I don’t really think in terms of individual games when I
think of sports events. There’s of course my first Chicago Cubs game (1998
where Mark McGwire hit 1 homer but Sammy Sosa hit 2) and my first ever Chicago
Bulls game (against Yao Ming) and my first and last Oakland Raiders game (as
detailed previously), but those were live events. Especially with Sportscenter
compressing all of the day’s sports action into one single show and cutting down
on my need to watch a game in its entirety and thus produce a lasting memory of
it, I don’t really remember singular sports games that I see on TV. What helps
is if I’m doing something different in real life while watching the game (in a
new environment, in a stressful situation, on vacation in a new place, etc.). For example, ditching work to watch NCAA March
Madness games at a local bar, or being the only guy wearing a Bulls jersey at
the airport right before takeoff watching the Bulls lose Game 6 to the
Philadelphia Sixers in devastating fashion. Filter those out, and all the games
I watch at home on my TV sitting in the same spot seem to blend together. That
is, except, for games that are just incredible in of themselves.
Tuesday night’s Oakland A’s- Kansas City Royals one-game
playoff was one of those events. The concept of a one-game playoff is pretty
appealing in itself: the NFL consists of one-game playoffs and are the most
well-received and viewed events of the year, so it’s a treat when baseball rewards
us with some. Going into this game, a rare “pick’em” situation had materialized
in betting circles: oddsmakers thought the A’s and Royals had the same chances
of winning.
I’ll let narrators more capable than myself break down the
game, but what stuck out to me was the number of times both teams put men on
base. Neither team was known for their home run abilities and more for a “chipping”
offense, especially the Royals, and they lived up to that reputation. That’s
what the baseball playoffs are all about: men on base, tie game or very close
game, every pitch could change the course of the whole game. Very seldom in the
ADD environment nowadays of having multiple games on at once do we concentrate
on one game and one game only, but that game captivated my attention. Some old
foggies site one of the really tight games as happening because “there was
something in the air that night,” but I tend to think it’s when baseball forces
align, both teams were evenly matched, and the one-game playoff brought the
best out of both, fighting and scratching and doing whatever they could to win
the game. And us spectators were the beneficiaries.
Going to the Angels Royals Game 1 tonight Game 1 ALDS!!!!
Thunderstix! Rally monkey! The Big A! 2-hour traffic from downtown to get to
the game! Mike Trout! Angels bats v. Jason Vargas! Jered Weaver! No more magic
for the Royals! Light up the halo! YES! YES! YES!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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