There are certain moments, every one of them very definable, in which sport proves itself to be almost larger than life. Until, that is, something occurs that shakes that belief up.

Events take place from time-to-time that make sports fans, and also those who play professionally, take a step back and truly realize that there are more important aspects of life than any game could possibly match.

This occurred, most obviously, on Sept. 11 when all professional sports, and many collegiate sports as well, stopped all action to pay homage to those who were in a time of crisis.

While not on the same level, something of the sort has happened again to make sports look much smaller in importance than most die-hard Boston Red Sox or St. Louis Cardinals fans may have wanted to admit at the beginning of the World Series.

In a time when celebrations for teams who reach the championship game for their respective sport, or win that game, swell quickly out of control, a case in Boston proved just how volatile and damaging a situation like that can be.

In this case, a crowd reaching between 60,000 and 80,000 people hit the streets of the city after their beloved Red Sox had taken game seven of the American League Championship Series against their rival of all rivals, the New York Yankees.

In the process, Boston police said some property was vandalized and fires were started, two things that have become regular occurrences in sports related celebrations.

The part that leaves regularity in the dust is when the death of a 21-year old Red Sox fan happened due to an errant pepper-spray bullet that hit the young lady, Victoria Snelgrove, in the eye, killing her only hours later.

The woman, who was a journalism student at Emerson College in Boston, had her life ended before it had really even started because of the chaos caused by fanatics who march the streets of their city in the name of their team.

Thus far, the police department has taken full responsibility for the shooting, and it has been reported that the scene surrounding the girl was fairly serene in comparison to other celebrations.

And while I am in no way justifying what the police department has done considering an apparently innocent woman was killed from a stray bullet, these situations have been occurring from city to city all too often in what are deemed “celebrations.”

Her parents, obviously angry about the situation, explained the situation like it could have been you, me or just about any other college student.

Her father described a young lady who loved the team she was cheering for and who went out to celebrate the team’s first World Series appearance since the late-1980’s.

Anyone who affiliates themselves with either of the Chicago teams or the Cardinals probably wishes for a day that they can go to a couple of bars and celebrate their winning ball club.

Not many people who envision the celebration also think about the tragic events that can go along with it.

That is where a lesson should be learned if these kinds of losses are ever going to be stopped.

It seems that from each city that fans are celebrating a team’s victory, something like this happens. Fans should finally figure out that enough is enough.