Go Sox!

One of the things I’ve been thinking about as I’ve been sitting down to write is the balance I’d like in my blog. My intention was to write a professional blog, but with a personal twist –not a blog just about the mechanics
of being a VC, but my personal observations of the VC world and my growth as a venture capitalist. A few people have written in and reminded me not to forget about writing some posts about me with the idea that my VC observations will be more meaningful if I occasionally write posts that have nothing to do with being a VC, but give some background about how I got here and what else is important to me.

A high school friend of mine wrote to me the other day. He’s been reading my blog but was disappointed that I hadn’t posted on some important topics from our childhood:

“you gonna write anything about the red sox or patriots or just how to write financial models?” He asks.

Well, here you go, Dan. . .

I grew up just outside of Boston, so the events of the past few months have been pretty amazing to me. I always figured that the Red Sox would win the World Series sometime in my lifetime – I just wasn’t sure when. I was 14 in 1986 when the Sox came within a strike of winning it all. I actually didn’t see the famous Buckner gaff live. I had been babysitting down the street. The parents of the kids I was sitting for came home and we watched a little bit of the game together. When it was clear to me that the Sox were about to win I ran home (about 5 houses away) to enjoy the moment with my dad. When I got home my da locked solemn and told me that the Sox had blown it. I, of course, thought he was pulling my leg, so I called his bluff and ran into the family room to celebrate the victory. Long story short, that evening is one of the most vivid memories of my childhood (being a Red Sox fan is truly a scarring experience).

I’m going to give credit for the Rex Sox win this year to my 1 year old daughter (at least partial credit). In late summer my wife and I were in Boston for a wedding about an hour south of town. We spent a couple of days in the city to visit some friends and enjoy some time near where I grew up. My other best friend from high school (actually the twin brother of the author of the jab quoted above) is the sports director for one of the local Boston TV stations. He arranged one morning for me and my daughter to get access to the ballfield. I can assure you that it was absolutely a highlight of this life-long Red Sox fan’s life to walk into an empty Fenway Park with my daughter on my back (decked out in her infant sized Rex Sox ball-cap), walk down to the first row of seats and then onto the field. I had a camera to document the moment – picture of Sacha on the infield grass; me holding her in front of the green monster; her sitting on the visiting team bench (presumably putting a curse on them). Pretty amazing.

I’m, of course, convinced that her visit to the field brought good luck in the post season. At least that’s what I’m going to tell her . . .