If readers have come to this space expecting to find meaning — or Earl Weaver, help us, comfort — in the sweep of the Baltimore Orioles by the Kansas City Royals, better turn the page or click on one of those ever-present digital ads for the warning signs of dementia. We’re not in the mood. Seriously. Any O’s fan who sat through the two-game American League wild-card series in which the home team scored all of one run through 18 innings while giving up just three is surely beyond consoling. And did we mention that after last year’s playoff sweep, this made ten consecutive postseason losses by the Birds? Of course, we did because misery loves — more misery.
In times like these, we generally turn to hard drink. But let us offer something less detrimental to our collective health. As Tom Hanks, playing the character of Jimmy Dugan, the alcoholic major leaguer recruited to manage the Rockford Peaches of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own,” rightly pointed out, “There’s no crying in baseball.” For those with a more literary bent, here’s your reminder: “But there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out.” That refers to how hopes and dreams can be immediately dashed by the title slugger’s game-ending whiff in the Ernest Lawrence Thayer poem “Casey at the Bat.”
Heartbreak is built into the game. Feeling any better? We didn’t think so.
But here’s the thing. Baseball games don’t turn on whether a city or a bunch of fans deserve a win (no matter how much they really, really do). They aren’t always determined by whether the players have had successful regular seasons. Oh, there’s obviously great skill involved. And strategy. There can be injuries, matchups, and on and on. And maybe some luck. But, as any ballplayer will tell you, often it comes down not to muscles or sinew or even the tendons in your elbow but to the little grey cells between the ears. Great teams bounce back from adversity. The Orioles will have that chance next season.
In the meantime, have we mentioned that quite a few games are yet to be played not far from Oriole Park at Camden Yards at a place called M&T Bank Stadium? The Orioles may be done, but it appears the Baltimore Ravens, after a slow start, are just getting warmed up. We aren’t predicting a Super Bowl win, but we sure see happier days ahead.
Baltimore Sun editorial writers offer opinions and analysis on news and issues relevant to readers. They operate separately from the newsroom.
