“I see great things in baseball. It’s our game – the American game. It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us from being a nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to us.” ~Walt Whitman
Well I do love baseball and even when my favorite teams don’t make the playoff there is something magical about the game. Baseball is an amazing game and today some six months and 162 games after opening day the drama that is baseball continued to amaze.
Yes I know that the United States is now “football nation” but that doesn’t mean that baseball is not the game that most represents the spirit of the country.
Today Henderson Alvarez of the Miami Marlins, who lost 100 games this year pitched a no-hitter against the American League Central champion Detroit Tigers. Alvarez pitched nine no-hit, no-run innings but was saved from going out to pitch a tenth inning when Tiger’s reliever Luke Putkonen served up a wild pitch with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded. The wild pitch by Putkonen to pinch hitter Gregg Dobbs scored Giancarlo Stanton giving the Marlins a walk-off win on the final day of the season. It was the first walk-off no-hitter on a wild pitch and only the fourth no-hitter on the final day of the season.
Elsewhere after a long hard fought season all play off-berths except one, the American League 2nd berth were decided. That remains the case tonight as the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays meet tomorrow in a one game sudden-death playoff the winner will move on to take on the Boston Red Sox.
Among the interesting features on the 2013 MLB Playoffs is that the reigning World Series Champion, the San Francisco Giants are not in them, nor are the New York Yankees nor the Anaheim Angels. However the Pittsburgh Pirates returned to the playoffs as a Wild Card team, their first post-season appearance in over 20 years as did the Red Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Atlanta Braves and the Cleveland Indians. Surprising to some but not to me was the success of the Oakland Athletics, who for the second straight year won the American League West. Though they didn’t make the playoffs the Baltimore Orioles had a very respectable showing in the American League East, arguably the toughest division in baseball.
There were a lot of great moments this season, three no-hitters as well as some amazing performances by young and up and coming players like Chris Davis of the Orioles who led he majors with 53 home runs and 138 RBI.
Baseball remains alive and well and i expect that the 2013 playoffs could be ones for the ages.
After all, with all the foolishness in Washington we need something to “repair these losses and be a blessing to us.”
Peace
Padre Steve+
The Inglorius Padre Steve's World 
At least in baseball, you don’t have the two teams trying to vie with each other to bring the MLB to a grinding halt….
And we now share something, Padre – I got fired from my groundskeeper duties at the Methodist church across the street. Yep – no more fun times sweating my hoohah off, swinging a heavy smoke-belching weed-whacker while my shoulder muscles ache. And I continue to get paid the same – zip. Somehow, my experience doesn’t seem quite as negative or upsetting as yours, though. 😉 (Blame it on the retired farmer husband of our pastor. I think it was a case of either he took over my duties, or Pastor was gonna take the weed-whacker to HIM! 😀 )
John
Churches can be so silly, firing the unpaid help. That reminds me of a Seinfeld episode where Kramer got fired as an unpaid intern. Blessings! Steve+