And they've got to do it pretty soon because I'm not too long for this world. But I'm not going to go anywhere until they win the World Series."

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