Tuesday, October 27, 2009
"There's no crying in baseball!"--Jimmy Dugan, A League of Their Own
It's okay. Really.
I'm over it.
(Mostly.)
I mean, it really sucks that we lost to the Yankees, but it wasn't altogether surprising. They haven't had a World Series championship since 2000 and haven't even been to the series since 2003. For a team where winning is everything, it stood to reason that they would go out and find the best players money could buy. After they completely missed the playoffs last year, they went and spent almost a half billion dollars to sign three guys.
(Yeah. Billion. With a B.)
And they have every right to do that. Just like Wal-Mart has the right to go into small towns and compete the independent stores out of business.
Doesn't mean I have to like Wal-Mart. Or the Yankees. Or losing to the Yankees.
But, you know what? The Yankees are going to the World Series this year and the Angels aren't. It's disappointing, of course, but it's not the end of the world.
And the fact the Angels made it as far as they did, well...that's sort of a miracle anyway.
Before the season even began, the list of injured players was staggering. And then, Nick Adenhart was killed in that horrible car crash the very first week. The team struggled with grief and with a growing list of injuries and problems. It was amazing to see the way they pulled through and went on to win the division for the third year in a row.
And then they beat the Boston Red Sox. The team that's been a thorn in the side of Angels playoff teams since the 80s. It was beautiful.
Most of the so-called professional commentators acknowledged the Angels were a great team, but said the Yankees were going to sweep. The Angels didn't have a prayer against Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia.
(Okay, so it turned out they were right about CC Sabathia, but whatever.)
When the Angels won Game 3, Fox Sports announcers were visibly disappointed. This wasn't supposed to happen. The Yankees had it locked up. But win they did. And again in Game 5.
It's frustrating that the Angels lost two of those games because of their own errors, but it happened. Can't do anything about that. Just have to move on. And they did. They pushed the Yankees all the way to Game 6.
It's been an interesting season. I was still dating Philip when it started.
(He wasn't an Angels fan, but he was getting there.)
I think I knew even in April that things between us were changing. I just hoped either I was wrong or that it wasn't anything we couldn't come back from. It was a season full of highs and lows. For them, and for me. It was hard, but they kept going and I knew I had to as well.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I just hadn't felt excitement about anything in a very long time and I didn't know what it would take to get that back.
Well, it turned out I didn't have to wait so long for the answer.
Watching my team make it to the playoffs gave me something to be excited about. Something I could be passionate about. Something I could care about. It's silly. I mean, I know it's "just a game." But, for me, it's been more than that this year. In some ways, the Angels have saved me.
The night I learned Philip was breaking up with me, I went to an Angel game with Katie. Vladimir Guerrero got hurt and there was almost a fight in the stands. Totally took my mind off my problems. And the next night, when everything had been made official, I went to another game with Marc and Kristi. It turned out to be the most horrible game I've ever been to and we actually committed the cardinal sin of leaving early. But for a few brief hours, at the beginning of one of the most painful times of my adult life, I was able to think about something else.
All summer long, the Angels have been there. They kept showing up, working hard, getting through the tough times and never gave up. And I know they'll be back in March, ready to do it all again. Maybe next year will be better. Maybe it won't. But the team will be back, and so will I.
And so, to the Angels, I say: Thank you. Thanks for an amazing season. Thanks for a memorable postseason. And Chone Figgins, Vlad Guerrero, Bobby Abreu and John Lackey, PLEASE stay.
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"You know what they say. If you don't have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me."
~Clairee Belcher, Steel Magnolias