They did it! The Washington Nationals won the World Series against a formidable Houston Astros team expected to take the whole tamale. The Nationals also became the first team to win on the road. Meaning they won four out of seven in Houston’s home stadium.
I didn’t know the name of any player or manager seven games ago, but I studied the players as they came to bat. They didn’t have the silly humor of the Cubs when they were in the World Series. Nor did they have the assuredness that Houston displayed. What they had was determination. And when they won, the joy exploded.
I’m a fair-weather sports fan, meaning that if my team is winning I’m all in. But I’ll go do something exciting like ironing or vacuuming when my team is off the rails. And, believe me, Washington was never my team in the first place. Still, I love a come-from-behind Cinderella.
It reminded me of growing up with a mother who loved baseball in the days when the players road local transportation to the stadium. Many a summer’s night was spent listening to the tiny radio and Harry Carey. My own motherhood remembered Kevin, my older son, playing more than one season in park district baseball. He even made the local All-Star team. And then there were the Cubs, who recently ended a 108 year drought between winning World Series.
So I’m thrilled for the Nationals. Not just because they were underdogs, but also because watching the players brought back so many other memories.
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