2013 World Series Musings

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  The NEED to Win has been replaced by a Healthy Desire to Win, and this Desire is a much more amenable team-mate.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 9^th inning.  It was a true walk-off in that the play was dead, the outcome already decided.  I’m pretty sure that Cardinals’ 3^rd 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 7^th (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.