The World Series is upon us once again, and in the world of the Major League Baseball fan, October baseball is as bitter-sweet as the Halloween candy that will end the month. The NL champion Giants face the AL champion Royals with it all on the line. This is when the baseball season peaks, with a world title at stake, but this is when it wanes, as summer dreams draw to an end.
Baseball fans looks forward to the drama of October baseball every year. They live on the edge of their seats all month long. No pitch is thrown with-out conviction, and no at-bat is ever conceded. Each player is giving their all, because each inning builds momentum. Each game builds the series, and each series builds the legend.
The World Series draws the interest of the masses, because Americans love a champion. The moment of the championship when we watch men rejoice like little boys, on the field and in the stands. That moment is priceless, but so is the journey.
The dream of a title begins in February. We hear those magical words “pitchers and catchers report”. Shortly after, Spring Training starts, so our hearts head south. If we can not attend, we all read-up on the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues. All hoping to crack the code of who will be champion.
Opening Day hits and we are all born-again. It’s the beginning of the season, and the end to old man winter. Refreshed and anew we all can believe. From the old-hats in Boston, to the up-starts in K.C. From the oldest of dynasties in the Bronx, to the newest ones in San Francisco. We all believe!
The ebb and flow of the 162 can take its toll on everybody involved. Players need ice and their batteries recharged. Die-hard fans need the next game, like a drug, after a blown save in just early June. We live and die with all 162.
The casual fan will say that the season is too long. A Mariners fan, whose team missed by just a game, would ask for at least one more day. Only six teams get a true ticket punched, so they’re all important. In the NBA and NHL over half the league gets in, so that argument is valid for those leagues. Our grand ol’ game is designed for the embrace of the journey.
The post-season is just the well deserved dessert, after a seven-course meal at a five-star restaurant. Dig in America, and savor the sweetness of October. Because, the bitterness of November-February will have us licking our chops come first pitch in the spring.
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