Those of you who know me, know that I can be a superstitious person. Especially when it comes to my beloved Red Sox -- or really any New England team that's making a run. For the Patriots, I have only one t-shirt. And that t-shirt gets buried at the bottom of my drawer each season. I don't even so much as touch it or even entertain the thought that it is there.
I went into full superstition mode yesterday during Curt Shilling's no-hit bid. Catching only the latter half of the game, I was shocked when the end-of-the-inning scoreboard came up 0 0 1. I turned to the Mrs. sitting with Isaac.
"You know that I'm superstitious about baseball, right?"
Only a look of sarcasm.
"Well, there are some instances during a particular game where it behooves a person to not say anything regarding a certain something during that game."
I didn't use the word "behoove". Though, in a conversation yesterday, I did work in the word diffidence.
"Yes," she replied.
"So if you should see something on the scoreboard and that should elicit a question or two, please don't ask them until later."
Again, didn't use the word elicit.
She consented and we managed to talk around the actual no-hit bid while both eagerly hoping to see one.
I have never seen a no-hitter start to finish. Neither had she. Though her first EVER baseball game she watched, a September match-up between the Red Sox and Yankees in '01, featured Mike Mussina within one-hit of a PERFECT GAME. I had never seen that either. And only with two-strikes on Carl Everett did I begin to root for the feat. Everett broke it up. The only good thing he did with the Sox.
It didn't happen for Schill yesterday. And I was crushed when Stewart broke it up. But I appreciated how the announcers for the Sox acknowledged the 'mentioning-the-no-hitter-jinx' which many announcers find dubious. Though, usually when they begin to discuss their highfalutin view of the dubiousness, the no-hitter proceeds to get broken up. I can count at least two-dozen times I've seen this happen. Anyway, props to Remy and Orsillo for talking around it.
There are some things you just don't talk about during a baseball game. Some things you just don't mention. Some things that are just too glorious that you feel too selfish to even hope for: a five-run rally in the ninth, a perfect game or no-hitter, 4 Home Runs in a game, a game-winning hit. These are things every time you turn on a baseball game you just hope for with everything you got. You pull a Tiger Town.
And sometimes talking about the hope lessens the hope. Puts it in the context of the present reality and makes it seem foolish. Hope is a foolish, foolish thing.
But without it....
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Because, quite often, little of what I say is of any lasting value. Though in rare occasion, may I invoke your illative sense. Ex umbris et imaginibus in veritatem.
5 comments:
I was very lucky to have attended last Sunday's game against the Yankees. In the top of the ninth inning with a tied game and A-Rod at the plate. The goofy fans choose to diss him with fake blond hair wigs of some sort. May have somthing to do with being in the company of someone other than his wife? Guess what?? He hits a home run and the rotten Yankees are ahead by one run and in turn win the game. Did we jinx ourselves with those stupid fake blond wigs? You bet we did.
Agreed. Also, I didn't find that move to be classy by Sox fans. I did find the screaming "MINE!" everytime there was a pop-up towards A-Rod comical and enjoyable. I even pulled that move last night during a softball game -- after the ball had been caught though.
I do not agree with you about the lack of class being displayed against A-Rod. I only mentioned that we jinxed ourselves with those stupid fake wigs. While in the stands there were many classless Red Sox fans chanting some sort of vulgar taunt towards an empire over a call against the home team. A father directly behind us with two young boys mentioned to his sons not to even think of yelling this vulgar taunt. I felt sorry for the guy and his two sons, out for a nice evening and having to deal with this garbage.
Shilling almost had a no-no... Alfonso Soriano almost had the elusive 4 home runs. Well, he wasn't that close, but he did have 3 home runs. He also got walked, had two ground outs, and a line-drive base hit.
That's what I call "a good game."
The magic of baseball
between the lines and in the seats
A winning blast, the slide that beats
The cheers in a win
the boos for a sin
Post a Comment