So, if you are a fan of a sports team that hasn’t won a title in 108 years, and it is in the deciding, winner-take-all game of the league, you spend your entire night on the edge of your seat, right?
And, given the fact the game may go down as one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, ever played, you’d be up and down in your chair, cheering at the TV one moment, screaming at it the other, correct?
That’s what die-hard fans do, right?
Well, I’m a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan, and for years, I’ve been dying hard as the only consistent thing about that baseball team was not being able to win the World Series.
So here they were last Wednesday night, somehow clawing their way back into the World Series – a place they hadn’t been since 1945, by the way – to force Game 7 in Cleveland.
And they looked destined for victory, taking a 5-1 lead against pitchers who had dominated them so far in the series.
Next thing you know, it’s 6-3. I close my eyes during a commercial break and miss a couple of outs.
Then the Cubs bring in their closer early and he blows the lead. The game is tied 6-6.
And we’re headed to extra innings!
Then the rain starts and the game heads into a rain delay just before midnight.
Naturally, I close my eyes for a few minutes… only to wake up about 1:30 a.m. to see one of Cleveland’s pitchers talk about what might have been.
I missed the biggest moment in Cubs history that anyone alive has ever seen. Thank goodness for morning sports highlight shows, and for one sports network replaying the entire game (I caught the final inning).
When I was in my teens and 20s, no way that ever would have happened. I’d have been on the edge of my seat, barely able to breathe with each pitch.
I used to laugh at a friend’s father, a big sports fan, who’d nod off during games. Ditto for my late father-in-law, who’d slide off his glasses and kick back in the recliner between periods of his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs game, only to miss a good portion of the game.
Now, that’s me, it seems. Except that on Sunday night, as my Oakland Raiders played in prime time, I watched that game from start to finish, even though it ended close to midnight.
Go figure.
Take a shower, America
As I type this, American citizens had yet to cast their ballot for who will sit in the Oval Office for the next four years, but on the weekend, I at times laughed and shook my head in dismay at the slew of attack ads on the airwaves.
Hillary Clinton’s side hammered away on Donald Trump and his volatility, using former military personnel, including a nuclear launch officer, expressing concerns over Trump having control of the launch codes, overseeing the U.S. military, and representing that nation.
The Trump camp countered with images of an actor portraying Clinton as she violently and happily destroyed electronic devices, all while her voice provided narrative, as she casually dismissed her e-mail scandal. Considering the FBI once again said there would be no charges after investigating, this ad quickly lost steam.
The Clinton camp also repeatedly used shots of kids watching television, and then footage of Trump, well, being Trump, rallying the Republicans with rhetoric, and spewing vitriol.
And in perhaps the most humourous ad of the final stages of this mudslinging campaign, Future45, the Republican super PAC (political action committee) that also brought us Hillary beating the snot out of computers as mentioned earlier, did a cartoon ad, called “The Clintons.” It showed a long line of moving vans bringing the family’s “luggage” – scandals and other issues – to the White House, and ends with Bill Clinton flirting with the journalist covering “the story.”
Yikes.
I’m Canadian and I am so glad this campaign is over. I can only imagine the toll it has taken on the American people.
