Baptism
Here's all I will say about yesterday's game.
Being a relative newcomer to New England, I learned secondhand the pain, agony, and exhilaration of being a Red Sox fan. It's part of the catchecism every New Englander learns before they learn to walk: Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner, and the whole lot of it. The lessons came easy to me, being well-prepared in my youth as a Cleveland Browns and (erstwhile) Indians fan.
But a catchecism can only teach your mind. It takes a soul-quaking revelation to make you understand. now I understand.
Buckethead: as much as I'd like to root against the Marlins, I cannot. Pudge Rodriguez is one of my favorite players, and the rest of the team play exciting baseball. What's more, until the fires of hell swallow the Yankees (except Bernie Williams and Joe Torre: class acts), I won't be happy. I will accept as a substitute a soul-crushing Yankees defeat after which Derek Jeter cries like a little girl like he did last year after the Angels series.
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Johno,
Johno,
There are lots of good reasons to enjoy the world series, even if it is not to your liking.
First, the Marlins are not an overpriced team with lots of umph but no heart. They have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. The Yankees may be the big spenders, but even the Red Sox had a payroll that exceed $100 million. The Marlins have the classic rag-tag team of journeymen and unproven youngsters.
Second, you are not natively a Yankee or Red Sox fan--the type who would turn off the game because their teams are not involved. I'll bet that you watched many playoff games during years in which the Indians were not involved. Baseball is in your blood, not an obsessive desire for victory.
I am sorry that I cannot feel too badly for the Red Sox. I wanted them to win, but not if it required a seventh game. I disliked Martinez's hubris, and I feel that it was the team's undoing. That said, I thought they had a better chance at winning after they survived the ninth. In spite of the homerun, Wakefield had some of the best performances by a knuckleballer. I cannot hate the Yankees too much because of my lifelong loyalty to the Boone clan.
Next year in Cleveland!
My beloved mother says that
My beloved mother says that one of the wonderful things about sports is that you can hate without reason. I hate the Marlins - though not as much as I hate the Yankees. Besides, the two teams are from Florida and New York, and I hate all teams from NY, FL, Texas and California.
I can't see enjoying the World Series when I hate both teams. I have watched many series where my Indians were not a participant (necessarily, for the first quarter century of my life) and I love baseball. But it's hard to find a lesser of two evils when they're both so evil.
NDR, reserve your admonitions
NDR, reserve your admonitions for Buckethead today. I will root FOR the Marlins, for the reasons you list, plus the fact that Dontrelle Willams has the best baseball nickname in a generation (D Train!)
Although early this morning I vowed to not watch the Series, I'm going to. You're absoutely right: I'm a fan of the game as much as I am a fan of Boston. If it's good, I'll watch it.
Next year in Cleveland, indeed! Against the Braves-- wouldn't that be great?