Baseball Frustrations

How can the Dodgers roll over and play dead for the last place team? They obviously do not want the pennant as much as I thought. My wife aggravates me when she makes a pontifical pronouncement every year, "I told you they fold after the All Star game. It happens every year." Like she really knows baseball! What aggravates me most is that she is right. This year--with wonderful new acquisitions (and Manny)--they are fading more gradually. This year we will have our hearts broken during that last three game series with the Rockies, just you wait and see. Yes, Ethier has an amazing 5 walk-off hits this season. They have utility players with 300 batting averages (Pierre and Belliard). But they are rapidly developing the lowest batting average with men in scoring position. That means when it looks like they are rallying, the next batter or two are certain outs.

Enter college football! I am the first one to admit that American football is a more exciting spectator sport than baseball. I frankly do not understand why anyone who has not played organized baseball can really get into the game. All the finesse of the game is just boring delay for most of those watching.

But those of you who just uttered an "Amen" to that sentiment need to ponder the comment of Mr. George Will (one of the more intelligent columnists among us) who is also an avid baseball fan. He said that football enshrines two of the worst features of our culture: it is violence punctuated by committee meetings.