A Schilling for your Thoughts
Mari Margil
Money talks, but apparently no one is listening. At least not in the Yankees dugout where discussion is, well, curt.
The boys in blue were thoroughly routed last night - at home - by the Red Sox. And, your's truly was there to watch the blessed event.
Here's a point of fact: when down by 6 at the bottom of the 7th, Yankees fans go home.
Now, I think you'll agree, there's nothing fun or inspiring about that. Yet in these troubled times, I'm in constant search for inspiration. And I found some at the ballpark.
Being there reminded me of the importance of supporting what you believe in and doing what you know is right, through the ups and downs, despite the heckling and continuous stream of obscenities aimed in your direction.
And, hence our lesson for the day. As it is in baseball, it is in politics - chin up and keep your eyes on the ball, and you're sure to still be playing come Fall.
35-23 .603
 |
More Recent Posts | |
Albert Kaufman |
|
Guest Column |
|
Kari Chisholm |
|
Kari Chisholm |
Final pre-census estimate: Oregon's getting a sixth congressional seat |
Albert Kaufman |
Polluted by Money - How corporate cash corrupted one of the greenest states in America |
Guest Column |
|
Albert Kaufman |
Our Democrat Representatives in Action - What's on your wish list? |
Kari Chisholm |
|
Guest Column |
|
Kari Chisholm |
|
connect with blueoregon
1:21 a.m.
Jun 10, '06
Here's a point of fact: when down by 6 at the bottom of the 7th, Yankees fans go home.
That's because they aren't real baseball fans. They're only fans of winning. ;)
Jun 10, '06
While I suppose this post is made in good fun, I think it's quite ridiculous to draw the analogy you are trying to make because being in the ballpark one day in the last 10 years (a wild assumption) does not qualify you to understand the dynamics of Yankee fans or any other fans for that matter.
I'm glad you could attend the game. It's very easy to hate the Yankees and thus root against them. I'm glad you could afford a night at the ballpark in the Bronx. $25-$100 to get in (unless you sat in the bleachers - doubtful - or in a comped corporate seat - possible -). Maybe you had a nice hot dog ($6) and a flat, tasteless American beer ($6). Did you buy a program? ($4) How about one of those giant foam fingers ($6). Wow, a night at the ballpark really seems to add up.
While it's true that people like to support a winning team, what if it's a ballpark filled with people who can afford a $100 night at the park and have to hit The Street to sell derivatives before the Nikkei closes? You can't know how many 9 year olds are watching on an old TV with rabbit ears pulling in the pinstripes or listenting (as I did) to the radio as my bedtime was earlier than the midnight hour when these games end.
People who go to games at a corporate ballpark are not necessarily true fans. They are simply the ones who can afford such leisure activities. Pack the ballbark with 9 year olds that root for the Yankees and you'll have a tired group of kids the next day.
Don't hate the players. Hate the game.
Jun 10, '06
Baseball, no matter how you want to present it, sucks.
So does hockey.
4:33 p.m.
Jun 10, '06
...(a wild assumption)...(unless you sat in the bleachers - doubtful - or in a comped corporate seat - possible -)...
Yankee fan, do you think your compulsion to make assumptions about things you obviously know nothing about strengthens whatever argument it is you are trying to make?
Last time I went to see the Red Sox play (Fenway, not YS) I had a standing room ticket, didn't buy beer or foam fingers and had a blast. Saw my first in-person Grand Slam that evening.
Jun 10, '06
Schilling...that's the guy who campaigned for Bush, right?
9:26 a.m.
Jun 12, '06
Sadly, Curt Schilling did campaign for Bush. On the other hand, Theo Epstein and the principal owner of the Red Sox, John Henry, gave money to and supported Kerry in the 2004 election. When Epstein left the Red Sox last year (temporarily, as it turned out, thankfully), my thought was that he should have run for governor in MA. As for campaign commercials, if he could get the rights to the footage, he could have just aired the clip of Keith Foulke flipping the ball to Doug Mientkiewicz, paired with Joe Castiglione's radio call ("For the first time in 86 years, the Red Sox have won baseball’s world championship. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?"), over and over again; he would win in a landslide.
As for the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez and George Steinbrenner both gave the max to Bush.
Steve
11:24 a.m.
Jun 12, '06
Once again, Mari scores with the title. Gotta believe that our Bloggers can be as witty as the MSM folks.
That said, for politicos the most exciting division should be the NL West. All five teams are within 4.5 games of each other -- it's like a five-way election, and no one knows who'll come out on top. It's as if Ralph Nader became viable. Or Ben Westl-- er, ok, don't mean to go off-topic.
Yankees suck. Dodgers rule. As do the Rockies. Sadly, they're in the same division. Oh, the humanity.
Jun 12, '06
Evan,
Dodgers and Rockies?
You have issues!
3:37 p.m.
Jun 12, '06
Evan,
I think the best races will be in the AL East, where three teams with injury issues are battling it out, and in the NL West.
The 2006 Dodgers are a very interesting team - a mix of has-beens, reclamation projects, established, productive veterans, and the first arrivals (Kemp, Broxton, Ethier, Martin) of a boatload of talent that is rising up through the Dodgers' farm system at this time. Billingsley, Guzman, Elbert, Loney and others are on the way. The Dodgers should be a very competitive team over the next several years.
Steve
3:42 p.m.
Jun 12, '06
Yeah, I remember back in the 1970s and early 80s when four straight rookies of the year were Dodgers (oh, the days of Steve Sax and Fernando Valenzuela). Then another run of five in the 1990s. Farm systems, farm systems!
And Winston, I know I have issues. And not just with baseball.
10:48 a.m.
Jun 16, '06
The Sox have certainly tanked in the week since you wrote this. They have lost five of six in that time.
Steve
Jun 30, '06
Hey Mari, Long time no speak. I was googling all of my old friends from days gone by and your name brought me to Blue Oregon. Love all of the Seinfeld references in your columns although I am not up to date with the politics in Oregon. If I remember correctly you were one of the first Seinfeld fans on record. Hope life is good on the West Coast? It hasn't stopped raining in Boston for months.
<h2>C</h2>