[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 854 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                     November 18, 2004.
Whereas on October 27, 2004, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series 
        title in 86 years in a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals;
Whereas the Red Sox won their sixth world title in the 104-year history of the 
        storied franchise;
Whereas the 2004 Red Sox World Champion team epitomized sportmanship, selfless 
        play, team spirit, determination, and heart in the course of winning 98 
        games in the regular season and clinching the American League Wild Card 
        playoff berth;
Whereas the 2004 Red Sox World Champion team honored the careers of all former 
        Red Sox legends, including Joe Cronin, Bobby Doerr, Carlton Fisk, Jimmie 
        Foxx, Carl Yastrzemski, Cy Young, Johnny Pesky, Dom DiMaggio, Jim Rice, 
        and Ted Williams;
Whereas the 2004 postseason produced new Red Sox legends, including Derek Lowe, 
        Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek, Keith 
        Foulke, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Johnny Damon, Trot Nixon, Orlando 
        Cabrera, Kevin Millar, Mike Timlin, Alan Embree, Mark Bellhorn, Bill 
        Mueller, and Dave Roberts;
Whereas Red Sox Manager Terry Francona brought fresh leadership to the clubhouse 
        this year, and brought together a self-proclaimed ``band of idiots'' and 
        made them into one of the greatest Red Sox teams of all time;
Whereas Red Sox owners John Henry and Tom Werner and Red Sox President and Chief 
        Executive Officer Larry Lucchino never wavered from their goal of 
        bringing a World Series Championship to Boston;
Whereas Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein assembled a team with strong 
        pitching, a crushing offense, and most important, the heart and soul of 
        a champion;
Whereas the Red Sox never trailed in any of the 36 innings of the World Series;
Whereas the Red Sox set a new major league record by winning eight consecutive 
        games in the postseason;
Whereas Derrek Lowe, Pedro Martinez, and Curt Schilling delivered gutsy pitching 
        performances in the postseason worthy of their status as some of the 
        best pitchers in Red Sox history;
Whereas the Red Sox starting pitching in Games 2, 3, and 4 of the World Series 
        had a combined earned run average of 0.00;
Whereas Manny Ramirez won the 2004 World Series Most Valuable Player award in 
        the World Series after batting 0.350 in the postseason with two home 
        runs and 11 runs batted in;
Whereas the Red Sox staged the greatest comeback in baseball history in the 
        American League Championship Series against their rivals, the New York 
        Yankees, by winning four consecutive games after losing the first three 
        games of the series;
Whereas the Red Sox prevailed in four consecutive American League Championship 
        Series games, while producing some of the most memorable moments in 
        sports history, including Dave Roberts stealing second base in the 
        bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4, David Ortiz securing a walk-off 
        home run in the 12th inning of Game 4, David Ortiz singling in the 
        winning run in the bottom of the 14th inning in Game 5, and Johnny Damon 
        making a grand slam in Game 7;
Whereas the entire Red Sox organization has a strong commitment to charitable 
        causes in New England, demonstrated by the team's 51-year support of the 
        Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Jimmy Fund in the fight against childhood 
        cancers;
Whereas fans of the Red Sox do not live only in Boston or New England, but all 
        across the country and the world, and a grateful ``Red Sox Nation'' 
        thanks the team for bringing a World Championship home to Boston;
Whereas the 2004 Boston Red Sox and their loyal fans believed; and
Whereas this IS next year: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) congratulates--
                    (A) the Boston Red Sox for winning the 2004 Major League 
                Baseball World Series and for their incredible performance 
                during the 2004 Major League Baseball season; and
                    (B) the eight Major League Baseball teams that played in the 
                postseason;
            (2) recognizes the achievements of the Boston Red Sox players, 
        manager, coaches, and support staff whose hard work, dedication, and 
        spirit made this all possible;
            (3) commends--
                    (A) the St. Louis Cardinals for a valiant performance during 
                the 2004 season and the World Series; and
                    (B) the fans and management of the St. Louis Cardinals for 
                allowing the Red Sox fans from Boston and around the Nation to 
                celebrate their first title in 86 years at their home field; and
            (4) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to transmit an 
        enrolled copy of this resolution to--
                    (A) the 2004 Boston Red Sox team;
                    (B) Red Sox Manager Terry Francona;
                    (C) Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein;
                    (D) Red Sox President and Chief Executive Officer Larry 
                Lucchino;
                    (E) Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry; and
                    (F) Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.