("Cubs, Nerds and 'True Baseball' ")
It is a sport saturated in statistics, analyzed, dissected
and categorized. Sounding at times more like a science experiment than
an endeavor of the body and soul.
But that was not the definition of game seven, wrapped in
drama that resonated in the very core of both fans and the artists who
drew a masterpiece worthy of Picasso.
Was there nothing more beautiful than the conversation in
the Cubs dugout where the grizzled veteran, in the final chapter of his
career, counselled calm to the young star (the cub) struggling to
control his emotion?
This was a moment where all the norms and dictates of facts
and figures were cast asunder, where starters appeared in relief, where
pitch counts disappeared, where adrenaline carried exhausted arms and
legs forward, where decades and decades of disappointment and
frustration were about to end for one of these franchises, where the
travails of the outside universe were, for a brief moment, forgotten.
This night may have been the result of intense study by
"nerds" of numbers and deviations from the norm, but tell that to the
pitcher who cried in the dugout after one of his triple digit offerings
was turned around into a game tying blast, or the pure joy on the face
of the first baseman as he tucked the ball he had secured for the last
out, deep into his back pocket.
One can argue that baseball, without its clock, with its
sometimes endless maneuverings, can seem anachronistic, an endeavor for
last century and for those who have too much time on their hands to wade
endlessly into troves of numbers. But not on this night, which
represented none of that, but was rather filled with absolute joy,
unremitting heartache and the ebb and flow of a contest that will stand
forever more as a testament to the heart.
4 comments:
Trump’s post-election strategy:
I predict that Hillary Clinton will prevail in Tuesday’s election, but not by much. Right now polls suggest that she will get 272 votes in the Electoral College, out of the 270 that a winner needs.
Each state gets a specified amount of votes based upon its population, which is the same as how congressional members are allotted.
By getting to 272, Clinton will have won some states by very small margins. Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Nevada and Michigan come to mind.
This will enable Trump to sue for a recount in those states and try to tie up the final approval of the Electoral College vote, which takes place in December. Each state has to certify the results in order to authorize the Electors to cast their ballots at the Electoral College, so any pending law suit will hold up the process as it did in Florida in 2000, until the Supreme Court weighed in.
If the Electoral College is tied up and cannot give a candidate a majority of 270 or more votes, then the US constitution requires that the incoming House of Representatives, which convenes on January 3rd , 2017 sit and elect the president, as its first order of business. The method is that each of the 50 states (and maybe Washington DC) get one vote each. This is NOT a vote of each member—it is, instead, a singular vote allotted one to each state delegation.
Because most state delegations are majority-Republican, they can meet amongst themselves, accept or reject the majority vote of their respective state, and vote for the candidate of their choice. Of the 50 state congressional delegations—29 are majority-GOP, 4 are tied between GOP and Democrat, and, 17 are majority-Democrat.
This means that Trump can easily get a majority of over 25 and be elected President by the House of Representatives. (The last time this happened was in the early 19th century, which was even earlier than the Chicago Cubs last World Series victory).
If Trump loses to Clinton by razor thin margins, as is likely, then, in my opinion his strategy will be to stop Clinton through law suits in the courts and be all too happy to plunge this nation into an abyss of political darkness, international isolation, economic calamity and domestic turmoil.
I guess we really didn't escape that universe, even for one night. We are back to being mired in stats with a more lasting impact.
Mr Egert's prediction is spot on in my opinion. Clairvoyant? No-just an intelligent perspective on the cartoon we are all living in!! I have been predicting a similar outcome and I get nothing but silent stares in return!! Halloween is not over.....
You capture why I believe baseball is the most nearly perfect game in the universe.
J
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