2013 World Series Musings
Written over the
course of the last eight days…in diary form and not re-visited (except for
spelling and grammar.)
October 23, 2013
Over the last couple of months I’ve grown a powerful Red Sox
Beard and they’ve responded well; so well in fact, that they play host to the
Cardinals for Games 1 and 2 (and 6 and 7?) of the 2013 World Series. Of course, I’d prefer that the Sox win the
Series; and I predict they will in 6 games.
But I don’t really care if they win.
They’ve provided a fine season, with fine character. I’m not going to let a specific outcome (Series
Won or Series Lost) tarnish my appreciation for the process by which they’ve
restored The Faith to Boston and Red Sox Nation.
What a different feeling from 1975, 1986, or 2004; not to
mention 1978 or 2003. How
liberating! The NEED to Win has been
replaced by a Healthy Desire to Win, and this Desire is a much more amenable
team-mate. The Sox have now been there
before, and I suspect they’ll be there again.
So on World Series Eve, I’m willing to just enjoy the games, to let the
outcome be decided on the field, to not get too invested, and to reasonably
manage my sleep schedule.
October 25, 2013
The Series is tied, 1-1, after a couple of games in which
the defenses faltered. I think Defense
is the most interesting aspect of baseball.
The outcome of a batted ball, in play, rests in the balance of the
defense’s execution, and the drama persists until the play is over. Much of the games’ beauty and athletic
expression resides in this execution.
Defensive failure typically doesn’t add to my enjoyment of the game, but
I’m OK with the split, originally thinking that this will likely take six
games. But I do have to specifically note
that the Cardinals’ tying and winning runs in Game 2 scored on an extremely ugly
play involving possibly the shallowest World Series sacrifice fly ever, a
dropped ball and an over-throw. The Sox
seemed like a Team of Destiny when Ortiz broke the Game 2 shut-out with a
lead-changing 2-run homer; but their mortality was revealed by this play.
October 28, 2013
The Series is now tied, 2-2, after two more very
interesting, although strange, games.
Each ended in a fashion unbecoming of the stage, each in a different
team’s favor. The Series will be decided
in Boston (which I applaud), and I’m still on track with my original
prediction.
Game 3 ended in an “Obstruction” call which awarded home
plate to the Cardinals for the winning run in the bottom of the 9th
inning. It was a true walk-off in that
the play was dead, the outcome already decided.
I’m pretty sure that Cardinals’ 3rd Base Coach Jose Oquendo
should be credited with a steal of home, because I think his protests provided
the notice and motivation for the call.
I’m not disagreeing with the call; everything was too fast, confused and
subjective to argue against it. It was
just disheartening to see a World Series Game decided in a manner outside of
the hands of the players.
This play encompassed a lot!
It’s simply hard not to acknowledge the awareness and athleticism of both
Pedroia and Nava. These players (by
which I mean all players at this level) are good! They pretty routinely pull off plays that are
beyond what can be expected from normal humans.
A truly unique 4-2-5-7-2 double play, with both outs at the plate(!),
simultaneously unfolded and was erased by the umpire’s call. One beautiful thing about baseball; you never
know what you’re going to see. Another
Baseball Truism illustrated there-in is that the ball will find you. Middlebrooks, cold off the bench and in at
third base as a defensive replacement, was found Guilty of Obstruction, and the
entire inning had been set up by an infield hit to Bogaerts (moved from third
to short to accommodate Middlebrooks) and a scooting double, within reach, but
under Middlebrooks’ glove.
The play also evoked memories of Baseball’s Hopeless
Bystander. I had several seasons end as
a spectator on the field or in the on-deck circle, powerless to affect or
continue the play. This feeling is one
of the big reasons I’m currently a fan of objective individual sports
(swimming, track and field, etc.), because you can’t really blame the
clock. But perhaps a worse feeling is
that of Participant in a famous or decisive play. I’m no Billy Buckner, but my High School
baseball career ended with a probable bunt situation, an exploding line drive
to third, a ricochet off the knee into the stands, and the awarding of two
bases to each runner…thereby plating the tying and winning runs and determining
the league’s playoff participants. Can
you guess who had been shifted from short to third to defend the bunt?
