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The Dodgers Lose the Pennant

After losing game 6 of the National League Championship series last night, the baseball season is now officially over for the Boys in Blue.  And although logically I realize what a terrific season it's been, I'm still completely devastated.  Because you see - I just knew deep down in my heart of hearts that we were meant to win this year's National League pennant.  Like it was foreordained and this was "THE" year.  So for some reason that makes it even more difficult.  

For the last several days I've had going through my head a quote from "The Natural", where Wilford Brimley, as manager of the New York Knights, tells Richard Farnsworth - "Red, I wanted to win that pennant more than I wanted any g--d---ed thing in my life, and you'd think just this once I could've got it. I didn't care nothin' about the Series. Win or lose, I'd have been satisfied."  Of course, right then the injured Roy Hobbs walks in, and you KNOW that the Knights are indeed going to win that pennant.

I think the reference from "The Natural" came to mind because for so much of this year's season, it played out similar to the way it played out for the fictional Knights.  The Dodgers began the season with a lot of expectations, but quickly found their way into the National League basement.  They were a team beset with injured over-the-hill superstars, who couldn't play hard or play together. This despite their massive contracts. Their manager, Don Mattingly (aka Donnie Baseball) was quickly on his way to being fired.  But then one day, just when things are at their bleakest, Roy Hobbs, in the form of a young Cuban defector named Yasiel Puig, showed up. Whereas Roy Hobbs was middle-aged and a man reticent about his past, Puig didn't really know how old he was, or much about his own past in Cuba. His story even came with a number of tragic attempts to defect.  But when he finally did arrive, and they finally let him play, it was magic.  Like Hobbs, he played right field, and "anything he wants to hit, he hits".  For his first month he was hitting over .400.  The Bums in turn responded, quickly crawling their way out of the basement and to the top of their division, at one point going something like 42-8.  For this true-blue fan there was joy and rejoicing.

But as we all know, Hobbs, distracted by the alure of fame and Memo, falls into a deep slump, and the Knights quickly begin their descent back into the basement.  Similarly, all of a sudden, the entire country was alive with Puig-mania.  Overcome by the distraction of sudden fame and the negative comments of jealous fellow ballplayers, Puig went through a slump, and so did the rest of the team.  In the case of Hobbs, he works out of his slump by reuniting with his own true love. I don't know whether Puig had a true love other than baseball. But maybe he rediscovered his joy for the game or something. Because he turned it around enough that the Dodgers ended up in the post-season and quickly sent the Atlanta Braves packing from the first round.  So you see - that pennant was so close I could taste it.

Sadly, my Boys ran into a determined, blue-collar St. Louis Cardinals team and lost the NLCS 4 games to 2. This time Roy Hobbs could not pull off a miracle. I'm heartbroken.  And this morning, I can confirm that there is indeed, "crying in baseball".

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