9.23.2005
baseball
So yesterday, I woke up to find that the Red Sox had dropped out of first place after losing to Tampa Bay, while the Yankees passed them to take the lead in the American League Eastern division. Sure enough, I got an email from my good friend and Yankees fan, Eric. I should explain: Eric loves sports and is probably the consummate fan. He has his teams, but he also recognizes excellent play when he sees it. And, as far as I can tell, he'll watch anything, but his first love is baseball. I'll reprint here the three emails we sent back and forth. I'm presenting these uncut and almost entirely unedited, except for their formatting and headers and one or two typos.
Why share it? Because this is why we both love baseball. My friend Christian is from Needham, MA, and he is seldom seen without a Red Sox cap. But when I talk to him about the Sox, it is clear that he doesn't know how they did the night before, who their next opponent is, or how the Yankees or Indians are doing. Eric is not like that: he's obsessed. As, evidently, am I. Here's why.
From: eric@xxxxx
Subject: YO
Date: September 22, 2005 6:16:26 AM GMT+01:00
To: joseph@xxxxx
The Yanks reclaim 1st place on the same night I finish reading Bill Simmons' new book, "And Now I Can Die In Peace." The book, a collection of articles from the beginning of Bill Simmons' career until the beginning of this season, is really an amazing collection of history. And it got me thinking, randomly at 1:10am.....
Ever since the Sox won the World Series, I feel like each game this season has been like watching the beginning of baseball all over again. Everything about this season seems epic. First season after the Sox victory. Carpenter vs. Clemens for the Cy Young. The ChiSox amazing start to the season. The ChiSox epic collapse, right now. The 25-and-younger Indians streaking to the first division title since '97 Marlins vs. Indians. The last good year for Greg Maddux. The first Steroid year, with Giambi, Raffy, and Bonds. Bonds' 704, 705, 706, and 707. Watching Big Papi and Manny in their prime. Watching Arod fight for the MVP. The potentially last year for the Biggio-Bagwell era in Houston. The first year without the Big 3 in Oakland. The Beltran and Pedro era in Shea. The first year of the Nationals. And of course, the first year I have a real job and have attended close to 20 live games, a record for me in one season.
So why am I writing this? Because I'm wondering how you've felt about this crazy past few months ... I wanna know that I'm not crazy for following baseball so closely this season that I feel like I am going to need a break and vacation come November.
Any thoughts?
-Eric
From: joseph@xxxxx
Subject: Re: YO
Date: September 22, 2005 5:55:57 PM GMT+01:00
To: eric@xxxxx
Well, yeah. So the Sox took a 3.5 game lead going into September and blew it. I wish I could say that it didn't have the air of inevitability, but with such lousy bullpen, it was looking more and more likely every day. What it came down to, really, was the fact that the Yankees have finally figured out how to beat Tampa Bay. And frankly, that Tampa Bay has figured out a way not to suck so bad. It's a shame they're in last place, or that might mean something more than spoiling Boston's hopes.
There was a wonderful article from the Boston Globe about 9 or 10 months back talking about how, after the Red Sox won, and the Patriots were on a roll, a father had been watching the Pittsburgh game on TV with his young son. This was the 22nd regular season game, the Patriots having won the previous 21. And the son was mortified that the Patriots had lost - in recent memory (especially to the child), the Patriots had never done so. And this was after the Red Sox had won it all. The father had to reassure his son that it was going to be OK, that sometimes Boston teams do lose (cough cough, Celtics), and that winning and losing are really part of a greater whole called the love of the game. I think that Boston is going to have a fall that's even harder this year: I don't think the Patriots are going to pull it off (they might yet surprise. Maybe the Carolina game galvanized them, who knows?) and I'm doubtful but hopeful for the Sox's playoff chances, even though they won't get terribly far without some better fielding and some relief pitching that doesn't suck. Or some starting pitching that doesn't suck. That would be nice too.
