It’s over! History has been made. People will still be talking about this decades from now. It was close, at times way too close. How invigorating it was to see the rejuvenation and enthusiasm of the masses! But it’s over and we can finally take a deep breath and relax because the Red Sox won the series.
The eight straight playoff wins was a major league playoff record and the shaggy, self-professed “bunch of idiots” from Boston had finally erased an 86-year championship drought and lifted a supposed curse put on the organization for trading the stout, then-pitcher Babe to those diabolical Yankees.
It’s an inspiring, intriguing story complete with a bona fide underdog doing the unthinkable, something Hollywood only wishes it could produce.
Baseball, like politics, has in the past decade or so largely fallen off America’s radar.
It has become a third-rate sport and a fourth-rate entertainment attraction.
But baseball is exactly what our society needs right now.
In an age of lightning-speed Internet connections, glitzy fast-breaks and explosions-every-minute, America has become a society that believes if something is not instantaneous, it’s not worth the time.
Baseball is methodical, self-paced and intensely psychological.
For fans, it’s quite the opposite. It doesn’t take every moment of a fan’s attention to follow. There’s lengthy time between pitches and innings. Going to the ballpark for an afternoon or evening allows the fan to witness an athletic match while also socializing with friends and family.
Baseball games provide ample time for something that is often lost in our television-obsessed culture: conversation.
The dust-bowl infields, pastoral outfields and oft-relaxed atmosphere is the perfect place to pluck down from the sky whatever conversation topics may be hovering beneath the ethereal glow of lights.
Pop-culture, politics, spirituality-none of these seems out of place in the confines of a baseball game. In fact, all seem encouraged by the game’s brilliant set-up.
It is the ultimate in fan-participatory sports: You can be engulfed in the intricacies of the game and your companion at the same time.
As the last leaves of autumn fall to the ground, so do the last fly balls. We baseball fans are forced into our annual hibernation from the purest sport.
But when the grass and trees regain their green hues and days stretch into late evening, we will be back out in the bleachers with those we love, ready to participate in the ritual that combines athleticism with philosophical discussions.
What better way to lift our spirits after licking our wounds all winter from yesterday’s results?
Like the sun rising after a stormy night, spring training awaits to give us something to look forward to after our hopes were dashed.