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Volume CXXXIII, Number 6 |
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Some words for wounded fans
NICK LAROCQUE
STAFF WRITER
Five outs away from the World Series, and your ace was on the mound trying to hang on to a three run lead. This situation would give any fan confidence, especially if your team's ace is Mark Prior or Pedro Martinez. Surely, any fan would expect that his or her team, which has played well enough all year to get to this point, could manage to hold off any type of offensive run put together by its opponents for the next two innings. After all, this is for the World Series. In fact, this is even bigger than the World Series. For the fans in Chicago, this was about finally vindicated for having spent so many years devoting yourself to a team that has managed to be perennially bad since 1908 and end a 95-year championship drought. For Red Sox fans, this is about exorcizing the demons of Babe Ruth, Bob Gibson, Bucky Dent, and Bill Buckner. This was about shaking an 83-year-old curse that has brought you so close time and time again, only to crush you in the end. This was about knocking off the Evil Empire and its 26 World Series championships. This was the year of redemption and it was finally going to happen. Five outs away, up by three, and your money-man on the hill. It was like some kind of sick joke.
It has been nearly a week since the League Championship Series has ended, and the bitterness still hangs over Bowdoin College like a dark cloud. While many members of the community appear to have healed externally, their inner scars still come out whenever "the game" comes up. When the World Series is mentioned, I always hear the same response: "Dude, there's no way I'm watching the World Series. I don't even care who wins." This is a perfectly natural reaction given the circumstances, and any student around here could give you a million reasons why you should not bother watching. As I sat down at my desk to type this article, I tried to think of reasons why you should watch the World Series. I could only think of three, but I think they're pretty good.
First, watch the World Series because the Marlins may be the most fun team to watch in all of Major League Baseball. They are a breath of fresh air in an era of baseball that has been constantly criticized for placing too much emphasis on the long ball. They had seven hits in their game one victory over the Yankees, and all seven of them were singles. Unlike their counterparts, this is a team whose offensive attack is based on speed, smart base running, and clutch hitting. Jack McKeon has done an unbelievable job managing this team, completely turning them around since being named the manager last May. Watch the World Series because Josh Beckett is only 23 years old, and has been pitching like a seasoned veteran. Watch it because Dontrelle Willis is only 15 months older than I am. Watch it because Ivan Rodriguez is healthy and playing the best baseball of his career right now. Watch it because Juan Pierre is a blur in the outfield and on the base paths. These guys are exciting, and you do not want to miss them.
Second, watch the World Series so that you can watch Roger Clemens finish his baseball career. Despite all of the controversy that has surrounded him, The Rocket is one of the greatest pitchers of our era. The man has compiled six Cy Young Awards, 310 wins, 4,099 strikeouts, and a 3.19 career ERA. He might be the only man alive who was born in 1962 who can still throw a baseball 95 miles per hour, and put a nasty cut on it. Whether you love him or you hate him, Clemens is a true competitor in every sense of the word.
Third (and this is a big one), watch the World Series so that you can root against the Yankees. If you are a Red Sox fan, watch the World Series so that you can root against your hated long-time division rivals. Don't do it because they "buy all their players." So do the Red Sox, and until Major League Baseball works out a system to fix the problem of inequality, George Steinbrenner has the right to spend as much money as he wants. The anti-big market argument coming from a Red Sox fan is extremely hypocritical. The Red Sox are about as small-market as the Coca-Cola beverage company, which, by the way, makes great stuff. That being said, I still hate the Yankees. I hate them because they are my favorite team's division rival. I hate them because every year, without fail, they make all the right moves and wind up on top, and I hate having to hear their arrogant fans rub it into my face. If you're just a baseball fan, root against the Yankees because they are always there and you are sick of it. Root against them because you wanted to see someone else win. Root against them because you can't stand the arrogance of Derek Jeter when he strolls nonchalantly around the field as if he were god's gift to baseball. Root against them because every year they are so much better than your team and it drives you crazy. Watch the World Series so that you can root against the Yankees. Some may say that this is immature. I don't think it is.
These are my reasons to watch the World Series. I know they aren't great, but the truth of the matter is that there is nothing you can do that will give this World Series the same flavor that a Cubs-Red Sox series would have. You don't have to take my advice, but give it some thought. Winter is the longest of the four months, particularly in Brunswick, ME. This is your last chance to watch baseball for a long time, so make the most of it.
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