20161103 (winning)

Well paid to play well but still more fun to win

No joy in Mudville tonight.

But if, like I, you don’t give

A fig for sports, you probably

Sailed through those hours

In bed getting a good night’s

Sleep of a warm fall evening.

Can’t claim though that I was

Totally unconcerned. I did try

To find some coverage once I

Learned that Cleveland had 

Caught up to Chicago in the

Eighth inning by a young

Mr. Davis performing a miracle

Bringing in the two runs to

Make the match. Sadly for the

Home team such lighting strikes

Occur only once in a storm and

They failed to walkoff by not 

Earning a homer in the ninth.

Tearful nature intervened and

The rain which dampened the

Home spirits energized the

Visitors who nailed two runs

In the tenth. Our boys of

Summer delivered too little

Too late. The cheering subsided,

Quickly replaced by curses toward 

The Big Sister on the other lake.

Curses for the team management.

Curses to the Illinoians who had

Flown in for the seventh game who

Were rejoicing wildly, laughing

Uncontrollably that their competitors

Will be saying, “There’s always 

Next year,” assuming the role

Of eternal butt of sports’ stories.

If I could diverge momentarily 

Into ethical theory (like who’s 

Going to stop me?) last night

Could serve as an eminently

Teachable example. Cleveland

Played Epicureans who stinted 

Themselves no joy, who reveled

In every victory on the way

Dreaming of dominance—

A sorry, misbegotten assemblage

Lusting after what the fates 

Ultimately denied them.

Can’t say the Cubs fans were

Stoics by comparison for they 

Too drank the heady brew of 

Unrivaled success and,

Since they actually got it, can

Anyone say they didn’t earn 

It fairly and squarely? Of course

Many can and will replay and

Refashion events to their favor

More so with the consumption

Of additional draughts. The

Cubs had practiced for failure,

Years of practice. Were they truly

Stoical, on winning there would

Have been carefully controlled

Admissions of relief moderated

By realizations that it all could

Have gone otherwise. The fools

(Cleveland’s fans) who had let

Themselves imagine glory

Suffered grievously when in

A trice it was clutched aside.

Hey, guys! Remember? 

It’s only a game.

c. J.S.Manista, 2016