One word… BASEBALL!I have been a fan of the game since birth. Baseball is in me, it is in my blood. I know that makes me sound like a stark raving lunatic, and some might argue that I am just that lunatic but only someone with a similar love can know what I mean, it can’t be explained.
Last night, amongst the drunken bowling masses, I caught the last inning of NLCS Game 7. Now I am no fan of the Cards and have never claimed to be one. My allegiances have and always will lie with the Angels. But I have found myself routing for St. Louis, firstly because three of the prominent members of their starting lineup are former Angels and secondly because I know someone that is a huge fan.
When the final pitch hit the catchers glove for the series ending strike three I found my self yelling and pumping my fist, as I am known to do. I sent a quick “WS FUCK YEAH!” text message to this fan friend of mine. I got a response back almost immediately which was no surprise to me but it was the message that got me thinking. All that was sent back was “There are no words.” Hahahaha, this is funny to me. I have been there. At that exact moment and there are no words to describe that feeling.
For me it was 2002 and the Cinderella Angels went all the way. I was a complete wreck for nearly 2 months leading up to that World Series victory. My boss would joke with me that he was watching the games just to see what my mood would be like the next day. If they lost I was going to be a complete snatch to everyone and if the won I was equally difficult to be around because I was going around saying “IN YOUR FACE” hahaha Damnit, I wish I could come up with something slightly more clever than that but hey whatever. I hung on every pitch; to me it was that everything was riding on that victory. Once that final out was recorded there was just a huge release of tension and complete elation. The team that I had spent my entire life watching, loving and being completely frustrated by, had won. They took home the trophy and got their rings wrapped in millions but I took home a sense of pride. Even writing that seems retarded to me, but it is true. I felt proud, proud to be a fan, to have been part of that experience after YEARS of coming up short, sometimes REALLY short!
She was right, there are no words for the feeling you get at that moment but I know exactly what she meant by that statement. For anyone else out there that has a love for a sports team, one that has lasted a lifetime. I hope you have the opportunity to see your team win, to have that feeling that you can’t put into words.