Breaking Political Stories and Commentary. "We're at the height of the Roman Empire for the Republican Party, but the tide slowly but surely goes out." --Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
I'm sitting at my computer, radio tuned into the game. Baseball just isn't the same on television. There's something authentic about hearing radio's detailed commentary, focusing on the crowd noise that you never really notice on the tube.

I feel a little furtive. If you read my posts, you know I live in New York City, in the East Village, just a few miles from Yankee Stadium. I'm the fourth generation to live in the city. My great-grandparents Abe and Rose lived here, my grandpa Eli still lives here, and my mother lived here until heading off to my native California. The first game I ever saw was at Yankee stadium: The Yanks beat the Orioles, but I don't remember anything else about it. My grandpa is a died hard Yankees fan, and my mom roots for them still.

So, my New York roots are deep, but I've come to hate the Yankees. Naturally, my first love is my almost-hometown Oakland Athletics. My apartment has at least three A's caps floating around, and the day the A's are eliminated from World Series contention is always one of the worst of my year. The A's haven't won since the earthquake interrupted Bay Bridge Series of 1989, so I'm used to that hollow feeling, but it still puts me in a crappy mood. The A's have the baseball record for losing postseason series when they only have to win one more game to advance. It seems like every year, they just have to put away that one last game, but they never do. Well, not this year, I guess.

So sure, that the Yankees are usually the team against which the A's self-destruct probably affects my take on this, but that's not all. I'm sick of the Yankees just buying all the best players from other teams. The Yankees have more money than any other team -- due to baseball's screwed up revenue system -- which means that they're always the best team money can buy. While the A's struggle with a payroll that is a quarter of the Yankees, the Yanks can simply buy any A's player that stands out. That's frustrating, undermines fan loyalty, and is bad for baseball.

So, my New York team is the Mets. Yeah, they play in Queens, which is kind of embarrassing, and they're hardly poor, but the Yankees are so arrogant with their wealth that the Mets appear almost saintly in contrast.

Which brings me to the Red Sox. Are they poor? Yeah, I'm sure the Sox are practicing in the parking lot of the Boston welfare office. Naw, they have a good payroll, not like the Yankees though. And while the Yankees are cleancut to the man, the Red Sox are wild, and look hungry. While the Yankees players calmly maintain their balance against the weighty pull of their wallets, the Red Sox play with emotion, and make you feel that winning is something to care about.

So I'm in front of my computer, listening to the game, crossing my fingers and knocking on wood.

Let's Go Red Sox!

Comments
on Oct 12, 2004
blogic:

Secret service and FBI agents will be storming your place presently.

Oh! Wait a minute...... Sorry, wrong George.

Enjoy the game!
on Oct 12, 2004
Funny.

It gets ugly when Mrs. blogic and I go to Yankees-A's games.
on Oct 12, 2004
blogic:

Your thoughts for a Shilling? or should that be shelling?

J/K Tomorrow's another day...