Who is a White Sox fan supposed to root for during this World Series?
Do I root for the Yankees because they represent the overall strength of the American league? Or do I root against them because they’re the “Evil Empire” and represent what’s wrong with salary cap-less baseball?
On the other side there’s the Phillies. Do I root for the defending champions and their fan friendly trio of Rollins, Utley, and Howard? Or do I root against the National league purely out of spite for their brand of baseball.
I’ll tell you who I’ve been rooting for—neither team. Instead, I’ve been rooting for a particular situation, a game seven —and so far it’s losing.
That’s right, all I’ve wanted as a fan who doesn’t have a dog in this fight, is a game seven. A game seven is not just a normal game. It’s a game where “planning for the future” is out the window. No need to conserve your bullpen when if you lose there’s no tomorrow. Every decision by the manager, every call by the umpires, every decision to tag up or not tag up is magnified.
In short, Game Seven shines a light on the game of baseball and exposes what it really is—n amazing game.
My love of game sevens stems from a somewhat recent game. Last season, I was fortunate enough to snag a ticket for game 163 between the White Sox and Twins. The atmosphere at that game was electric from the moment I parked the car all the way through Brian Anderson’s diving catch to end the game. The quality of baseball that was played during the game is the kind we hope to see all season but rarely do.
In short, seeing highly paid athletes compete the way we did during little league and high school made me realize the beauty of the game seven situation.
With the Yankees leading 3-1, it’s up to the Phillies to win two consecutive games to force a game seven.
Can they do it? Who knows, but rest assured there’s a new Phillies fan for the next two games, then after that it’s time to sit back and enjoy the beauty of Game Seven.
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