But you're right. Why does baseball do this to us? Because it's baseball. Because unlike football, you don't have to wait around until Sunday or Monday. Because unlike soccer, we care about it, we understand it, and we appreciate its complexity and its simultaneous simplicity. Because unlike hockey, the season went on and was assured, and because unlike basketball, the baseball is still about teamwork and not individual stars dunking the ball like the Harlem Globetrotters. And especially this year, it's because John McCain pushed steroids into the forefront, especially with the emphatic statements of Palmeiro and Schilling. Because Jose Canseco, despite being a joke, managed to get the focus back on baseball. Because A-Rod is a dick who slaps balls and we all want to see him do it again. Because all of the fantastic people who came out of Boston to other teams: Pedro, Minky, Nomar, D-Lowe and who have thus made their new teams something fun to watch. It's not that competition on a scale like this doesn't happen every year. But this year Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore made a movie called Fever Pitch. This year Bonds and Giambi and Palmeiro said no, then maybe, then oops. And because now, every so-called accursed team now has precedent to cite when they say they can do it this year, that this is the year. Especially when they're down 3-0 in a seven-game series and they need to pull out the biggest win streak of their lives.
I compare this to the Ashes Tournament this year in England. Don't know if you follow cricket, but here's the deal. The Ashes is a tournament between age-old rivals England and Australia. Every two years, the Ashes are played for (it's actually the ashes of several cricket balls) and it's been a tournament since 1882. England hasn't won in 18 years. It's a best of 5 tournament, though if there's a draw, then the team who won the previous tournament is declared the winner at the end. Australia won the first test. England won the next test by 2 runs, the closest match win in Ashes history, if I'm told correctly. The third test was a draw. England won the fourth test by three wickets. And it came down to the last test, in which England would win if they won or drew. They drew and the Ashes return to England after 18 years. The thing is, football is the main sport over here, with cricket and rugby dueling for second place. But this summer, the Ashes really took hold and the country went absolutely nuts. It's inspirational stories like that one, like the 1980 Miracle on Ice, that take hold and make the country take notice.
Finally, I firmly believe that baseball is special. For the entire summer, there are only a few precious days in which there isn't professional baseball being played somewhere. There are great games and there are infamous games, and for everything in between there's good, solid baseball. You can watch more bad news on CNN or you can watch baseball on ESPN. Your choice. This was the second year in a row I've attended a live game outside of Boston. Up until then, I'd never seen a game except in Fenway (now I've been to Shea and to U.S. Cellular). In doing so, I've reconnected with Russell, Ray, Stella, Graham and Tacy.
How have I felt? Like baseball was a wide-open world again. That just once, it was OK to believe in the Sox again. That David beat Goliath and that somehow I want to live in a country in which that's possible. After the 2003 World Series, which was a yawner compared to the heady prognostication of what might have been the Cubs / Sox series, baseball began to disappoint. Even my Yankees-fan friends didn't watch the series, finding it dull. But after the 2004 Series, after the highest ratings the ALCS has ever enjoyed, and the most closely watched World Series in a long time, baseball was back. So when we talk about baseball, we find an allegory for the best and worst of life. Working-class or pinstripes, we can all get together and agree, as we did just after the game on September 11th, that that was an amazing game.
That's why we've been feeling like this. Because baseball is, quite often, as good as it gets.
-joe
From: eric@xxxxx
Subject: Re: YO
Date: September 22, 2005 6:29:10 PM GMT+01:00
To: joseph@xxxxx
Joe, this is why I love you. Your writing is eloquent and perfect. Some comments:
"...the Yankees have finally figured out how to beat Tampa Bay."
--> I guess so - TB used to own us, and took the first two series against the Yankees this season before we swept them in the third series. Lou Pineilla is a good manager, as well as an unhinged psycho.
"I don't think the Patriots are going to pull it off..."
---> really? I think the Pats are still the scariest team I can think of, besides the Steelers. I am NOT scared of Indy or KC.
"Because all of the fantastic people who came out of Boston to other teams: Pedro, Minky, Nomar, D-Lowe and who have thus made their new teams something fun to watch..."
--> WOW. Very true, never thought of this. Because yeah I do think of those players as Red Sox still...
"And because now, every so-called accursed team now has precedent to cite when they say they can do it this year, that this is the year. Especially when they're down 3-0 in a seven-game series and they need to pull out the biggest win streak of their lives."
--> DOUBLE WOW! SO TRUE. my favorite part of this email.
"After the 2003 World Series, which was a yawner compared to the heady prognostication of what might have been the Cubs / Sox series, baseball began to disappoint."
--> UGH, so true. I could care less about the Marlins. Even the Giants-Angels series the year before was a snoozer to me. Blech.
Yeah man. You nailed it. Also, you've got to read that Bill Simmons book, YOU. WOULD. LOVE. IT.
