Winning is Exhausting
Well, here we are again. I hope you are well. Let’s get on with this week’s extravaganza.
Back to Back!
This past Saturday, the Los Angeles Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series championship, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in seven hotly contested games.
Above is Dodger relief pitcher Will Klein, seen here posing with the championship trophy. No one will ever forget his gutsy, four-inning pitching performance to close out the longest game in World Series history. It was Klein’s only appearance in the series. Still, the memory of that game is sure to sustain him for years to come, and, hopefully, will ensure that he won't find himself playing for the Lancaster Luddites of The Amish Baseball League anytime soon.
Understandably, there is profound disappointment north of the border as the Blue Jays’ valiant efforts fell short. They are indeed a remarkably talented team that is poised to be a contender for years to come. Congratulations, Blujays, on a fantastic, though ultimately disappointing, series performance.
Somebody Call TMZ!
In Los Angeles, celebrity sightings at Dodger games are a routine occurrence. Of course, Canada has a vast array of its own luminaries. Among the most well-known is none other than comedy great and loyal Blue Jays fan, Eugene Levy, known in particular for his voluminous eyebrows and his performance in the TV series Schitt's Creek. Sorry about the shitty ending, Eugene.
On a related note, the Premier of the province of Ontario, Doug Ford, in honor of the Blue Jays ' valiant efforts, announced that Levy's famous eyebrows would be lowered to half-staff.
Winning is Exhausting
This year’s Fall Classic brought with it not only thrilling baseball but also moments of great insight. For example, winning, while deliriously joyful, is also f***ing exhausting.
Each game was hard fought and filled with tension, with game three lasting a torturous six hours and 40 minutes, nearly sending us into baseball-induced anaphylaxis. Fueled by loyalty (or stupidity), I managed to make it to the very end of the game, which began just after 5 PM and did not conclude until midnight. This is fine when you’re 20, but when you’re a little longer in the tooth, these sorts of shenanigans can leave you sleep deprived for days. Nevertheless, we persisted.
The stage was set when, behind the gutsy pitching of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the stellar defense of Miguel Rojas and Kike Hernandez, the Dodgers held off the Blue Jays to win game six and set up a decisive seventh game.
My moment of revelation came into sharp focus when game seven featured 2 2/3 innings of outstanding relief pitching by Yamamoto on the heels of his 96-pitch outing just one day prior.
The epiphany came in the bottom of the ninth inning when, with the game tied at three apiece, Dodger centerfielder Andy Pages made a dramatic, series-saving catch of a 366-foot drive off the bat of Toronto’s Ernie Clement. Announcer Joe Davis’s call of the play elicited a loud “motherf***er!” from someone within the boundaries of our domicile (name withheld in the interest of self-preservation). At first, I thought it was an expression of amazement at the miraculous play of the Dodger outfielder, but I quickly realized that it was, in fact, a cry of anguish at the prospect of yet another extra-inning affair. This was not an unwarranted fear. Happily, the Dodgers finally secured the victory via an 11th-inning home run by catcher Will Smith and a slick double play by Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
And so, the Fall Classic came to a glorious conclusion. Both teams left it all on the field. I left it all on the couch. Then, for the Dodgers, the battle gave way to celebratory champagne and shenanigans. And, for us, a complete collapse into a comatose state which, to Augie’s chagrin, was disrupted by several extended and highly annoying volleys of fireworks, which disturbed everybody’s slumber.
Winning is exhilarating, but it is also exhausting.
P.S. As I write this post, election results are starting to roll in, and, so far, things are looking good. Many of the candidates I was hoping would win look like they will succeed. I’ll bet they’re gonna be exhausted too.
That’s all for this week,
Until next time,
Peace. And rest.
Ray