Well, my Reds finally got back in the playoffs…for about fifteen minutes.

Barely a winning season record, couldn’t score a run, no launch angles, exit velo well within the local speed limits…

Analytics…they’ll kill ya.

Still, I watch.

It’s baseball. It’s my beloved Reds. They might win any night…they might……s’possible.

As disappointing as the year finished, it still illustrated with every game another of the many reasons to cherish the sport. Every final inning contains a chance of victory or failure. No matter how big a lead may be, the winning team must play major league caliber baseball and get those last three outs. No coasting.

Roger Angell in his very satisfying collection THE SUMMER GAME, quotes Earl Weaver in his 1969 explanation of the Orioles’ unexpected loss of the World Series to the Mets;

“You can’t sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You’ve got to throw the ball over the goddam plate and give the other man his chance. That’s why baseball is the greatest game of them all.”

No stalling. No waiting for the clock to run out.

“…give the other man his chance.”

Perhaps our elected officials should be watching a bit more baseball. Frankly, as far as our current elected officials are concerned, I’m more than ready to give another man (or woman) their chance!

( geezer grumping off to cypher some more about spin rates…)