Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Rhetorical hyperbole much?
My goal this postseason it to help people understand the depth of the sickness of New England baseball fans. This isn't a Biblical battle of good versus evil ... it's not an epic journey into a galaxy far far away, it's a baseball game. The wrongs of the world will not be righted if the Yankees lose ... okay maybe they will, but it's still just a baseball game.
Dan Shaughnessy, in today's Boston Globe:
Tracing the tracks of their tears back to the ballpark in the Bronx where all the horrible things happened last October, the Red Sox returned to the American League Championship Series last night, fell behind, 8-0, then rallied mightily before again succumbing to the Yankees, 10-7.
TRACING THE TRACKS OF THEIR TEARS TO WHERE ALL THE HORRIBLE THINGS HAPPENED?? Yankee Stadium is not Dachau, give me a break.
Let's analyze this paragraph further. The hero returns to the place of his defeat. He is instantly overcome by his ancient foe, but somehow he reaches down into the depth of his soul to find the strength to make a valiant comeback. But alas, it is not enough to prevail against the power of his dark nemesis. He leaves defeated once again, but his honor is intact.
The emotional journey Shaughnessy takes us on is almost Homeric in its grandeur ... except for one thing -- IT'S STILL JUST A BASEBALL GAME.
Here's the New York Daily News' lead story on last night's game. Notice the objectivity. Also keep in mind that Mariano returned last night from a personal tragedy. This could have been exploited fot emotional jazz but was not. That's called restraint.
The Yankees had way too big a lead and the ALCS opener looked way too easy. They had clobbered Curt Schilling, 55,000 people refused to shut up the way the Boston ace wanted and Hideki Matsui had already knocked in five runs, tying an ALCS record.
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Dan Shaughnessy, in today's Boston Globe:
Tracing the tracks of their tears back to the ballpark in the Bronx where all the horrible things happened last October, the Red Sox returned to the American League Championship Series last night, fell behind, 8-0, then rallied mightily before again succumbing to the Yankees, 10-7.
TRACING THE TRACKS OF THEIR TEARS TO WHERE ALL THE HORRIBLE THINGS HAPPENED?? Yankee Stadium is not Dachau, give me a break.
Let's analyze this paragraph further. The hero returns to the place of his defeat. He is instantly overcome by his ancient foe, but somehow he reaches down into the depth of his soul to find the strength to make a valiant comeback. But alas, it is not enough to prevail against the power of his dark nemesis. He leaves defeated once again, but his honor is intact.
The emotional journey Shaughnessy takes us on is almost Homeric in its grandeur ... except for one thing -- IT'S STILL JUST A BASEBALL GAME.
Here's the New York Daily News' lead story on last night's game. Notice the objectivity. Also keep in mind that Mariano returned last night from a personal tragedy. This could have been exploited fot emotional jazz but was not. That's called restraint.
The Yankees had way too big a lead and the ALCS opener looked way too easy. They had clobbered Curt Schilling, 55,000 people refused to shut up the way the Boston ace wanted and Hideki Matsui had already knocked in five runs, tying an ALCS record.
Mike Mussina was working on a perfect game and Mariano Rivera, back from a funeral in Panama for two relatives who died in his pool, was in the bullpen by the fifth inning, enjoying hugs and solace from his teammates. Fans began chanting "Who's Your Daddy?" by the third inning, mocking Pedro Martinez with his self-inflicted catchphrase.
But things are never this simple in Yankees-Red Sox. Can't be. Boston turned an apparent blowout into more tense, more complex baseball, scoring seven times over the seventh and eighth innings. The Bosox put the tying run on third in the eighth, bringing in Rivera, who despite having his lead extended to three runs, faced the tying run in the ninth
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