It was a World Series for the ages: the Green Monster, the Curse of the Bambino, Snow at Coors Field, Fenway Park, the Ghost of Bill Buckner, 21 wins in 22 games, Denver's play off sweeps, Bloody Sock 2, The Old Timers versus The First Timers, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," The October Classic, America's pasttime, ....the list is endless.
When the dust at home plate settled, the box scores were tallied, and the last crackerjack box was swept from the bleachers, however, the result was final. Champagne corks were popped and one group of men was happy, while another couldn't "wait'll next year." It will be written in stone forever and recorded in the annals of Cooperstown at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The winners of this year's World Series? The Fox network, the companies who will make the Boston and Colorado jackets, posters, t-shirts, and caps, and the steroid producing drug companies.
The losers? The champions of the past who won based on skill, attitude, luck, determination, and the stronger will to win (and not chemicals) who have seen their legacy tarnished and the sport diminished. The losers? Little boys and grown up boys who once played catch with their fathers in the backyards of America (but all had to be in bed by the time the fifth inning rolled around because they had school tomorrow and the networks will only allow games to be broadcast in primetime). The losers? The dreamers who wanted to make the big leagues because they wanted to play in "the house that Ruth built" (who have evolved into those that want to play because it is the easiest way to make millions and get great endorsement deals).
This year's World Series rings will be worn by the talking heads at Fox and the BALCO boys (who may even give Barry Bonds his first one for inadvertently helping with their publicity).
It really was a lucky '07 for some people in the world of sports! Unfortunately, it was not a lucky '07 for the rest of us.
