The Moment After

The next day, several photos would be printed in newspapers all over the nation that would tell the tale of two fanbases. There was the photo of a young boy in the stands at Fenway, with the Red Sox' "B" logo painted on his face, holding up a poster board sign that read "WE BELIEVE", while fans are seen filtering out of the stadium behind him after the game. There was the photo taken in a church in Brookline, Massachusetts, of a 92-year old gentleman consoling his young great-granddaughter while she cried uncontrollably after seeing her heroes lose, reflecting several generations of anguish. There was the photo of celebrating Cubs fans, hanging a stuffed toy goat in effigy outside of Wrigley Field, and symbolizing the end of their suffering. But one photo would have a lasting impact on the fans of not only the Red Sox and Cubs, but sports fans as a whole.

An unknown photographer captured number 77 for the Chicago Cubs, Terrence O'Brien, embracing his older brother Tim on the field, separated from the celebration taking place on the field. Both men were in tears, one absorbing his team's loss, and the other trying to absorb his brother's pain. Terrence O'Brien had chosen, in the proudest moment of his baseball career, not to celebrate immediately with his teammates, but to console his grieving brother. The photo ran in both the Boston Globe, as well as the Chicago Tribune. Sports bars all over the country requested a copy of the photo for their walls. T-shirts were printed and sold with images of the brothers' embrace. It came to be known simply as "The Moment After". Reporters asked them countless times what they said to one another during their embrace, but Tim and Terrence both felt that was something better kept between them.

Terrence O'Brien began the next season with the Cubs as a setup man, but got injured two months into the season. He was sent down to the minor leagues as part of his rehabilitation, but never made it back to the major leagues. His playing career ended due to injury by that season's end. The Chicago Cubs made the playoffs again that season, but were eliminated by the Philadelphia Phillies. Boston missed the playoffs altogether.

Tim O'Brien and the Red Sox made it back to the World Series the following year. They defeated the Houston Astros, four games to two, for their first World Series victory since 1918. When the final out was made, Tim did not join his teammates immediately at the pitcher's mound of Fenway Park, in front of a deafening crowd of fans. Instead, he ran to the bullpen to hug the Red Sox pitching coach; Number 77, Terrence O'Brien.