Baseball May Not Save Us, But It Does Help

Yesterday, the guy who sent pipe bombs to several Democratic Party officials, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, was caught. He became known as the MAGABomber because of his van, festooned with Trump memorabilia.

This morning, a guy took an AR-15 assault rifle and shot up a synagogue in Pittsburgh. At this writing, the reports say that there are 12 dead, and that the shooter shot 3 cops before he was taken alive, shouting that the Jews must die.

And Donald Trump refuses to accept responsibility for his incendiary rhetoric, including bigoted "dog whistles," including the word "globalist" and references to George Soros, code words for "evil Jews. Soros was also the first person to receive a MAGABomb.

In between, there was a World Series game that went 18 innings, and captivated the nation, as proven by those following it online.

Game 3 of the 2018 World Series, which the Los Angeles Dodgers had to win, or else they'd be down 3 games to none, tied the record for the longest postseason game ever, and easily broke the record for the longest World Series game ever, 14 innings. Oddly, it was the Boston Red Sox and the Dodgers, albeit in Brooklyn, who first did that, in 1916. The winning pitcher for the Red Sox that day? Babe Ruth. (Somehow, in baseball, it eventually gets back to the Babe.)

I think it ended at 3:34 AM, New York time, meaning it was after midnight even in Los Angeles, where it was played. When Max Muncy wrote his name into baseball history with a walkoff home run off the valiant ex-Yankee Nathan Eovaldi, 30 years and 8 days after Kirk Gibson did it in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, I thought of what Jack Buck, calling the game for CBS Radio, said that night: "I don't believe what I just saw!"

Joe Buck, calling the game on TV for Fox, did not use his father's line. Joe doesn't have that kind of imagination.

A man who does have that kind of imagination is Phil Alden Robinson, the director and screenwriter of the 1989 film Field of Dreams. He had James Earl Jones, as reclusive writer and former civil rights activist Terence Mann, say this to Kevin Costner as Ray Kinsella:

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again.

But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: It's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh, people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.

Last night, millions of people who don't necessarily like either the Red Sox or the Dodgers were transfixed by this game that wouldn't end. A 14th inning stretch. Dodger Stadium's concession stands running out of food. Eovaldi forced to bat for himself. The Dodgers sending their ace pitcher, Clayton Kershaw, up as a pinch-hitter.

Jokes about how Justin Turner of the Dodgers and Craig Kimbrel of the Red Sox, both known for long beards, were clean-shaven when the game began. Jokes that this game began at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, which the Dodgers left in 1957. Jokes about who was President when the game began.

Somebody said that this game was longer in terms of elapsed time than the entire 1939 World Series, which the Yankees swept in 4 straight over the Cincinnati Reds. I told him, "I thought this was the 1939 World Series."

I was reminded of a joke that took place on a train, and adapted it: A woman walks up to a Dodger Stadium usher and says, "Help me to an ambulance, I'm having a baby!" And the usher says, "Ma'am, you shouldn't have come to the game in that condition. And she says, "I didn't!"

Sometimes, through all the anger and sadness, you just gotta laugh.

Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1953 to 1969, said, "I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man's failures."

Of course, at the time, he lived in Washington, where the Senators and the Redskins spent nearly his entire tenure on the Court being terrible.

Baseball may not save us, but it does help. So do other sports.

It's only a game.

No, it's not. An individual game is only a game. But sport does things for us that few things can.

Just ask Max Muncy. Few of us outside Southern California knew who he was when the game began. And the rest of his career, and his life, might be unremarkable. And, someday, probably in the 2060s or 2070s, there will be a headline, in whatever form the news takes by then, saying something along the lines of, "Max Muncy dies at 85, his home run ended marathon World Series game" -- narrowing his life down to one swing of the bat.

That wasn't fair for Bobby Thomson and Dave Henderson, and it won't be fair for Bill Mazeroski, Carlton Fisk, Chris Chambliss, Bucky Dent, the aforementioned Kirk Gibson, Aaron Boone, and any other big-homering name you can mention.

Certainly, it wasn't or won't be for the pitchers who gave those shots up: Ralph Branca, Donnie Moore, Ralph Terry, Pat Darcy, Mark Littell, Mike Torrez, Dennis Eckersley and Tim Wakefield. (Except for Darcy, who wouldn't have lasted long in the majors anyway, but still won that 1975 World Series, all of those guys were good pitchers who had their moments.)

Nor is it, or will it be, fair for the guys who made famous ballfield mistakes: Fred Merkle, Fred Snodgrass, Johnny Pesky, Bill Buckner -- good players, all of them.

But Max Muncy has joined the ranks of World Series heroes. We will talk about him forever.

Sometimes, tragedy or infamy overtakes us. Five World Series -- 1917, 1918, 1942, 1943 and 1944 -- have been played in times of World War. The 1949 Series happened right after the Communist takeover in China and the 1st Soviet nuclear test, scaring us. The 1957 Series happened right after the Little Rock school integration crisis and the launch of Sputnik. The Cuban Missile Crisis happened right after the 1962 Series, and some people took comfort during that scary time in talking about a great Series.

The Series of 1967 through 1972 were relief from having to constantly talk about Vietnam and riots; those of 1973 and 1974, Watergate. The 1977 Yankees took New Yorkers' minds off crime, riots, the Son of Sam and municipal bankruptcy. An earthquake hit San Francisco during the 1989 World Series, but the resumption helped the Bay Area heal. The Yankees' 2001 postseason run brought some relief after 9/11.

With the MAGABomber and yet another mass shooting, we need something that will make us smile again.

Last night, baseball did all it could -- for all intents and purposes, twice.

As long as baseball survives, as long as sport survives, it will help us to do the same.

*

Days until Arsenal play again: 1, tomorrow, at 9:30 AM New York time, away to South London team Crystal Palace. Following Thursday's win away to Sporting Clube de Portugal in Lisbon in UEFA Europa League play, The Arsenal are sitting on an 11-game winning streak in all competitions.

Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 1, tomorrow afternoon at 4:30, the regular season finale, home to Orlando City. Metro still have a shot at the MLS regular-season title, the Supporters' Shield. It would be their 3rd time with the honor in the last 6 seasons. But they're still looking for that elusive 1st MLS Cup. They would have to top the performance of Atlanta United: A win for us, and a draw or a loss for them; A draw for us, and a loss of 2 or more goals for them. 


Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": See the previous answer. The regular season ends the following Sunday, home to Orlando City. Then comes the MLS Cup Playoffs. New York City FC and Philly have qualified, and it looks like D.C. United also will, but the New England Revolution have been eliminated.

Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 7, a week from today, away to the University of Wisconsin. Mercifully, they have this weekend off.

Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: 7, a week from today, against the New York Islanders, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The next game against the Philadelphia Flyers will be on Thursday night, November 15, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The 1st game against the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum, will be on Thursday night, January 31, 2019, at the Prudential Center.

Days until the next Congressional election, when we can elect a Democratic Congress that can impeach and remove Donald Trump from the Presidency: 10, a week from this coming Tuesday, November 6. Get out and vote!

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 13, on Friday night, November 9, in a "consolation game" against a local opponent to be announced, of similar enrollment and record, who also didn't make the State Playoffs. Last night, they followed up a 53-point performance against Monroe by losing to neighboring (but not really rival) North Brunswick 36-0. Normal service has been restored.

Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 19, on Thursday, November 15, at 3:00 PM New York time, a friendly against England at Wembley Stadium in London. 

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State game: 21, on Saturday, November 17, at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. Exactly 3 weeks.