Saturday, October 27, 2007

Red Sox Nation, Rockies Alienation


Sorry, Matt Holliday. Smack dab in the middle of the 2007 World Series, I am making it official.

I am rooting for the Boston Red Sox.

Say what?

I am rooting for the Boston Red Sox.

Yes, I am a National League fan.

I am rooting for the Boston Red Sox.

But, aren't the Colorado Rockies the feel-good story of baseball? With all the refreshing low paid kids just having a ball playing the national pastime?

I am rooting for the Boston Red Sox.

Granted my decision isn't going to merit the same attention as longtime Yankee fan deluxe Rudy Guiliani's announcement that he was pulling for the Sawx. Heck, the way Yankee fans are thrashing him, you would think they found Julius Caesar's bloody toga in his washing machine at home.

I admit that Boston, having shed themselves of the cute hapless demeanor they so snugly wore for almost 100 years, have ceased to be the darlings of America. As a matter of fact, with their bloated payroll and collection of high-priced individualists, the Red Sox are in immediate danger of becoming baseball's version of the Anti-Christ.

Which, of course, is in direct contrast with the Rockies, who are, of course, the Pro-Christ.

And therein lies the reason why I am rooting for the Boston Red Sox.

You see, sports gremlins, the Rockies' recent torrid September and subsequent meteoric rise through the standings brought attention to a franchise that was generally ignored in the past. And it has come out that the Rockies are, what you would call, a Christian organization. Their ownership has mentioned of late that their 2007 success is due to their commitment to signing ballplayers who reflect the moral values and life style of Christianity. There was even one comment maybe that, perhaps, the Rockies' playoff berth was, in large part, due to God's intervention. After all, they are a team that has largely accepted that Jesus Christ is the one true savior.

Well, now, the Phillies can finally know why they were swept by the Rockies. Jesus doesn't love Ryan Howard.

The Diamondbacks can come to grips with the fact that it wasn't a lack of hitting on their part during the NLCS. God doesn't like Brandon Webb.

And Met fans can finally understand what happened to them during the second half of September. Hell, their collapse wasn't due to anything that happened on the field. Trace it back to the roster spot taken up by that infernal Jew, Shawn Green.

Just like in our political platforms, there is little room in baseball for religion. When I hear Matt Holliday and Jamie Carroll praise God in the highest in the Rockie clubhouse celebration after their tiebreaking win against the Padres, I wonder how God made the choice that night. Come on, He chose the Rockies over the PADRES. Aren't they working for the firm itself?

I don't care what the Rockies organization thinks. God did not have a hand in their amazing season. God did not make the home plate umpire miss the call at the plate. It wasn't Jesus who coaxed Padre manager Bud Black into not arguing such a blatantly bad call. And, indeed, I would say it wasn't their Christian commitment that was behind their September pennant drive. When you get right down to it, seven of those victories came against a Dodger ballclub with a clubhouse that was hopelessly conflicted. Indeed, watching the Blue Crew in September did prompt me to exclaim several times, "Oh, for the love of Christ." But, no, I really don't think that pushed the holy envelope one way or the other.

Religion is a personal relationship with God. And it should be kept that way. When the Dodgers won the World Series in 1988, the arm that got them there, Orel Hershiser, knelt on the mound and prayed for 15 seconds.

He did it silently.

As it should have been.

No, God doesn't love the Rockies anymore than he loves the Phillies or the Red Sox or the Mets or the Dodgers. God loves everyone.

As it should be.

He probably even loves Barry Bonds.

But, I'm betting He is waiting to hear the results of the BALCO investigation.

Dinner last night: Pepperoni pizza at Gianna's in Yonkers.

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