By BOB MATTHEWS
Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle

Boston Red Sox fans live in a state of blissful anticipation. It has been that way since 1918 - the last time their beloved team won a World Series.

Since the Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 86 years ago to win their fifth World Series, the Celtics have won 16 NBA titles, the NHL Bruins have won five Stanley Cups and the NFL Patriots have won two of the last three Super Bowls.

But it is the Red Sox who remain New England's favorite team, partly because they're so often competitive (winning records in 32 of the last 38 seasons), partly because of their great rivalry with the New York Yankees, and partly because they've waited so long for another world championship.

The truest test of a sports fan is sticking with a team through thick and thin, and loyal supporters of the Red Sox are near the top of the list (behind only the Cubs, who last won a World Series in 1908).

Generations pass without a world championship. Great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, fathers and mothers, and sons and daughters share the joy of many victories and the frustration of seemingly inevitable season-ending defeats.

I wonder if the relatively brief euphoria of the Red Sox (or Cubs) winning it all would be worth sacrificing the long-standing appeal of a lovable loser.

Boston has emerged as arguably baseball's best all-around team. The Red Sox may or may not finish first in the American League East, but one gets the impression that they won't be shaking in their cleats if they have to settle for the wild-card berth and wind up playing the pitching-challenged Yankees.

Unlike the Red Sox, the Cubs aren't playing their best when it counts the most and their futility streak looks safe for another year. Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou are showing their age. Nomar Garciaparra hasn't supplied the spark many observers anticipated. Injuries and inconsistency have plagued young power pitchers Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. The bullpen has been overworked and come up empty too often. It is too early to write off the Cubs, but they're no longer the favorites to win the National League wild-card playoff berth.

Boston vs. St. Louis has the makings for a classic Fall Classic this October. The four World Series the Red Sox have lost since 1918 all went the maximum seven games and the Cardinals won two of them (1946 and 1967).

Cardinals fans would almost unanimously expect their team to win. Many Red Sox fans probably would be hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

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A baseball player enjoying one of the 10-best overall seasons in the majors this year might not get a single vote for Most Valuable Player. Carlos Beltran entered Friday night having played 69 games for Kansas City and 69 games for Houston. His combined stats included 38 HRs, 101 RBI and 36 stolen bases. Playing a half-season in each league will cost him MVP votes but it won't cost him in the off-season when he figures to be the most sought-after free agent.

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Would anyone be shocked if Alfonso Soriano were playing second base for the Yankees next season? He is eligible for arbitration and the Texas Rangers might prefer to trade him and use his salary slot to improve the pitching staff. The return of Soriano and a healthy Jason Giambi would give the 2005 Yankees one of the all-time awesome lineups.