-Eric
sfc
So I will admit to losing some faith in the Patriots (Belichek is still the amazing head coach that he is, but I would be much more optimistic if he still had Weis and Crennel on his staff) and yes, there are some who would obviously disagree with my assessment of the Red Sox or of why baseball matters. And I think, to further my point above, this is why baseball is great: because it means something different to each person. Just a note on the September 11th game mentioned above: that was the Tim Wakefield vs. Randy Johnson game. Unbelieveable game.
Why share it? Because this is why we both love baseball. My friend Christian is from Needham, MA, and he is seldom seen without a Red Sox cap. But when I talk to him about the Sox, it is clear that he doesn't know how they did the night before, who their next opponent is, or how the Yankees or Indians are doing. Eric is not like that: he's obsessed. As, evidently, am I. Here's why.
From: eric@xxxxx
Subject: YO
Date: September 22, 2005 6:16:26 AM GMT+01:00
To: joseph@xxxxx
The Yanks reclaim 1st place on the same night I finish reading Bill Simmons' new book, "And Now I Can Die In Peace." The book, a collection of articles from the beginning of Bill Simmons' career until the beginning of this season, is really an amazing collection of history. And it got me thinking, randomly at 1:10am.....
Ever since the Sox won the World Series, I feel like each game this season has been like watching the beginning of baseball all over again. Everything about this season seems epic. First season after the Sox victory. Carpenter vs. Clemens for the Cy Young. The ChiSox amazing start to the season. The ChiSox epic collapse, right now. The 25-and-younger Indians streaking to the first division title since '97 Marlins vs. Indians. The last good year for Greg Maddux. The first Steroid year, with Giambi, Raffy, and Bonds. Bonds' 704, 705, 706, and 707. Watching Big Papi and Manny in their prime. Watching Arod fight for the MVP. The potentially last year for the Biggio-Bagwell era in Houston. The first year without the Big 3 in Oakland. The Beltran and Pedro era in Shea. The first year of the Nationals. And of course, the first year I have a real job and have attended close to 20 live games, a record for me in one season.
So why am I writing this? Because I'm wondering how you've felt about this crazy past few months ... I wanna know that I'm not crazy for following baseball so closely this season that I feel like I am going to need a break and vacation come November.
Any thoughts?
-Eric
From: joseph@xxxxx
Subject: Re: YO
Date: September 22, 2005 5:55:57 PM GMT+01:00
To: eric@xxxxx
Well, yeah. So the Sox took a 3.5 game lead going into September and blew it. I wish I could say that it didn't have the air of inevitability, but with such lousy bullpen, it was looking more and more likely every day. What it came down to, really, was the fact that the Yankees have finally figured out how to beat Tampa Bay. And frankly, that Tampa Bay has figured out a way not to suck so bad. It's a shame they're in last place, or that might mean something more than spoiling Boston's hopes.
There was a wonderful article from the Boston Globe about 9 or 10 months back talking about how, after the Red Sox won, and the Patriots were on a roll, a father had been watching the Pittsburgh game on TV with his young son. This was the 22nd regular season game, the Patriots having won the previous 21. And the son was mortified that the Patriots had lost - in recent memory (especially to the child), the Patriots had never done so. And this was after the Red Sox had won it all. The father had to reassure his son that it was going to be OK, that sometimes Boston teams do lose (cough cough, Celtics), and that winning and losing are really part of a greater whole called the love of the game. I think that Boston is going to have a fall that's even harder this year: I don't think the Patriots are going to pull it off (they might yet surprise. Maybe the Carolina game galvanized them, who knows?) and I'm doubtful but hopeful for the Sox's playoff chances, even though they won't get terribly far without some better fielding and some relief pitching that doesn't suck. Or some starting pitching that doesn't suck. That would be nice too.
But you're right. Why does baseball do this to us? Because it's baseball. Because unlike football, you don't have to wait around until Sunday or Monday. Because unlike soccer, we care about it, we understand it, and we appreciate its complexity and its simultaneous simplicity. Because unlike hockey, the season went on and was assured, and because unlike basketball, the baseball is still about teamwork and not individual stars dunking the ball like the Harlem Globetrotters. And especially this year, it's because John McCain pushed steroids into the forefront, especially with the emphatic statements of Palmeiro and Schilling. Because Jose Canseco, despite being a joke, managed to get the focus back on baseball. Because A-Rod is a dick who slaps balls and we all want to see him do it again. Because all of the fantastic people who came out of Boston to other teams: Pedro, Minky, Nomar, D-Lowe and who have thus made their new teams something fun to watch. It's not that competition on a scale like this doesn't happen every year. But this year Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore made a movie called Fever Pitch. This year Bonds and Giambi and Palmeiro said no, then maybe, then oops. And because now, every so-called accursed team now has precedent to cite when they say they can do it this year, that this is the year. Especially when they're down 3-0 in a seven-game series and they need to pull out the biggest win streak of their lives.
