The Improbability Of Our Current Situation: If I Knew A Pandemic Was Coming, I Would Have Savored World Series Game 7 Even More

The first game of the 2020 World Series is tonight, but it won't be anything like the World Series game I attended last year. It's Game 1, so it could never have the drama of my Game 7, but that's not the only difference. The pandemic has changed sports and created different levels of "bubbles" for players and in large part has reduced or eliminated fans from the mix. I'll share my experience to give Dodgers and Rays fans a better sensory primer for what might have been like without the pandemic. It was a truly unique experience sitting among thousands of Astro's fans. The Nationals were down 1; it’s only 1 run, so I thought "we can do this?"Then the Nationals were down 2 runs; and I thought "okay guys move the line". In the fourth inning I started playing "Words with Friends" to occupy my mind from thinking about potentially being in the middle of the Astros’ victory celebration; “Take it Back”! The orange towels were waving and the locals were cheering; beer spilled serendipitously as they gave each other ‘high fives’. They were nice folks who loved their team, so I responded to their joy with the solemn respect of a kindred sports fan. The two teachers to the left of me were kind and they asked me if I was having fun? I said sure it’s game 7 of the World Series and the next baseball after this is pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training. My Nationals hat revealed my loyalty in this ocean of Houston Astros orange jubilation. Brian Davis from Houston was two seats to my left with an empty seat in between when the game started. He was there for game 6 with his friends, but they didn’t return since the Astros lost and they didn’t want to jinx game 7. The seat in between Brian and me was filled periodically by a local gentleman who showed up initially in the 3rd inning with a full beer stacked in three empty beer cups; he was obviously both a beer fan and baseball fan. The Nats’ bats started working and the line started to move. Max Scherzer’s wizardry, as a future Hall of Fame pitcher, stranded base runners and kept victory within reach. Corbin went to work and he kept the formidable Astros, who won their first World Series two years earlier in 2017 and won a league-leading 106 games this season, in check. No one had any idea about the Astro's cheating scheme at that point, but I'm even more impressed now that the Nationals were able to transcend the odds.

Although the Nationals worked their “small ball” strategy to take the lead by a run; 3-2, I wasn’t comfortable because the home team could effortlessly walk that off. Obviously when the Nationals pushed the lead to 4-2 that was better, but certainly not insurmountable. Wow, when it reached 6-2; I wanted to say I think we have this...but let’s not speak too soon or in my case think out loud. I introspectively speculate that Houston’s mistake was not bringing in Cole to pitch following Greinke because, of course, management from the stands is also a national pastime, however, that’s the call of the guy being paid to do this; who am I to second guess a recent World Series-winning manager? When two teams this great have matched wits for 6 games, it’s the small lapses that make the difference. Some Astros’ fans started leaving in the 7th, with more in the 8th, and greater numbers in the 9th; however, my Houston hosts, minus the "hops & barley" advocate, stayed to congratulate me on my team’s victory. I made my way down to the lower level for the trophy presentation and celebrated with the contingent of Washington Nationals fans who braved the rigors of being ‘away fans’ in a highly charged high stakes environment. Stephen Strasburg got the World Series MVP trophy and a "new look" corvette that looked like a Ferrari because his precise performance in game 6 kept the dream alive.

My makeshift crew who befriended me at a business conference, which was planned long before I could have predicted the Nationals would be in the World Series, accompanied me to the game and waited patiently while I enjoyed the festivities. They sat in another section because we all purchased tickets before we knew anyone else was interested in attending. I texted Dustin Howard, a K-12 curriculum director from Palm Springs who looked more like a defensive lineman for the LA Rams, I would be up shortly; he replied take your time because this doesn’t happen every day. As I watched the surreal spectacle, I reflected on the season. This team was 12 games below .500 and the media began to report stories of their collapse following the departure of their star player, Bryce Harper. The media grumbled that the Nats’ manager, Davy Martinez, might need to be fired. However, the Nationals ignored the pundits, became a fun-loving family, and defied the statistics without fail. I remember when they were down by 6 runs to the Mets and they scored an improbable 7 runs at the bottom of the 9th for a win in a manner that statistically never happened before. They were true to their statistically defiant form by winning a World Series where the home teams never won a home game; unprecedented! Baseball is an allegory for life; you might get down, but you’ll never be out if you continue to believe in yourself and gain strength from those close to you, but most of all find fun in your improbable struggle. I think the latter really resonates during the current pandemic because it's improbable that we should be in our current circumstance, but we will only survive by working together. I hope I gave Dodgers and Rays fans a sense of my lived experience, but most of all I implore everyone to grab their "rally towels" or more realistically "rally masks" to make sure that we have the opportunity to enjoy the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup, or whatever floats your boat next year, together.