I’m writing this in anticipation of baseball’s World Series featuring the American League Champions Texas Rangers and the winner of last night’s game 7 of the NLCS Arizona or Philadelphia. Time will tell who advanced, but one thing is for sure the future is unpredictable. It all starts on Friday.
The World Series became my favorite sporting event way back in grade school when following it was done entirely by word of mouth, newspaper, or radio. Actually, you can add Joe Draper’s barber shop in Gridley as one of my sources because that’s where I learned about Don Larsen’s perfect game, no-hitter in the second game of the 1956 World Series between the Yankees and my Brooklyn Dodgers. I was 10 years old.
I went home amazed although the perfect game part confused me. I understood the no-hitter, but the perfect game left me confused.
My mom had suggested I ask Mr. Weller my principal about the perfect game because she didn’t know the answer. What she did understand was that her little Stevie was very interested in baseball and the World Series, so the next day she intervened suggesting to me that if I wasn’t feeling well in the afternoon I might ask to go home.
It took a minute, but soon I understood she was offering me the chance to come home and listen to the next World Series game on the radio. I, of course, took her up coming down with a sore throat that lasted amazingly throughout the World Series and I WAS HOOKED!
The 2023 World Series starts on Friday night with day games rare because of – you guessed it – TV. Regardless of who plays, I’ll be tuned in. Some say baseball is boring, but I disagree especially now with all the ways to describe and chart the games. Analytics have changed baseball making it more like a chess game if you pay attention.
Under any circumstances the 2023 World Series starts on Friday and it promises to be very unpredictable, so tune in and enjoy even if you have to tell a small fib to watch.
I’m Steve Sauder
