I’m not going to sit here and lie.
If my friend from Denver hadn’t flown in for Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, I wasn’t going to go. In fact, when he called me on Wednesday to try and figure out a game plan for the game, I asked him if he wanted both tickets.
Him: “WHAT?”
What was the point? I mean, if the Cardinals lose, I have no interest in sitting there and watching the Rangers celebrate on Busch Stadium grass. If the Cardinals win, I’ve already got Game 7 tickets and that will be amazing. What’s the upside to going? Plus, with the rain delay pushing the game to Thursday, I could make a couple hundred bucks just selling them.
Him: “Remember Jim Edmonds? What if you miss that? Don’t be an idiot.”
Again, I can’t lie. That argument rang a bit hollow. That Jim Edmonds walk-off HR in 2004 wasn’t going to be repeated, right? The chances were infinitesimal that something like that happens again. But screw it, he’d never been to a World Series game before.
BEST. DECISION. EVER.
It’s easy to get caught up in the hyperbole the day after, but I honestly don’t know if I’m going to be able to top last night. We might have reached the pinnacle of baseball excitement. And every highlight package and news story I see shows me something I missed watching the game from far out in left field.
Just how close Nelson Cruz was to catching that Freese Double. Or the fact that the season was down to the last strike. Twice! Or the Cardinals organized bench sitting for luck. Or the shredded jersey and bat being sent to the Hall of Fame. The list is INSANE.
The lesson, as it pretty much is always, is that we can talk ourselves out of pretty much anything. Costs too much. Work will suck tomorrow. What about the kids. Etc al.
But the people that grab life by the apple bag and just go do it are sometimes rewarded.
And sometimes they are rewarded with the memories that will never, ever go away.
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