The Baseball Gods Giveth and the Baseball Gods Taketh Away
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by AngeHamm
Anyone who's a regular reader of mine (or a friend of mine) knows that my fandom for the Boston Red Sox is in a state of uneasy truce with my love for the Philadelphia Phillies. One team is in my heart, the other is in my soul. Choosing between them is like choosing between my children. (Okay, my cats.) The fact that they're in different leagues makes it okay; they only play against each other every three years--or in my fantasy, head-exploding World Series of the Future.
So I'm not sure how to feel this morning. The Red Sox have just suffered an embarrassing smackdown at the hands of the formerly-flailing, now-surging Yankees, losing a three-game sweep. Look how sad Jason Varitek looks in this picture! I just want to fly up to Boston and give him a hug. I would embrace him with a firm, manly grip, patting his back and reminding him, "You still have a five-game lead, Tek. It's okay." The disappointment of getting swept in this series is going to hang on for a very long time. The Sox still have the best record in baseball, but it just feels icky right now.
On the other hand, there are the Philadelphia Phillies. In a much more unexpected and exciting development, the fightin' Phils swept the first-place Mets in a thrilling four-game series full of clutch hits, big plays, and late-inning heroics. Licensed Met-killer Pat "the Bat" Burrell, Agent 005 (pictured), rocked the hell out of Mets pitching as usual. The Phillies have been aiming for the Wild Card for quite some time; the Mets took over the NL East months ago. Now the Phils find themselves looking up the same two games in the standings at both New York in the East and San Diego in the Wild Card. And playing the way they are, injured pitching be damned, anything seems possible in the City of Cheesesteak.
I don't know how to feel today. I'm crying with one eye while the other sparkles. More importantly, which hat do I wear to the office today? Philadelphia in celebration, or Boston in support?
Well, actually, that last one is easy.
Kickoff Saturday trumps everything. For one more day, we are all Hokies.
Originally posted at Andrew Hamm: Postmodern Renaissance Man.
