It's Just A Game - 204
Hal Wastes His Wages!
October 10, 2006

In recent days, more than one Red Sox fan has pointed out the fact that my coverage of the Yankees has dwindled significantly since October of 2004. I simply respond by saying, "Oh, you know me; if I don't have anything nice to say, I don't say anything at all." Then I tell them to go $*@% themselves.

Fact is, I've viewed the 2004 ALCS the same way an Iranian history teacher looks at he Holocaust--it never happened. And as much as I’d like to do the same regarding the subsequent disappointing seasons, I guess it's time to acknowledge certain shifts in the balance of the universe.

As hegemonic superpowers like my imperial Yankees and the Red Menace remain locked in an ideological struggle of good versus evil, upstart rogue organizations are beginning to wield their own influence in the world (series) arena. Increases in production, development of offensive and defensive weapons, and a cultivation of radical leadership have seemingly turned these organizations into viable threats to the status quo.

These groups have no respect for the way things work. In the past, they would simply kowtow to the intimidating powers that be and let them fight it out. But now the paradigm has shifted, and the battle-weary adversaries are seemingly unable to suppress what in the past would be considered minor threats.

For the record, we are still talking about baseball. And also for the record, baseball is still a game. Forget whatever you hear on ESPN from finger-pointing hacks, retired has-beens or blowhard former general managers whose teams are tangibly performing much better since they've left (I'm not naming names here…).You can spend all the money you want, develop formulas, look at statistics, so on and so forth. It's a game. You play the game. What happens on the field during the game then determines the outcome.

And I'm sure that comes across as mature analysis, but I'll admit it comes after much reflection. Things were a little different over the weekend, as I was spitting nails and calling for heads on platters. But check out this itinerary of sporting woe from the weekend past: I watched my beloved Ireland lose to Cyprus 5-2 in a Euro qualifier (soccer), my hometown Syracuse Orange lost 21-11 (how do you score 11 points in a football game?), my NFL Packers lost 23-20, and my NHL Devils lost 3-1. Oh, and I heard somewhere the Yankees apparently lost the ALDS. Now tell me that's not a weekend that makes you look back and say, "It's just a game."

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