They felt good. Baseball people are happy because baseball is a happy thing, or should be. The alumni of the early free agent era have wealth to cheer them up, of course. But Ted Lepcio and Pumpsie Green were as happy as any of yesterday's celebrants, and they certainly didn't get rich playing ball. One of the keys to baseball happiness is selective memory.
Optimism is an essential survival mechanism for all baseball folks.
If it weren't, the Red Sox would've gone out of business before the 1987 season. Fans weaned on that Bambino claptrap and talk radio may think walking on the sunny side of the street is a silly way to live. We'll see how they look at age 88. Assuming they get there.