Texas Tears
I know I'm late on commenting about the WS, but I needed some time to fully digest what happened. The last few nights have been difficult. Thursday through Saturday I didn't sleep very well. Often during conversations over the weekend, my eyes glazed over and I stared off into space thinking about 2-strike, 2-out counts, Nelson Cruz not covering enough ground in right, and ultimately, how if it was difficult for me to sleep, imagine how hard it must be for Neftali Feliz.
Truth is, I didn't watch Game 7. I had a trip to an indigenous community planned for a story during the games 3-4 weekend and bumped it back a week for the WS. The photographer that planned to go with me was pissed, though I said enough soothing things to calm her down. We rescheduled the trip for Friday, a day after the originally scheduled Game 7. Then it rained Wednesday, games pushed back. If the Rangers didn't win Thursday, I wasn't going to see Game 7. The town I went to didn't have electricity (think 2nd and a half world).
Part of me is glad I didn't see it. I came home yesterday to my internet world and watched the final out. I bit my lip and almost cried. I can't remember the last time I cared about a team so much as I did the 2011 TX Rangers. I've never been so excited, crushed, elated, sucker-punched and then depressed as Thursday night. First team to give up runs in the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th innings in a WS game. I assume they were the first team to ever be one strike away from a WS series win in consecutive innings and go on to lose. Salt in the wounds is 2nd WS loss in a row and I had already poured champagne in the glasses of my neighbors and girlfriend during the 9th inning. I read in the FW Star-Telegram that boxes of "Texas Rangers World Series Champs" shirts were delivered to the press box in the 9th and 10th innings of Game 6.
Had a couple of thoughts. Would I have preferred an 81-81 regular season without the WS agony? Heard some people say that. No. Playoffs were great, WS, even though horrifying in the end, was fantastic.
My other thought was: Now I know how it feels to be a 1990s Buffalo Bills fan, a Holland fan during the 2010 World Cup final, a Russian watching the 1980 Olympics Gold medal hockey game (and then reliving it with a bad movie 20-odd years later), or a 2008 Memphis Tigers fan when Derrick Rose and the boys squandered a 9-point lead during the final two minutes of the NCAA final by missing 4-of-5 free-throws and allowed Mario Chalmers to throw in a prayer 3-pointer with 2 seconds left to go to OT, resulting in an eventual loss.
You never really think about what is it like to be a player or fan on those teams until it happens to you. Then when it does, it makes you want to call Scott Norwood and take him out for ice cream and a drive-in movie.
Shit hurts. I woke up this morning with the Rangers still on my mind but I have a feeling this was the last mourning of my mourning. Lots of consoling comments at work today, but I imagine that by tomorrow or Wednesday, all baseball talk will pass.
I think the "What Ifs?", like when anything goes dreadfully awry, are the most haunting. What if Feliz had blown one by Freese, or Cruz had timed his jump, or Beltre had thrown home in the 10th instead of going to first, or Napoli had called a different pitch for Feldman, or we could have gotten f'ing David Descalso or John slumping Jay out to begin the 10th? What if anything that happened, didn't happen? How much better would I feel today?
I think the only positive I take from the end of baseball season is that I no longer have 3.5 hour commitment blocks in my schedule. Seventeen games in 25 days is a lot of time. I'll see my girlfriend more now, probably do my job better and maybe take up jogging again.
Hopefully during the next six weeks I'll be able to forget about Game 6, and when I read the Year In Sports review in the Dallas Morning News when I go home for Christmas, my urge to cry for what could have been, what should have been, and what wasn't, will be very distant memories. I hope sports never make me feel like this again.
Yes communications are good. Thanks for the invite Williams. The funny thing is that I too have been contemplating a myspace account and was thinking that my out going qoute would be "The war in Iraq has made the world safer and more stable". I would like to post some political stuff where everyone could read it. Or more people than I hear it with now, ie no-one.
Interesting information for anyone who cares (just a disclaimer so read on brown). Guess what I have realized this year? I learned that it is easier to be a socialist when you don't have an income and just sit around getting high one or three times a day. At least I read that somewhere or something.
That does not mean that I have lost respect for my old boheiman ways. It only means that I come home late in the day and feel the life not ripped out of me, just slowly sanded out. Which is where you guys come in. Ah friendship.
ps. I got a myspace account. My name is Ideotechnical. Props to all who know why.
I concur. Communication is good. Although I will not sign up for myspace. I'm not sure why. I think I fear being found by old allys turned enemies. There are a lot of people out there that I ended communication with for a reason. And the last thing I want is them showing up on my myspace page with a bunch of superficial questions about "What I'm doing?" while they quietly judge me. Wow. Blogs bring out some demons.
Like the bear I started my own blog (you basically have to to sign up.) So I think we can visit each other's blogs and post comments.
Love, Faust of "Faust's House Blog" located at http://adamfaust.blogspot.com/
Well surprise surprise, Lee has been a socialist since his junior year of high school. Although former roommates could attest to that after asking him to buy the next round. His casual nod and request to stay right here always left me wondering if he would actually come back or if I should go ahead and give him my money for our next round of drinks. Love you dude.
Williams, congrats on the new job and location. I am sure your former roommates in Tennesse are sad to lose the three way split on the bills. I think I'm down for New Years. I'm sure we can embarrass ourselves in any city.
My big fear with the blog arena is the opposite of Faust's fear. I know non of you all will quitely be judging. In fact, I doubt anyone will pass up the opportunity to judge out loud. Looking forward to it fellas.
Lordy lordy look who's forty. Lee is gonna be that middle aged man driving around in a 5 year old civic with about eleven bumper stickers. All the stickers will be carrying the same theme. The theme being something along the lines of "Out with government in with cool" "Taxes are for pussies" "I didn't vote for him" "Turn them off. TV's own You" "Sharks stole my baby, where's my peyote?" I love you Kid A
Hey brown remember when Lee & Brad fought in our disco kitchen over the war. AMAZING. only time in my life I've witnessed Lee act like faust.
cheers-
Well hello there my so called friends...just playin fellas. I am officially popping my blogger cherry. I really wasn't into creating my own b/c well i didn't want to put in the effort. Now I am here and loving it as I spend many lonely days with the most vulgar and dirtiest men on the planet. I had a guy tell me a story that involved the phrase "fuckity fuck fuck...fuck those motha fuckers" only to end with "well fuck me in my ass those fucking bastards". Classy.
I am getting this tingling sensation in my pants and it's not the herpes...i mean...shit
This is a perfect means of communication. Good job A-dub Hub but names gotta change. Anyway I am going to walk around the boat aimlessly and see if I can pick up any other interesting phrases to tell my boss.
Sincerely,
The Bone
(don't know where the nickname came from but it's growing on me like genital warts...my mom would be so proud)
Myspace is great for networking and making yourself look cool. Plus there is soo much 'vag' out there its ridiculous. To date, I have fucked 56 bitches from my friends list. Nothing tastes sweeter than intergalactic pussy...