It’s NOT about ONE TEAM or the Owners or Managers (or the leagues, or commissioner, or umps, or agents, or endorsements, or even the hot dogs. OK, maybe a little about the hotdogs).
Baseball is about life in America.
It’s about hot summer days and warm summer nights….the crack of a bat…the smell of fresh grass…the hotdogs and beer (or lobster rolls and sushi)… the unbelievable catch… the amazing throw… the sneaky runner stealing second… the slide into home and the ump signaling ‘SAFE!’…
the electronic fireworks… the stats… the nuances… the strategy… the announcer… the camaraderie… strikeouts… seventh inning stretch… JumboTron pix… the Star Spangled Banner and the goofy organ music…
the roar of a crowd… and the lump in your throat when a come-from-behind homerun wins the game.
BASEBALL IS about the SPORT and about ALL OF US who LOVE the BEAUTY of the GAME.
MY team is the SF Giants.I grew up loving baseball (first the Dodgers, then the Angels). But in my house you LOVE the Giants—or else. I have been a fan for about fifteen years. I know, practically a rookie.
I want the Giants to clobber the Padres so badly tonight that I can’t work today. (Hence this blog.) It is VERY important that the Giants win today—or even tomorrow (Zito throwing a no-hitter would be beautiful!).
But please, DO NOT let this race come down to the last game on Sunday.
I will be in the stands on Sunday afternoon. Besides being a freakin’ wreck the whole time, if MY BOYS should lose, I will take it personally and never forgive myself for attending the game.
You see, I was at Angel Stadium on Sunday, October 12, 1986,Game 5 of the ALCS, rooting for my beloved Angels. They were poised to win the American League pennant that day, leading the series with the Red Sox by 3 games to 1.
One more win and World Series here we come! The crowd was insane with anticipation.
At the top of the ninth inning, the Angels led by 5-2. Later it went to 5-4, with two outs AND two balls AND two strikes.
ONE MORE STRIKE and the ANGELS go to the Series. Please…please…please!!
Did not happen. The Angels lost the game 6-5. Then they lost the next two games and never made it to the Series.
For the fans in the stadium that day it was utterly the biggest WTF ever. We were stunned into silence. We were paralyzed with disbelief. We could not speak. We could not move.
The only sound heard was thousands of hearts breaking—a sound which echoed all the way to Boston. That game was so painful to witness it haunts me still.
Therefore, I can’t experience that again on Sunday—should it come down to that. But more important, I don’t want to think I am a JINX of any sort to teams that I love.
Consequently, I am offering up this FIGHT SONG to help the Giants trounce the Padres lickety-split.
Here are the lyrics. To the Giants Management: You may HAVE my song to help inspire OUR team and fans. (If you need a musician to compose the music, I suggest John Fogerty, Chris Isaak, or Billie Joe Armstrong.)
Only one thing left to say:
GO GIANTS GO!!!!