Jubilant but bleary-eyed Red Sox fans who slouched into work late on Monday had a ready-made excuse.

It’s the government’s fault.

Instead of turning the clocks back on Sunday for an extra hour of slumber, federal lawmaking from 2005 delayed the conclusion of Daylight Saving Time by one week, from Oct. 28 to Nov. 4. This spring, the beginning of DST was accelerated by four weeks, from April to March.

This delay, ironically, came from the heart of Red Sox country: a Democratic congressman from Massachusetts, Rep. Ed Markey, was a key co-sponsor of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. In the past, Markey has said the additional daylight garnered from the extra four weeks in spring would bring “a smile to everyone’s faces.”

This delay, though, put extra-large coffees into the hands of his constituents and thousands more across New England. If not for the victory, Rep. Markey’s oft-criticized bill could be undergoing some new scrutiny.

If any other year, Jonathan Papelbon’s World-Series ending strikeout would have technically occurred around 11 p.m., an average ending hour for baseball games. But thanks to the federal energy act, however, the crazy-legged closer’s historic punchout still came after midnight.

And so, a federal policy that intended to preserve America’s energy supplies actually drained the productivity from another sovereignty: Red Sox Nation.

Continued successes could mean more sleepless nights and double-shots of espresso for Rex Sox fans. It could also make “Did you stay awake?” as common a part of post-Red Sox playoff parlance as debate about Manny’s fantastic quotable fumblings or Papelbon’s unique dance steps.

But, as Sox fans, we’d watch the playoffs live even if they were being played on Jupiter Standard Time. Of all the reasons to disregard bedtimes and work times, World Series victories rank among the best. This is the best time in a century to be a baseball fan in New England. Nothing, not late nights or early mornings, should dampen it.

So from here, enjoy every last out – regardless of the hour.

After all, it’s the government’s fault.