Finally, the ump called Obstruction and so Obstruction
indeed took place. No arguments
here. And yet, our understanding of this
concept comes from a Rule Book (with its limitations in wording, scope, anticipation,
and understanding) and the implementation of the rules. Does this fully capture the innate truth, the
core essence, the Numenon of what
physically took place? Or does this simply
provide a theoretical construct /Real-World Paradigm for us to evaluate our
surroundings? I think by definition,
this is the case; thrown balls and running men mean nothing without the context
of the rules. They at least mean something within a specified
context. But let’s face it, the ump
could have just as easily NOT called obstruction; and we’d have an entirely
different interpretation of reality with exactly the same set of physical
events. Are our perceived realities
really this fragile?
Like I said, this play encompassed a lot!
Game 4 ended with the tying run at the plate, in the form of
Carlos Beltran. He’s got quite the
October resume. But then the bat was
taken out of his hands when a Cardinal got picked off first base. This just shouldn’t happen, but it did! Based
on his reaction, I’m not sure anybody was more surprised than the Sox’ pitcher,
Uehara, but he’s operating at a different level these days. This felt like a decisive play. Decisive, not only in the sense of this game;
but for the Series.
October 29, 2013
Game 5 was
simply a pleasure to watch. It featured:
· Two Aces, each throwing well;
· A little pressure relieved early on,
with Pedroia and Ortiz both doubling in the first for a one-run lead;
· No real sense of urgency after
Holladay’s long drive to tie the score;
· Only a single, meaningful walk combined,
and no defensive errors; and
· A new, joyful Hero-of-the-Night
(Ross) for the Sox with his double down the line for the go-ahead run in the
seventh.
All in all
it was a satisfying, comprehensive team victory that was earned, and not
bequeathed by an overly generous opponent.
So now it’s
back to Boston with a chance for the Sox to clinch a World Series at Fenway for
the first time since 1918. I can
appreciate 95 years; that’s older than any living relative I can claim, and I
doubt there’s anybody who can prove they were there when Babe Ruth’s Red Sox
last won at home. I doubly doubt that
said person would be able to throw out Wednesday’s First Pitch, but I’d love to
see it.
October 30, 2013
It makes sense to end it tonight. The weather forecast for tonight is
seasonable, but there’s a bunch of rain on the horizon, and I remember the long
wait for Game 6 in 1975. I don’t see
anything good arising from any weather-induced rumination periods, and I’d hate
to see weather/field conditions play a deciding role in the Series’
outcome. So here’s to a quick, clean
game tonight. Will the Sox have Carlton
Fisk, Luis Tiant, Freddy Lynn or Bernie Carbo throw out the First Pitch in
celebration of Fenway Game 6?
Regardless, I look forward to watching the game’s end after my shift
with The Man, catching a satisfying night’s sleep, and wearing my Sox pullover
to work tomorrow. I can always claim I’m
dressed as Napoli, Gomes or Ross for Halloween.
October 31, 2013
I couldn’t help but recall Game 6 of the 1986 World Series
last night. My work kept me away from
watching most of that game, but I recall that the Sox were comfortably ahead with
Cy Young-winning Clemens on the mound as I returned home; the score was tied as
I turned the game on; and events were leading up to The Billy Buckner Play and
a subsequent 18-year wait for another Series Opportunity.
But the 2013 Sox held on to their lead as I travelled home
last night, and when the Cardinals’ rally fizzled in the 7th (5 runs
short; could only a Red Sox fan envision a Holladay 3-run homer, followed by a
collapsed bullpen and who knows what else?), the day’s drama was over. The rest of the game played out concisely and
according to script.
Most baseball players are pretty lame Public Speakers and
most don’t seem to know how to comfortably celebrate in public, so events after
the last out seemed pretty anti-climactic. It’s all just a game, and so all non-invested
adults should know that the outcome really doesn’t matter in the big scheme of
things. But I have to admit, “Winning”
is generally better than “Losing”, and a World Championship probably does have
some tangible benefits for the City of Boston and its citizenry. Personally, it was awfully nice to share the
rare moments of family snuggling in the late-night glow of the TV as the games
were played. Finally, there is beauty in
witnessing any group of professionals at the very pinnacle of their field; it’s
awesome to acknowledge any complete, successful team effort; and my Red Sox
Beard has been a fun way to publicly participate in this.
Now every good Red Sox Beard has a name, and I’m pretty sure
mine is “The Alienator”. With the season
now complete, I can go take a shave; but first I have to consider any
repercussions for the local Lady Pioneers and their current efforts in winning
their State Swimming Championship; and I can just picture what the Bruins would
look like in late May, should they adopt The Beard in the quest for a Stanley
Cup.