I compare this to the Ashes Tournament this year in England. Don't know if you follow cricket, but here's the deal. The Ashes is a tournament between age-old rivals England and Australia. Every two years, the Ashes are played for (it's actually the ashes of several cricket balls) and it's been a tournament since 1882. England hasn't won in 18 years. It's a best of 5 tournament, though if there's a draw, then the team who won the previous tournament is declared the winner at the end. Australia won the first test. England won the next test by 2 runs, the closest match win in Ashes history, if I'm told correctly. The third test was a draw. England won the fourth test by three wickets. And it came down to the last test, in which England would win if they won or drew. They drew and the Ashes return to England after 18 years. The thing is, football is the main sport over here, with cricket and rugby dueling for second place. But this summer, the Ashes really took hold and the country went absolutely nuts. It's inspirational stories like that one, like the 1980 Miracle on Ice, that take hold and make the country take notice.
Finally, I firmly believe that baseball is special. For the entire summer, there are only a few precious days in which there isn't professional baseball being played somewhere. There are great games and there are infamous games, and for everything in between there's good, solid baseball. You can watch more bad news on CNN or you can watch baseball on ESPN. Your choice. This was the second year in a row I've attended a live game outside of Boston. Up until then, I'd never seen a game except in Fenway (now I've been to Shea and to U.S. Cellular). In doing so, I've reconnected with Russell, Ray, Stella, Graham and Tacy.
How have I felt? Like baseball was a wide-open world again. That just once, it was OK to believe in the Sox again. That David beat Goliath and that somehow I want to live in a country in which that's possible. After the 2003 World Series, which was a yawner compared to the heady prognostication of what might have been the Cubs / Sox series, baseball began to disappoint. Even my Yankees-fan friends didn't watch the series, finding it dull. But after the 2004 Series, after the highest ratings the ALCS has ever enjoyed, and the most closely watched World Series in a long time, baseball was back. So when we talk about baseball, we find an allegory for the best and worst of life. Working-class or pinstripes, we can all get together and agree, as we did just after the game on September 11th, that that was an amazing game.
That's why we've been feeling like this. Because baseball is, quite often, as good as it gets.
-joe
From: eric@xxxxx
Subject: Re: YO
Date: September 22, 2005 6:29:10 PM GMT+01:00
To: joseph@xxxxx
Joe, this is why I love you. Your writing is eloquent and perfect. Some comments:
"...the Yankees have finally figured out how to beat Tampa Bay."
--> I guess so - TB used to own us, and took the first two series against the Yankees this season before we swept them in the third series. Lou Pineilla is a good manager, as well as an unhinged psycho.
"I don't think the Patriots are going to pull it off..."
---> really? I think the Pats are still the scariest team I can think of, besides the Steelers. I am NOT scared of Indy or KC.
"Because all of the fantastic people who came out of Boston to other teams: Pedro, Minky, Nomar, D-Lowe and who have thus made their new teams something fun to watch..."
--> WOW. Very true, never thought of this. Because yeah I do think of those players as Red Sox still...
"And because now, every so-called accursed team now has precedent to cite when they say they can do it this year, that this is the year. Especially when they're down 3-0 in a seven-game series and they need to pull out the biggest win streak of their lives."
--> DOUBLE WOW! SO TRUE. my favorite part of this email.
"After the 2003 World Series, which was a yawner compared to the heady prognostication of what might have been the Cubs / Sox series, baseball began to disappoint."
--> UGH, so true. I could care less about the Marlins. Even the Giants-Angels series the year before was a snoozer to me. Blech.
Yeah man. You nailed it. Also, you've got to read that Bill Simmons book, YOU. WOULD. LOVE. IT.
-Eric
sfc
So I will admit to losing some faith in the Patriots (Belichek is still the amazing head coach that he is, but I would be much more optimistic if he still had Weis and Crennel on his staff) and yes, there are some who would obviously disagree with my assessment of the Red Sox or of why baseball matters. And I think, to further my point above, this is why baseball is great: because it means something different to each person. Just a note on the September 11th game mentioned above: that was the Tim Wakefield vs. Randy Johnson game. Unbelieveable game.
